Gillian.
When we reached the towering gates of the palace, we froze… staring up at the massive structure that once symbolized my family's rule. But what struck me wasn’t its size… It was the name engraved at the top.
Not my father’s name.
There, carved boldly into the metal, was Maximus—the man who once stood as my father’s most loyal right hand. Alpha King Jeremiah’s most trusted warrior… now claiming the throne as his own.
Heat rippled through me, slow at first, then searing. Something primal stirred under my skin… sharp, electric, dangerous. My fists curled tight. My jaw locked. And then I saw it… the fine strands of fur quietly rising along my arm.
“Gillian!”
Freyah’s voice cut through the haze. I blinked hard, grounding myself. When I looked down again, the fur had faded, my ski
