ALPHA DRAKE
The scent of blood and smoke lingered in the air like a warning. Faint, distant… but unmistakable.
I stood at the highest peak of my territory, a jagged bluff overlooking the valley below. The wind howled past, tearing at the edges of my cloak and chilling the sweat still clinging to my skin. Below me, the horizon was painted in dusky purples and orange flames. What should have been the afterglow of triumph felt like a curse whispering on the breeze.
I heard boots crunch behind me—deliberate, heavy steps. I didn’t need to look. His presence was as familiar as the bitterness in my own chest. When he stopped beside me, I finally glanced over. His face was grim, dirt streaking his cheeks, dried blood caked along the edges of his shirt. His jaw was tight, fists curled at his sid
