He gave a short, bitter laugh.
“Until we didn’t.”
Kayden lifted his head, purple eyes meeting mine.
“Somewhere along the line, the contracts got dirtier. We stopped asking questions. We killed pups who hadn’t even shifted yet because some Alpha paid enough coin. We had power, but they liked the thrill of killing. My grandfather once suffocated an entire wedding party because he got angry with the groom.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“They didn’t care about the price we had to pay because, at some point, killing was just killing. They became Kings, the strongest in the region, but they still killed. My father watched every male in his direct line die young and ugly, and he decided enough was enough.”
Kayden exhaled hard through his nose.
“So he started traveling. Whenever he heard ab
