“When war came, everything shifted,” he said.“Tensions with the northern packs escalated. My brother was no warrior. He never had the stomach for blood, or the instinct for battle.” He paused. “So he handed me the title. Declared me the better leader. Claimed the people trusted me more.”
His voice lowered, bitter and flat. “But it wasn’t a gift. It was a death sentence.”
Cassandra frowned. “What do you mean?”
Darius’s lips pressed into a grim line. He stared at the fire, as if it held the truth in its flickering depths.
“He sent me to die,” he said simply. “He named me Alpha so he wouldn’t have to be the one to fight. And if I died in battle? Well… then the threat would be gone. Clean hands. No blame.”
Cassandra felt a chill crawl down her spine. “That’s... unforgivable.”
He didn’t
