1 : The Dying Tree

Black clouds swirled above a cloaked man standing at the heart of the Werewolf Kingdom.

The wind howled through the barren plains, carrying with it the scent of dying earth and distant rain. His black cloak billowed around his tall figure like a shadow given life, its hem brushing against dry grass that crackled beneath each gust.

Beneath the hood, a pair of deep blue eyes stared upward.

Tired.

Forsaken.

Yet burning with a ferocious intensity that refused to surrender.

Perhaps his hatred for the tree before him had grown stronger than his helplessness. Perhaps it was the only thing keeping him standing.

The Everlasting Fig Tree towered above him. Even dying, it remained magnificent.

Its trunk was broader than the largest building in the kingdom. Ancient roots protruded from the ground like the ribs of a buried giant, spreading in every direction across the sacred hill. Hundreds of branches stretched toward the heavens, clawing at the storm-dark clouds overhead.

Yet there were no leaves.

Not one.

The kingdom's greatest treasure stood utterly barren.

And it was dying.

Just like everything else.

Grey Stormborn lowered his gaze. For twenty-five years, he had lived beneath the shadow of this cursed tree. Ever since he could think for himself, he had known he was not born to inherit glory. He was born to inherit a funeral.

The tale of the Werewolf Kingdom's decline stretched back a century. A hundred years ago, the kingdom had stood unrivaled. Its warriors were feared across continents. Its lands flourished. Its population grew stronger with each generation. The Alpha King's bloodline carried blessings directly from the Moon Goddess herself.

Then came the witch.

No one remembered her real name anymore. Only the devastation she left behind.

According to legend, she had loved a wolf king. And according to legend, that love had destroyed her. When her heart shattered, so did her mercy. Using forbidden magic, she created the Everlasting Fig Tree and bound the fate of every werewolf to it.

If the tree flourished, so would the wolves. If the tree weakened, the wolves weakened alongside it.

If the tree died...

No one dared finish the sentence.

Grey knew the consequences all too well. The kingdom had spent a century proving them. Fertility rates had plummeted. Pups were born weaker every generation. Many wolves struggled to shift. Others became trapped between forms. Some had lost their humanity entirely. They roamed the forests surrounding the kingdom as wild beasts, unable to remember their own names.

The curse did not kill quickly. It simply stole everything little by little.

Hope.

Strength.

Future.

Grey brushed the dry soil beneath him in a lazy gesture. Dust crumbled between his fingers. Even the sacred hill was dying now. His shoulders felt heavier than usual. Perhaps because he had finally reached the age where he could no longer refuse the one thing he despised the most.

Twenty-five.

Old enough to rule.

Old enough to fail.

Seven years had passed since his mother died. Seven years since the kingdom lost its last Rona.

His gaze drifted toward the empty branches.

His mother had loved this tree.

Unlike him.

Whenever she touched its bark, tiny green shoots would emerge from seemingly dead wood. Leaves would grow along the roots. Birds would return to build nests among the branches.

For a brief moment, the curse would loosen its grip.

The kingdom would breathe again.

Then she died.

And everything began falling apart.

Grey clenched his jaw. The Moon Goddess had once shown mercy upon werewolves. Although unable to break the witch's curse, she forged a pact with the Earth Goddess instead.

Together, they created the Ronas –human women blessed with sacred floral magic. Only they could nurture the Everlasting Fig Tree and slow the curse.

For generations, Alpha Kings married Ronas. It became tradition.

Necessity.

Survival.

Without a Rona, the kingdom would eventually perish.

His mother had been the last. And after her death, there had been no replacement.

The tree stopped growing. Leaves began falling.

Year after year.

One by one.

Until none remained.

Grey still remembered the final leaf. He had been fifteen. The entire kingdom had gathered to watch the single golden leaf detached from its branch and drifted downward like a dying star. No new leaf ever appeared afterward.

Ten years.

Ten years without a single sign of life.

A low growl escaped his throat.

The worst part wasn't losing his mother. It wasn't even the kingdom's decline. It was his father's weakness. The mighty Alpha King had survived wars, droughts, and rebellions. Yet he could not survive grief.

After Queen Elara died, his father simply... stopped living.

He wandered the castle like a ghost. Stopped attending council meetings. Stopped training warriors. Stopped caring.

And one winter morning, they found him beside her grave.

Frozen.

Smiling.

As if death had finally reunited them.

The kingdom called it a tragedy. Grey called it abandonment. Seven years later, he still carried the consequences. The scar was invisible in the back of Grey's mind: that love only hurts. The very same scar was what made him despise the one thing he could now no longer refuse.

"Your Majesty."

A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.

Grey did not turn around as Marcus approached carefully from behind. As Beta of the kingdom and Grey's closest friend, he understood when silence was preferable. Unfortunately, duty rarely respected silence.

"The Elder Council summons you."

Grey released a long breath.

Of course they did.

The elders summoned him almost daily now. As if repeating the same problem would somehow produce a different solution.

The tree remained dead.

The kingdom remained dying.

No amount of discussion could change either fact. Still, duty demanded obedience. He rose to his feet.

For a moment, he stared at the Everlasting Fig Tree one last time. Its skeletal branches seemed to reach toward him. Mocking him. Demanding something he could not provide.

A Rona.

The kingdom needed a Rona.

Immediately.

Not next year. Not next month.

Now.

Grey hated how desperately they needed one. Hated how the future of an entire kingdom rested upon finding a woman. Hated how every path led back to King Valir, the man who controlled every known Rona in the world. Despite hating it, he knew he could no longer postpone going to King Valir to find a Rona.

