CH 1

Katherine’s POV

“Luna Queen! We are under attack!”

Outside, the loud screech of grinding steel echoed through the courtyard as our men tried desperately to close the giant metal gates. 

But it was already too late. 

A chorus of blood-curdling howls shattered the night air. The rogues were already inside.

My mind raced, cold and sharp. I wondered why they would come here if Alexander had already given their leader gold to keep the peace. 

And more importantly... how did they know that the Alpha King was not here?

Did they plan this attack from the very beginning? 

It had already been two weeks since Alexander left the capital, and I was sure he had already arrived at the Southern Border by now. This wasn't a random raid. 

This was a highly coordinated, two-front war. Someone on the inside had tipped them off.

I gasped in a sharp breath and commanded, “Prepare the archers! Coat every arrow with wolfsbane and fire! Burn them from the walls, and don’t let anyone get near my babies!”

I walked outside, my stride murderous and unbothered, while a massive group of royal guards, led by the Beta and Gamma, moved in a defensive formation toward the West Wing, protecting my pups and Sofia’s pup with their lives.

I took a deep, steadying breath as I stepped outside onto the grand balcony overlooking the carnage. 

The courtyard was a chaotic sea of blood and shifting wolves, but my eyes locked instantly onto one figure.

I saw a man standing perfectly still in the middle of the crowd. He wasn't fighting or shifting. He was looking up at the balcony, completely calm, as if he’d been waiting for me to step out all along.

“Who the hell are you?!” I demanded.

My fangs elongated, and the bones in my hands cracked as I let my beast rise to the surface. Half of my body was already shifting into the Silver Queen as I marched directly towards him, my fur rippling under the moonlight.

He merely raised a single hand, and instantly, all of his rogues stopped fighting and dropped into a disciplined silence to listen to him. 

My royal guards immediately fell into a defensive wall behind me, their weapons drawn, ready to fight the second I told them to.

“I am Darius Evander… King of the Rogues,” he said, his voice smooth and dripping with mock respect.

He bowed his head deeply, introducing himself to me like a fucking perfect noble instead of a warlord standing in a pool of my people's blood.

I took a deep, steadying breath and grabbed a heavy silver sword in one hand. 

My other hand flexed at my side, the longest claws fully extended, ready to slash his neck open if he stepped even one inch forward.

Darius slowly straightened up, his eyes scanning the grand architecture of the palace before locking back onto me.

"I came here to see the great capital for myself," Darius purred, stepping casually over the body of a fallen guard. "It is truly beautiful. And remarkably unprotected. I must thank that pathetic little border Omega I caught last week. He screamed quite a bit, but before I gutted him, he was very eager to tell me the truth—that the great Alpha King had taken his army on a little journey to the South."

My grip on the silver sword tightened until my knuckles turned white.

"Your King gave me a fortune in gold to stay in the shadows and keep the peace," Darius continued, a wicked smirk playing on his lips. "But a few days ago, I received a very interesting letter from Nikolai... along with a caravan that completely doubled Alexander’s gold."

He chuckled.

"So, as you can see... there is no peace tonight. Nikolai wants the King broken, but I? I want the crown. And to lure Alexander Grey to his death..." Darius's eyes dragged slowly over my body, gleaming with dangerous, greedy intent. "...I just need to take the one thing he values most in this world."

I shook my head, my grip on the silver hilt tightening until my knuckles ached. “I will never give you what you want.”

He tilted his head, a hollow, soulless smile creeping across his face. “Really? Even when the gutters of this beautiful palace run black with your people's blood? Even when I slaughter every last child cowering behind these walls?”

Before I could answer, a piercing wail echoed from the upper floor. My heart stopped. It was the nursery. 

My babies were screaming, terrified by the deafening sounds of the slaughter below. I instinctively took a step back, my eyes darting toward the balcony above.

Darius heard it too. His ears twitched, and his eyes darkened with a sick, predatory delight. He let out a slow, dramatic sigh.

“Or perhaps…” he whispered, his gaze shifting up to the nursery window. “…I should start with your pups.”

“Take one step toward my children, and I will rip your spine out through your mouth,” I snarled, sweeping my silver sword up and pointing it directly between his eyes.

He just chuckled, completely unfazed. But then, his gaze flicked past my shoulder, catching movement near the grand staircase. 

His cruel smile widened into something truly monstrous.

“Well, well…” Darius crooned, his voice dripping with sadistic warmth. “Oh, Sofia! Don't tell me you've forgotten me?”

I glanced back. Sofia’s eyes were blown wide in paralyzing horror. The color drained completely from her face, leaving her as pale as a corpse. 

Her knees buckled, and she collapsed against the stone pillar, her entire body trembling so violently she looked like she might shatter. 

She clutched her own throat, hyperventilating, completely unable to take a single step backward. She was looking at Darius as if the devil himself had just walked out of hell.

So, this wasn't just the Rogue King. This was the rogue. The monster who had abducted her, chained her like a plaything, and nearly tortured her to death before Alexander’s men found her.