Chapter 2

~KILLIAN THANE~

The metallic taste of blood still coated my tongue when I shifted back. My body ached from the transformation, the raw hunger of my wolf reluctantly quenched as skin replaced fur, but the rage never left me. My bare feet pressed into the damp soil as I walked the path that led to my residence. Two were dead, ripped apart by my fangs. But, I knew it should have been three.

The girl’s face flashed across my mind for a moment. Her wide, terrified eyes staring at me, her scattered hair, and her scent that was oddly sweet amidst her stench of fear. I should have devoured her, rip her throat out and silence her screams before they even left her lips. But my wolf… let her go. He turned its hunger elsewhere, and it unsettled me for not knowing why.

However, I dismissed the thought. She was irrelevant.

The night was cold as I strode back naked into the the alpha's residence. My residence. One of the guards who had been appointed for such hurried to cover me with a robe as I entered into the warmth of the building. The servants bowed as I passed, but their eyes never lifted. They knew better than to look upon me when I returned in that state.

Inside my chambers, the scent of lavender and hot water greeted me. Mara, my preferred maid, waited at the entrance as though she’d been listening for my return. She bowed courteously, her eyes lowering, though not quickly enough for me to miss the glint of hunger in them.

"I've prepared your bath, alpha." She said. I replied nothing and only strode further into my chanber to where the bath was. She followed behind me like a shadow and as I stepped into the water, she moved to my side with a cloth, dipping it in and running it slowly over my chest. Her fingers lingered too long, nails scraping my skin in a way that was starting to annoy me .

She leaned closer, her breath warm against my ear. “You reek of blood.” she murmured. “I could help you forget tonight's events.”

I caught her wrist before she could trail lower. My grip was firm, unyielding. She gasped softly, more aroused than afraid, but I shoved her hand away.

“Not tonight.” I said flatly.

Her lips parted in shock. For months she’d warmed my bed whenever I allowed it. She knew her place, knew I never offered tenderness, only a body to share mine when desire struck. And she had grown addicted to the scraps I threw her. However, I was in no mood for such that night. Rage overwhelmed me and also the nagging memory of that girl’s eyes.

Mara masked her disappointment with a pout, lowering her gaze. “As you wish, Alpha.”

“Leave.”

She hesitated a moment, as though hoping I might change my mind, but one look from me sent her hurrying out of the room. The door closed with a muted click, and finally, I was alone.

I leaned back against the tub, closing my eyes as the water turned pink around me, washing away the blood, though not the stench of death. My wolf stirred, restless, unsatisfied.

Why had I spared her? The thought came back against my will. My wolf, Shael had become more violent and ruthless as of late since my ascension to Alpha. His thirst for blood was becoming unquenchable every night. But despite that, he turned down ripping the girl apart.

I remembered the way she had looked at me—not like the others who cowered and screamed, but with something else. Terror, yes, but mingled with defiance. For a split second, I had almost felt my fangs sink into her throat. Almost. But the beast inside me turned and chose another victim instead.

It unsettled me more than I cared to admit.

“Killian.”

The voice pulled me from my thoughts.

Reese leaned against the doorway, his dark eyes studying me with that same calm insolence he always carried. He was one of the few who didn’t flinch at my presence, though I could sense the tension that hummed beneath his stillness.

“Your council waits for you.”

“For what?” I asked flatly.

His lips twitched into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “For the two you left in pieces tonight. They’re calling it a… concern.”

“The council can wait until dawn.”

“They’re your father’s council.” Reese reminded me. “You’re Alpha now, Killian. Whether you care for their opinions or not, the pack will start asking questions. Blood is easy to spill, but even blood has a price.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, but he didn’t back down. Reese had been at my side long before ascension. Not friend, not servant—something in between. Useful enough to keep alive.

With a sigh of irritation, I fastened the robe around my waist and strode past him.

The council chamber was already thick with tension when I entered. Twelve men sat in a semicircle, their expressions carved in stone, though none dared to show me open disdain. My father’s shadow lingered there still. His rules, his traditions and his men that had become mine.

“Alpha.” Edward Monroe, one of the senior Betas, rose to his feet. His eyes gleamed with restrained judgment. I recognized the look. He had never approved of me. None of them did but there was nothing they could do about me. No one could challenge me. “We must address your… condition.”

I arched a brow. “Condition?”

“You’ve slaughtered pack members.” Another councilman said tightly. “Twice in the last month. Our enemies watch us closely. If they sense instability in our Alpha, they will exploit it.”

“I am not unstable.” I said coldly. “If the tales are correct, I am the strongest alpha this pack have ever seen.”

“Strength without control is weakness.” Edward snapped. His audacity almost amused me. Almost.

“Then enlighten me.” I drawled, folding my arms. “How do you propose to leash me.”

The chamber went silent. Then Edward cleared his throat, gesturing toward the others. “Your bloodlust is not without reason. It is the consequence of your ascension. An Alpha is not meant to rule without his Luna. The bond steadies him, anchors his power. Without her, the wolf will tear you apart.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “And what would you have me do? Pluck a Luna out of the air?”

“If your mate has not yet been found,” One of the elders interjected. “then tradition provides an alternative. The Contest of Lunas.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You want me to choose a mate from a parade of desperate girls?”

“It is more than that,” Edward pressed. “It is a series of trials, designed to test strength, loyalty, and suitability. It has been done in the old times, when fated mates had not been found or had been lost. The strongest survives. The worthiest becomes Luna.”

“Absurd.” I snapped.

“Necessary.” Edward countered. “Without stability, you will unravel. And if you unravel, so will we all. The pack cannot afford a blood-drunk Alpha.”

“He's right, Alpha. Refuse, and the pack will begin to fear you more than they already do. Fear without loyalty breeds rebellion.” Another supported.

I bared my teeth in something close to a smile, though it held no warmth. “Let them fear. Fear is loyalty’s sharper edge.”

"Please, Alpha , all we ask is that you consider what we are saying."

I let the silence stretch, my gaze sweeping over each of them. Their fear was strong, but so was their determination. They would not let this go.

Reese’s words echoed in my mind. 'Blood is easy to spill, but even blood has a price.'

“Very well,” I said at last, my voice low and dangerous. “Arrange your contest. Parade your daughters before me like cattle. I will play your little game.”

Relief instantly flickered across their faces.

Edward nodded. “It will be announced at once. The trials will begin in three days.”

“Good.” I said, though my tone carried no warmth.

I got up to leave buy my departure was interrupted. “Sorry to ask alpha, but what about the families of the men that was killed tonight?” Gerald asked, but he immediately looked frightened the moment I glared at him.

The chamber stiffened again.

I leaned forward, resting my hands on the table, my gaze hard as stone. “Tell their families this; their sons were weak. The pack does not mourn weakness. There is no compensation for it.”

Gasps echoed softly, but none said anything more.

I straightened, turning toward the door, the heavy silence trailing behind me like a shadow. Let them murmur. Let them scheme. I was their Alpha now. Their survival depended on me, and they knew it.

But as I strode back into the night air, one thought lingered, unwelcomed in the back of my mind.

The girl.

She crossed my mind again and I hated it.