Chapter 1
Prologue
Blood dripped down the steps of the throne, dark as oil, sticky where it met the stone.
The Alpha King leaned back, one hand cradling the shallow iron chalice, the other resting lazily on the arm of his seat. His lips were red, wet, glistening.
The wolf at his feet twitched once more, a final shudder, then stilled.
The King drank.
Around him, the council watched in silence, their faces masks of obedience. No one spoke of the smell—the sharp, metallic sweetness that filled the chamber. No one dared.
“Strength,” the King murmured, tongue running across his teeth. They were too sharp, too long in that instant before he smiled. “Strength is never wasted. It passes on.”
He gestured, and servants dragged the carcass away.
“Tomorrow, the heirs will come,” he said, eyes glinting like steel in firelight. “The Trials will begin. We will see which packs breed strength… and which ones feed it.”
He raised the cup once more, red spilling over his mouth.
“Blood strengthens blood.”
And the darkness whispered back.