The thought alone soured his mood.

"How bad?" Grey asked quietly.

Marcus hesitated. Never a good sign.

"The eastern villages reported three more regressions."

Grey's expression darkened.

Regressions. Another curse-born symptom.

When a werewolf's connection to the tree weakened too much, they lost their human form. Sometimes temporarily. Sometimes permanently.

The kingdom could no longer afford either.

"And the births?"

Marcus looked away. "None this month."

Silence followed.

Heavy.

Oppressive.

Grey closed his eyes briefly.

No births.

Three more regressions.

The tree dying. The kingdom shrinking.

The curse winning one day at a time.

When he opened his eyes again, the anger had returned.

Cold and sharp.

Good.

Anger was easier than despair.

"Let's get this over with."

Marcus nodded.

Grey stepped forward. Bones cracked. Muscles twisted. His cloak fell to the ground as the transformation surged through him.

Pain.

Power.

Freedom.

Every werewolf knew the sensation.

Joints shifted. Flesh stretched. His body expanded rapidly as white fur erupted across his skin. Moments later, the King of the Werewolf Kingdom stood upon four paws. It was the size of a carriage.

A giant white wolf.

The last royal wolf.

Powerful shoulders rippled beneath pristine fur. Deep blue eyes gleamed beneath storm clouds. Upon his forehead rested a silver lunar mark—the blessing of the Moon Goddess and proof of his royal bloodline.

Few could witness the form without awe.

Grey felt none.

To him, it was merely another burden. Another reminder of expectations. Another symbol of a kingdom he might not be able to save.

Marcus climbed onto Grey's back because he could no longer shift without risking becoming a beast permanently. Only Alphas could still shift between human form and wolf form due to their powerful nature. Even then, it was getting harder and more painful for Grey to shift.

Without waiting another second, Grey lunged forward. The world blurred. Wind roared past his ears. Fields flashed by. The sacred tree disappeared behind him while villages emerged.

As he raced across the kingdom, people stopped to watch. Children pointed. Adults bowed. Some smiled hopefully. Others looked away.

Grey noticed all of it.

Especially the hope. It frightened him more than hatred ever could. Hope meant expectations. Expectations meant disappointment.

The castle eventually appeared on the eastern horizon. Dark stone walls rose above the surrounding landscape. Once magnificent. Now weathered. Like everything else.

Grey crossed the gates without slowing. Guards immediately bowed. Servants scattered. The giant wolf continued straight toward the council hall.

Only when he reached the entrance did he shift back. The transformation reversed. Fur vanished. Bones cracked once more. Within seconds, Grey stood in human form.

Barefoot. Barely dressed. Entirely irritated.

Swiftly, a butler brought Grey's clothes. Without talking, Marcus quickly helped Grey put on the clothes.

When Grey was done putting on his clothes, the large wooden doors opened. Voices drifted outward. Arguing.

Again.

Grey already knew the topic.

When he stepped inside, the council chamber immediately fell silent.

A dozen elders sat around the circular table. Every face carried the same expression.

Concern.

Fear.

Desperation.

At the center of the room stood a map of the kingdom. Grey noticed several new red markers. More villages affected by the curse.

Wonderful.

"Your Majesty," Elder Rowan began.

Grey took his seat. "What is it this time?"

The old man exchanged glances with the others. No one appeared eager to speak.

Eventually, Elder Rowan cleared his throat. "The Everlasting Tree has entered its final stage."

The room became deathly quiet.

Even though Grey already knew, hearing the words aloud felt different.

Final stage.

The phrase lingered in the air like an executioner's blade.

"Explain."

"The roots have stopped absorbing mana."

Several elders looked pale.

"At its current rate of decline, the tree may not survive another two years."

Two years.

Somewhere inside him, something sank.

But Grey's expression remained unchanged.

"Then find a solution," Grey said –although truthfully he knew what solution the elders wanted. The same goddamn solution he had been postponing.

"We have."

Grey hated where this was going.

Elder Rowan straightened himself before saying, "There is only one solution."

Of course.

"A Rona."

Always a Rona.

"We must acquire one immediately," Elder Rowan said, "you must marry one immediately. Only a Rona bonded by marriage to the Alpha King could cure The Everlasting Tree."

Another elder leaned forward. "King Valir is holding his annual auction next month."

"The treasury cannot afford it," Grey snapped. When his father neglected him and the entire kingdom, the treasury also dwindled. Being in a cursed kingdom with more and more citizens becoming mindless beasts also helped empty the treasury.

"It must," Elder Varona said, "The kingdom needs a queen. A Rona queen."

"The kingdom also needs heirs," Elder Baron added.

Finally, Elder Rowan said, "The kingdom needs hope."

Voices erupted around the table as more elders fought for a chance to talk. Each of them only brought more demands toward Grey, while he listened in silence.

Each argument sounded reasonable. Each one was true. 

That was the problem.

He had spent seven years avoiding this moment. Seven years trying to find alternatives.

There were none.

Finally, he raised a hand. The room quieted slowly. Reluctantly.

Grey stared at the map. At the red markers spreading like bloodstains across his kingdom. At the evidence of his failure.

Then he thought about the dying tree. The empty branches. The barren roots. The people depending on him. And the future slipping away.

His jaw tightened. "I'll go."

The elders froze.

"I'll attend Valir's auction."

For the first time all day, genuine relief appeared on their faces.

Grey hated it.

Because it meant they believed salvation was possible. Because it meant he had no choice anymore.

Because deep down...

He feared they were sending him to purchase not a bride. But the last fragile chance his kingdom would ever have.

And if he failed—

There would be nothing left to save.