Thetered To The Five Alphas
Lucius looked up at me, his gaze sweeping over my damp silver dress like a butcher assessing a carcass.
"Old Valerius knew the northern lords would rise the moment he died," Lucius continued, his dry voice cutting through the patter of rain. "So he turned the bride into a vessel. If the alliance holds, the Alphas stay close to her, feeding her their magic to keep the mark dormant, tying their power directly to the Vance throne. And if the northern lords rebel?" He flicked a drop of rainwater off his chin. "You stop feeding her. The mark consumes her core, burns out her pack's bloodline, and leaves the North with a dead Luna and no claim."
"He turned her into a siphon," Gabriel whispered, his