ACE
The neutral ground felt like a battlefield before the first shot was fired. Twenty-three pack leaders sat around the massive oak table, their scents mixing into a cocktail of tension, aggression, and barely contained violence. The Alpha King ring pulsed on my finger, responding to the electric atmosphere.
I'd known this moment would come. The question was whether I'd be ready for it.
"Let me make this simple," growled Alpha Thorne of the Silverback Pack, his grey eyes fixed on me with open hostility. "You're not our king. You're a pretender who got lucky with an ancient trinket."
"The ring doesn't choose pretenders," I replied, keeping my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins. "It chooses leaders."
"Leaders are earned, not appointed by magic jewelry."
Alph
