The Alpha's private study felt different now that it was mine. The same heavy oak desk, the same leather-bound books, the same weapons mounted on the walls—but everything had shifted somehow, like looking at a familiar painting from a new angle.
I sat in Kael's chair, trying to process the events of the last few hours. Dawn was breaking outside the tall windows, painting the mountains in shades of gold and crimson. I should have been facing an executioner's blade right now. Instead, I was holding the reins of power I'd never wanted.
"Alpha," Vera's voice came from the doorway, and I turned to see her entering with Marcus close behind. They'd arrived at Blackmoor just after dawn, ostensibly as part of Darius's delegation to witness the execution. Instead, they'd found themselves attending
