The packhouse buzzed with grief the morning after Roderick’s death, the air heavy with shock. I walked through the halls, my face carefully solemn, hiding my thrill. My wolf growled low, savoring the chaos I’d created with the wolfsbane.
Pack members gathered in the main hall, their eyes red and voices hushed. They whispered about Roderick, their alpha, gone so suddenly. I stood among them, head bowed, playing the loyal beta who shared their pain.
My heart raced with excitement, not sorrow. Roderick’s death was my victory, my path to power. No one suspected the juice I’d spiked, the poison that ended him.
Lila was still locked upstairs, her defiance burning in my mind. As alpha, I’d make her love me, crush her bond with Asher. My wolf hummed, eager to claim her and the pack.
The elder’
