Five years.The world had changed in five long, grinding years.Lucian Wolfe, Alpha of the Eastern Highlands, sat upon the obsidian throne carved generations ago by his bloodline. He wore the mark of his status now not just on his skin, but in the heaviness behind his eyes. Once a student warrior of Blackmoon Academy, now he was ruler of one of the largest territories.And yet…He had never felt more powerless.Beside him stood his Luna—Seraphine. Regal. Unflinching. Beautiful in the way ice can be beautiful—silent, distant, deadly. Her silks were pristine. Her posture perfect. Her fingers slightly entwined in his. Not out of love.But out of obligation.They did what they were supposed to.Mated, whenever the opporunity presented itself.They led together.But that was all.But in all this years, she had still not given him an heir. Not from lack of trying. Not from disobedience. But something else—something no elder could explain. The seers called it a spiritual incompatibility. A
The moon hung low and swollen over the Wolfe estate, casting a pale glow over the ceremonial lodge deep within the ancestral grounds.Tonight, Lucian Wolfe was to be joined. Fully. Completely.There would be no more delays.The elders said the mating would strengthen his bond not just with his chosen Luna, but with his pack, solidify his right to rule, and prepare him for future leadership over the territories. But Lucian didn’t feel like a rising Alpha.He felt trapped.Inside the chamber, he stood bare from the waist up, robes tied loosely around his hips, silver cuffs still on his wrists from the earlier rite. A faint burn tingled on his skin—the mark of the earlier soul-binding ceremony with Seraphine now sealed permanently into his shoulder: a crescent moon with twin stars, symbolizing unity.He stared at it in the polished obsidian mirror, the weight of it heavier than any crown.Behind him, the ceremonial door creaked open.Seraphine entered quietly.She was draped in the tradi
Later that night, the ceremonial chamber was lit with violet fire and incense. Ancient runes glowed faintly on the floor. This was not just a ritual of unity—it was a binding, a pact of soul and spirit under wolf law.Lucian Wolfe stood rigid in his ceremonial tunic, wrists cuffed in silver, jaw tight.Across from him stood Seraphine.Beautiful, composed, unreadable.She hadn’t spoken to him since the news had broken.Her pale blue eyes flicked up to meet his as the priest stepped forward.“Under the moon’s light,” the old priest began, “we call upon the spirits of the wolves to witness this binding. Two souls. One fate. One legacy.”Lucian felt the pull of the ancient magic. It clawed at his skin, tried to reach his heart.But he closed himself off.Emotionally. Mentally.He refused to bond. Not truly.When the priest handed Seraphine the sacred ribbon to tie around their joined hands, she paused. Then, with a ghost of sadness in her eyes… she tied it.The magic surged.Lucian felt i
The fortress came alive over the next several days.What once had been little more than stone and silence began to breathe again—with footsteps echoing down long-forgotten halls, voices filling the courtyard, fires lighting hearths that hadn’t burned in centuries. Rogues who once lived day-to-day, always on the move, now pitched tents beneath ancient battlements or claimed empty chambers within the moss-covered keep.But peace, as always, was short-lived.Because with walls came questions.And with questions… came challenges.“Who put him in charge?”The first time it was asked, it came from a scrappy wolf named Tyron—formerly of a shattered southern pack, broad-shouldered and bitter. He’d fought hard in the battle against the hunters. And like many others, he hadn’t objected when Rei, the boyish, sharp-eyed newcomer, led them deeper into the wilds.But now, surrounded by structure, with whispers of a new beginning circling like wildfire, Tyron wasn’t the only one eyeing the Alpha sea
Lucian Wolfe’s journey was cut short.One moment he was scaling the cliffs beyond Blackmoon, the next—six wolves, armored in the crimson sigil of House Wolfe, surrounded him beneath the gray sky.They didn’t speak at first. They didn’t have to.Lucian knew why they were here.“You’ve barely been gone a week,” said the commander at the front, bowing slightly. “And already your father calls you home.”Lucian’s jaw tightened. “I have unfinished business.”The commander straightened. “Not anymore. Your Trial is done. You’re officially Alpha Wolfe. The territory needs its leader. Now.”“My father sent you, didn't he?”They all nodded.“I''m not ready to lead the pack, besides my father is still very much alive.”“You don’t have to. The crown was inherited the moment you crossed Blackmoon’s gates with that title. The Alpha is merely waiting for you to accept your new seat.”Lucian’s hands curled into fists.He hadn’t expected to leave Blackmoon and walk into chains made of gold. He had imag
Xavier stood before the Council, flanked by guards, no longer a contestant—just a disgraced student.Head Councilor Varric’s face was like stone.“You blackmailed your peers, fabricated intelligence, and deliberately endangered a banished student’s life. And then you attempted to sabotage a Final Trial to eliminate your rival.”Xavier didn’t speak.He couldn’t.For the first time, his charm had failed him.His smirk was gone.Head Instructor Rhys Calloway leaned forward, sharp eyes narrowing. “You also exploited another student’s secret, endangering a female Alpha candidate who, despite breaking protocol, has shown more grit and discipline than most of the males in this year’s class.”“She lied,” Xavier muttered weakly. “She—”“She survived,” Councilor Varric cut in, “a year in a school designed to destroy her. That speaks more of her strength than your entire application portfolio ever did.”With a final stroke of the gavel-shaped rune before them, the verdict was declared.“Xavier,