Chapter 1
TITUS ||
Control has never been my strong suit. And for my wolf, that control was pretty much nonexistent.
I didn’t mean to kill all of them. I didn’t mean to hurt any of them really. I just wanted to hunt… but then Gemini took control like he always does.
… and then those humans got in the way.
Now I’m standing here, cuffed, chained to the floor, and facing the council, praying I don’t lose everything I worked so hard for.
It only makes things worse because today is my 32nd birthday.
Just like every other year - on this very day - Gemini forced the shift and killed any and everything in sight. It was tradition for us, the only thing that made this time of year just a little bit better because on this very day, twenty years ago, I watched my father murder my mother in cold blood.
And when I turned sixteen on this very day, I killed my father with my bare hands, suffocating him as he choked on his own blood. Just like he’d done to my mother.
King Kano knew about this. He knew what I'd been through because he knew my father, Vice, watching the way he’d run our pack under the Kingdom’s ruling.
The iron cuffs bite into my wrists. Silver no doubt, obviously wanting to suppress my strength. As if that would stop me if I truly wanted out. I’m forced to kneel when the chains pull tighter, tethering me to the cold marble floor like some rabid dog.
While the seven council members sit above me in their carved chairs, draped in tradition and self-righteous judgment.
Gemini stirs inside me, restless and snarling. He hates this submission, this disgrace, but it was his damn fault we were here.
“A massacre, Alpha Titus,” snaps Elder Marrow, his voice like broken glass. “Six humans. Public. Bloodied. Slaughtered like cattle.”
I don’t flinch. I won’t give them that. But my jaw clenches.
“You’ve jeopardized every treaty we’ve fought to uphold,” Elder Linya spits. “The humans are already whispering of monsters, and now Hunters are stirring.”
“You think your title grants you freedom to lose control?” Elder Evon leans forward, disgust curling his lip. “You’ve tainted your bloodline’s name. Your pack deserves better.”
He’s the only one that doesn’t know. So, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
“They don’t understand. They never do.” — Gemini growls, and I feel the echo in my ribs.
Elder Mak doesn’t even look at me. “If it were up to me, I’d strip him of his rank and scatter his pack to the others.”
“I dare you.” I snarl, low and venomous.
Silence. Every head snaps towards me, and the sound of a chair scraping back sounds through the court room.
King Kano rises, eyes like twin daggers as they bare down on me.
“That’s enough,” Kano growls. “You were reckless, Titus. You disrespected the balance, but stripping you of your pack won’t solve anything. You have a rabid wolf, yes, but rabid wolves can be broken, tamed.”
“Try it.” — Gemini shoves forward.
I shove him back as much as I can in my current predicament. The last thing we need is this beast challenging the King.
Alpha Rhogon, stoic until now, speaks at last. “You’ll serve a ninety-day watch. In your own territory. Four Elders will be assigned to you. They’ll observe, interfere if necessary. Any sign of instability from Gemini, and the consequences will be permanent.”
I stiffen. “Babysitters?”
“No,” Kano says. “Guards.”
My blood boils, but I swallow it. Barely. “And when the ninety days are up?”
“The Elders leave,” Rhogon replies. “And your leash comes off. For now.”
Every part of me burns with humiliation. With fury. Gemini roars inside my skull, but even he knows this is better than demotion. Better than losing everything.
So I nod once. Sharp. Unwilling.
“Fine,” I say. “Let the vultures watch.”
I’d barely swallowed the bitter pill of the ninety-day watch when King Kano’s voice rang out again, cruel in its certainty.
“There’s one more thing.” He says.
I turn my head and glare up at him. “What now, my King?”
He takes a moment to look at me. To really look at me. He looks at the other council members and then sighs heavily. “You’ll have to serve seven days in the Kingdom cells before returning to your territory.”
I laugh. “A cell? You want to cage me?”
Rhogon stands. “It’s not a request.”
Gemini thrashes inside me like a storm tide, and I feel my skin itch with the effort to keep him buried.
“They dare chain us again? After this mockery of a trial?” — He scoffs.
“That wasn’t part of the agreement,” I growl, standing as far as the floor cuffs will allow. “I accepted the ninety-day watch. I let you insult me, but you don’t get to lock me up like some rogue mutt.”
King Kano steps down from the dais, slowly, deliberately. He doesn’t need to command power, it rolls off him like smoke, thick and choking.
“You lost that privilege when you let Gemini run wild. This isn’t about punishment anymore. It’s about proving you still understand the chain of command.”
I bare my teeth. “I don’t care about your power games. I’ve built an empire in my territory without all of these leashes. Don’t pretend this is about peace, it’s about control.”
“No,” Rhogon says firmly. “It’s about consequences. Actions have them, Titus, even for Alphas. Especially for Alphas. We’re not doing this because we enjoy it. We’re doing it because the moment you slaughtered humans on their soil, you put every wolf in danger.”
I can feel my breathing quicken, my hands trembling as I struggle to contain Gemini’s fury. He wants blood. He wants out. But I force him back down.
“You want me to rot in a cell, fine,” I snap. “But don’t pretend it’s justice. It’s politics.”
Rhogon’s lips curl into something between amusement and warning. “Call it what you want. You’ll serve seven days in the deepest cells of the kingdom. You’ll be cut off from your pack. From Gemini. From yourself. You’ll remember what it feels like to be powerless.”
“Then you’ll return to your territory,” Kano adds. “And earn your place again. With Elders watching your every move.”
“And if I refuse?” I ask, not because I need the answer. I already know it, but because I need them to say it.
“Then you lose everything,” Rhogon says. “Your title. Your land. And your pack will be reassigned to another Alpha.”
“And Gemini will be bound,” Kano adds, tone sharp. “Permanently.”
The chamber chills.
They aren’t bluffing.
I look down at the cuffs, flex my hands, then raise my eyes again. I meet the Elder’s gazes with every ounce of hate and pride I have left.
“I hope you enjoy the quiet, Council,” I say through clenched teeth. “Because I’ll be counting every second in that cell. And when I’m out—”
“You’ll do what’s expected,” Kano interrupts. “And nothing more.”
I give a sharp nod, spiteful and stiff. “Then let’s get on with it.”
Rhogon motions to the guards. Two wolves step forward, heavy iron keys in hand. The cuffs are unlatched from the floor, but new ones are snapped around my wrists before I can even stretch.
The weight of the kingdom’s wrath settles on my shoulders as they drag me out of the chamber. And behind the stone doors, I swear I hear Kano whisper to Rhogon:
“He’ll either break… or come back sharper than we’ve ever seen.”
I will.
But it won’t be for them.
That will be for me.
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Author’s Note: Hey Besties, both new and old! What did you think of the first chapter posted here on Inkitt? Leave all of your thoughts! I love your comments!
Usually I only write on Wattpad before I publish my books, but im trying Inkitt now too!
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