LOGINThe door clanged shut behind Desmond as he got closer to Eugene’s cell.For a long moment he only stood there, letting the torches shine across his face, studying Eugene.“You look smaller in chains,” Desmond said at last.Eugene’s eyes, still steady despite the exhaustion in them, lifted toward him.“Chains don’t make an Alpha small,” he answered quietly. “They only show who fears him.”Desmond’s lips curved. “Still proud, even now.”He stepped closer.“Tell me, brother, did you ever imagine I would sit where you once stood? That the pack would bow to me?”“You didn’t earn their bow,” Eugene said. “You forced their knees.”Desmond laughed, low and dark. “It’s the same thing.”Brian leaned casually.“Am I interrupting the family reunion?” he asked.Desmond’s head turned slowly and his smile vanished.“You shouldn’t be here.”Brian shrugged. “Well, i am.”“Visiting prisoners is prohibited,” Desmond said evenly. “Especially this one.”Brian tilted his head. “Prohibited by whom? You?
The dungeon beneath Blackwood estate was a place without sunlight.The air was damp and heavy, thick with the scent of mold, rust, and despair. Eugene raised his head slightly, his hair catching what little light there was.His eyes, though dimmed by exhaustion, still carried that unmistakable glint of strength, the kind that even cages could not extinguish.“How long has it been?” he murmured to himself. “Days? Weeks?”He tilted his head back, staring into the ceiling’s darkness as if he could somehow see through it to where the night sky should have been.His heart clenched when he thought of Becca but he couldn’t help.“Please,” he whispered to the empty air. “Let her be safe.”A low chuckle drifted from the next cell.Eugene turned sharply, frowning. He hadn’t realized anyone was awake.A shadow shifted behind the bars and it was a man, lean and rough, his face half-hidden by his hair. His voice carried a strange warmth, something that didn’t belong in a place like this.“Still p
Desmond walked slowly, his shoes crunching against the gravel. He wasn’t just walking for air, no, this was a victory march. Every breath he took today was a reminder that he had done what no wolf before him had dared to do. He had seized the throne of Blackwood. He had taken what was denied to him.And no one would take it back.Jack walked a few steps behind him, his hands fixed by his sides. “You feel that, Jack?” Desmond’s voice came low and smooth. “The air today is different.”Jack hesitated. “Different?”Desmond stopped walking and turned slightly. His eyes turned gold in the sunlight. “Yes, different. It feels like power.”He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second as if he could taste it in the air. “This land, this pack, this estate all belong to me now.”Jack forced a small nod, though his throat felt tight. “It does feel… peaceful.”"As it should."Jack nodded faintly, though his heart was beating faster than it should. He could feel the danger in every w
The torches along the hallway brought light as Jack moved quietly, his shoes striking the floor. The air here always felt heavy now. Since Desmond’s coup, everything had changed. Blackwood was no longer a place of strength and honor, it was a pack of fear. Jack turned a corner and stopped. A sharp voice broke the silence. “Do it again, you useless brats!” His jaw clenched. It was Ava. She stood in the center of the hallway, surrounded by three young maids, each trembling as she screamed at them. Their eyes were red, their hands shaking as they held silver trays that gleamed with food meant for Luna Seraphina. “You think I’ll let you serve Luna Seraphina’s table with dust on your hands?” Ava sneered. “Becca might have tolerated filth, but I won’t. You hear me? I’m not some Omega’s maid.” The smallest girl flinched under her words, bowing repeatedly. “I’m sorry, Miss Ava—” The tray slipped and a silver cup fell to the floor. Ava’s face twisted with fury. “Pathetic!” sh
Desmond stood in his chambers, bare-chested, the weight of his new crown resting on the table beside him. He ran a hand through his hair, staring at his reflection in the polished glass of the window.“It feels good,” he murmured. “Better than I ever imagined.”From across the room, Seraphina laughed softly.“I told you it would,” she said. “You always underestimated what power could taste like.”Desmond turned toward her, his eyes burning with pride and hunger. “Power, yes,” he said, pacing slowly towards her. “But not this kind. Before, I was Alpha, the strongest of the Blackwood line, the ruler of a pack loyal by name but divided by fear and doubt. Now…” He picked up the crown and stared at it. “Now I am supreme with no council to appease, no brother to rival me, no Goddess to question my worth.”He placed the crown on his head, letting the weight settle there.“I should have done this years ago.”Seraphina tilted her head, her hair gleaming in the candlelight. “True, we were pa
Becca’s jaw clenched as Luna Seraphina's moved through all of them in a condescending way. Her long hair fell in waves over her shoulders, and the crescent emblem of the Luna Queen glinted proudly on her chest. She was followed by several armored guards who were here to make sure Becca, Mira and Max stayed back. Every step she took was deliberate, graceful, regal and venomous. “Well,” Seraphina purred, her voice slicing through the silence, “look what we have here.” Her eyes moved througb the chamber then lingered on Becca. A sharp and poisonous smile curved her lips. “The little rejected Omega,” she said softly. “Still breathing. How surprising.” Becca’s fingers curled into fists at her sides, but she said nothing, not yet. Seraphina’s laughter rang out, smooth and cruel. “You know, when Desmond told me he had you locked away, I just had to see it myself. The infamous Becca, Eugene’s precious little charity case.” Mira stiffened. “Don’t call her that,” she whispered. Ser







