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The scent of blood clung to the cold stone floor. Torches flickered against the walls of Black Fang’s underground tribunal, casting long shadows over the crowd gathered to witness an execution. Warriors stood in silent rows. Pack elders watched from their seats. Every pair of eyes was fixed on the young woman kneeling in the center of the chamber.

Her wrists were bound with silver chains. Dark bruises covered her pale skin. Blood trickled from the corner of her lips, but she refused to bow her head. Serafina stared straight ahead. She had failed.

Afther years of brutal training, after countless missions that stained her hands with blood, after being molded into Shadow Fang’s deadliest weapon, she had failed the one mission she could never afford to fail.

Kill Alpha Darius Ravencrest. Instead, she had been captured before her blade reached his heart. One of the warriors stepped forward and kicked the back of her knees.

“Lower your head before the Alpha!” Serafina didn’t move. “I said...”

“Enough.”

One calm voice silenced the entire chamber. Alpha Darius Ravencrest descended the stone steps with measured strides. Tall, broad shouldered, and dressed in black from head to toe. He carried no weapon. He didn’t need one though. The power radiating from him alone was enough to make even seasoned warriors lower their gazes.

Serafina looked directly into his crimson eyes. This... this was the man she had spent years preparing to kill today. He stopped only a few steps away from her. Neither of them spoke. The silence stretched until one of the elders finally cleared his throat.

“Alpha Darius.” The elderly man stood, his voice echoing through the chamber.

“This assassin infiltrated our borders, murdered twelve Black Fang warriors, and attempted to assassinate you.”

His expression hardened. “According to our laws, the punishment is death.”

A chorus of agreement followed. “Execute her!”

“She deserve no mercy!”

“Shadow Fang breeds monsters!”

Serafina remained expressionless. Monster. She had heard that word her entire life. Weapon, killer, and just failure. Serafina was never daughter or child to Shadow Fang. She just a dangerous weapon. A monster.

She lifted her chin. “I won’t beg.”

 A few warriors laughed. “Still pretending to be brave.”

“Just kill her already.”

Darius finally spoke. “You admit your crime?”

“Yes.”

“You came here to kill me.”

“Yes.”

“And if I released you today?”

“I would try to kill you again.” Her answer came without hesitation.

A ripple spread across the room. One warrior cursed beneath his breath. The Beta folded his arms.

“She’s insane.”

Darius, however, remained unreadable. He continued studying her face as though searching for something no one else could see. His gaze lingered on the bruises around her neck. On the old scars hidden beneath newer wounds.

On the way she instinctively shifted her weight to protect injuries that had clearly existed long before entering Black Fang territory. Those weren’t battle wounds. They were punishment. Interesting. Very interesting.

An elder struck the floor with his staff. “Alpha, she had confessed. Our laws are clear.”

Darius didn’t look away from Serafina. “What is your name?”

A brief silence. “Serafina.”

“Family name?”

She hesitated. “I don’t have one.”

A murmur swept through the hall. No family name? Impossible! Every werewolves belonged to a bloodline. Every wolves carried a family name. Even orphans inherited one. Unless... no. Darius dismissed the thought, then he asked another question.

“How old were you when Shadow Fang began training you?”

Serafina frowned. “What?”

“You heard my question.”

“Five...”

The room fell silent. Even the warriors exchanged uneasy glances. Five? Children that age should have been learning to read. Not to kill people like a monsters. An elder’s expression darkened.

“That changes nothing! She’s still our biggest enemy!”

Another elder nodded. “If we spare her today, every pack will see Black Fang as a weak pack. Execute her!”

Serafina closed her eyes. ‘So, this is my the end... at least it would finally be over now. No more orders. No more blood. No more pain...’ She thought.

Several warriors drew their swords. Steel gleamed beneath the torchlight. A sword was raised, but then...

“Stop!”

The command cracked through the chamber like thunder. Every blade froze in midair. The elder frowned.

“Alpha, what are you trying to do?”

Darius slowly stepped between Serafina and the executioner. “I said stop.” His voice remained calm.

The Beta stared at him. “You can’t be serious, Alpha. She murdered our warriors.”

“I know that, Beta.”

“She tried to kill you.”

Darius nodded slowly. “I know.”

“Then why are you protecting her?!”

Darius felt hesitated. He looked down at Serafina. His shoulders still ached where her dagger had pierced him. He remembered something strange about it. During the struggle, for less than a heartbeat, her blood had touched his wound.

The pain had vanished, and the wound had begun closing. That was impossible. But still, he had said nothing about it. Not even to his Beta. Because Darius wasn’t sure if he had imagined it. But his instincts.

His Alpha instincts had screamed one thing. Don’t kill her, not yet. There was something about this girl that the entire room had failed to see. Something dangerous. Something hidden. He looked toward the council.

“This woman is no longer to be executed.”

The chamber erupted. “What?!”

“Alpha?!”

“You cannot overturn pack law!”

“I can, because I just did. As Alpha of Black Fang, I invoke the Right of Claim.” Darius’s voice became colder.

Even the elders stiffened. The Right of Claim. An ancient law that had not been used in decades. It gave the Alpha absolute authority to claim any prisoner whose existence could affect the safety or future of the pack. No one could challenge it. Not even the council. The eldest elder slowly rose.

“Do you understand the consequences?”

“I do.”

“From the moment you invoke that law...” He looked at Serafina. “Her life becomes your responsibility.”

“I know. If she betrays this pack again, I’ll deal with it.”

The elder searched Darius’s face, hoping to find uncertainty. There was none. Finally, he lowered his head.

“So be it, Alpha.”

Darius stepped forwards. The chains binding Serafina rattled softly as she looked up at him in confusion.

“What are you doing?” She whispered.

His crimson eyes met hers. “Keeping you alive.”

“But why?”

“I don’t know.” That answer surprised even himself. Then, after a pause, he added. “But I intend to find out the reason.”

He turned toward the guards. “Remove the execution order. Keep the restraints.”

“From this moment forward,” His voice echoed though every corner of the chamber. “Serafina is under my claim.”

The room fell into stunned silence. Some stared in disbelief, and others in anger. Several warriors looked ready to protest, but no one dared. Serafina could only watch as the guards stepped back, lowering their weapons.

Serafina has prepared herself for death. She had accepted it. Instead, the man she had been sent to kill had claimed her life before death ever could. And somehow, that frightened her far more than the execution she had expected.