The First Alpha stood in the mouth of the mountain, towering over them like a shadow pulled from a legend too dark to repeat. His fur was obsidian black, threaded with silver scars that glowed faintly like old battle marks carved by the gods. Chains still clung to his limbs, half-broken but humming with ancient magic. His eyes—twin voids—held no mercy, no warmth. Only endless memory.
And those eyes were locked onto Raine.
“You are my blood,” he rumbled again, each word rolling across the land like a thunderclap. “You have called me.”
Raine didn’t back down, though her knees trembled from the weight of his voice. Her hands curled at her sides, silver flames still flickering across her skin. Her wolf howled inside her, clawing for dominance—but Raine held it back. She had to stay in contr
