Derek POV. I could feel the weight of the world pressing down on my chest before I even stepped into the chamber. The air was heavy, thick with the scent of incense and something darker, grief, despair, and a faint trace of iron. My paws, my heart, my very instincts were tense; my wolf stirred violently inside me, growling low, a guttural warning that I could not quiet. Drake and Damon flanked me, their own expressions shadowed by disbelief, but I could feel their turmoil radiating through the bond we shared. This was more than sorrow. This was a wound that clawed at the core of our souls.The royal physician, an aged man with hands that had healed countless lives, was standing beside the King’s bed, eyes heavy with a burden we were not yet ready to bear. His lips trembled, and he clasped a scroll in one hand, as though it were both shield and confession. I swallowed hard, forcing down the instinctive growl that rattled my chest. My wolf was restless, howling silently, circling my th
Last Updated : 2026-01-30 Read more