Chapter 1
~~~The Silence Before Blood~~~
The fire cracked softly in the center of the great hall, throwing long shadows across the stone walls. Warriors sat in a loose circle around the Alpha King, faces calm but eyes keen and watchful. The air carried the mingled scents of wet leather and old blood. Outside, the night wind howled faintly through the open arches.
King Kaelin leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, voice level and controlled. “They came through the eastern ridge again. Third raid this moon. We lost six men.”
A low murmur rippled through the circle. Faces tightened, but no one raised his voice. No one interrupted.
Then the heavy door creaked open.
A tall figure stepped inside. His stride was loose, almost carelessly relaxed for the hour. His cloak trailed behind him, and his boots made no sound on the stone. He scanned the room slowly, meeting each pair of eyes in turn, before dragging out a chair without a word. He sat, crossed his arms over his chest, clean-shaven face calm, a slow smile curling his mouth.
Kaelin’s gaze drifted to him. They held each other’s stare. The space between them thickened, heavy and still. Seconds stretched. No one else moved.
“You’re late,” Kaelin said at last.
The man gave a light shrug. “A few minutes. I doubt I’ve ruined anything important.”
Kaelin said nothing more. He turned back to the circle. “They strike like ghosts. Fast. Merciless. Yet we’ve had no quarrel with the Crescent Pack in over six winters.”
He rose and crossed to the table where the map lay spread open. His fingers traced the jagged border lines. “We hold at the cliffs. Scouts go out at dawn.”
A loud, deliberate throat-clearing cut through the quiet.
Kaelin froze.
Every head swung toward the newcomer. The man tilted his head slightly, eyes widening in mock surprise at the sudden attention.
“Oh,” he said softly. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Kaelin’s jaw clenched. “Then don’t.”
He returned to the map. But before he could speak again, the voice slid in once more.
“Maybe I know why they’ve been attacking.”
The words landed hard, rippling outward like stones dropped into still water.
Silence swallowed the hall.
Warriors exchanged quick glances. Shoulders stiffened. Kaelin turned slowly.
“And not just me,” the man went on, his tone edged now with something sharper. “You know too, brother.”
Gasps broke the stillness. One warrior rose halfway from his seat before sinking back down. Kaelin’s hands closed into tight fists.
“This isn’t the time for your games, Riken.”
Riken stood. The easy smile vanished, replaced by a glint in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “I’m not playing.”
He walked forward at an unhurried pace, the soft tap of his boots the only sound in the room. He stopped directly behind Kaelin and placed both hands lightly around his brother’s neck—fingers loose, almost companionable.
Then he raised his voice in a sudden shout.
“Congratulations, my King!”
Kaelin gave a small jolt. His spine stiffened, but he did not pull away.
Riken leaned close, voice dropping to a murmur against Kaelin’s ear. “What’s wrong? You look pale.”
Kaelin stayed silent.
Riken stepped back and faced the circle. “Dear brother, did you really believe no one would discover it? That your little secret could stay hidden forever in the woods?”
Kaelin opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Riken pointed straight at him. “Tell them. Or I will.”
Pleading flickered in Kaelin’s eyes.
Riken ignored it.
He turned fully to the others and let his voice carry, clear and deliberate. “Our great King has been lying with the Lycan prisoner we took in the last war. He fathered a child with her. Seven months ago, she gave birth.”
Mouths dropped open. Several warriors surged to their feet. Others remained rooted, faces blank with shock.
“And this child,” Riken continued, letting each word fall slow and heavy, “is no ordinary child.”
He paused, watching the stunned expressions around him.
“It carries the blood of a Lycan… and my precious brother, the Alpha wolf.”
