Dawn crept over Eclipse Moon like a hesitant thief, pale light filtering through shattered windows and blood-stained snow. Alpha Torren dismissed the weary pack with a nod, his eyes lingered towards his Beta, watching Marcus’s rigid silhouette vanish into the guest’s quarters. He’ll break alone, the king thought. Always does.
Inside the resting room —a stone chamber high in the citadel, walls etched with ancient runes, a fire crackling low in the hearth. The mighty Beta of Royal Pack, unyielding in battle and rigid in duty, now wept like a storm-torn sapling. The door shut with a heavy thud, sealing them from the world.
Marcus sat on the edge of his bed, broad shoulders slumped, face buried in calloused hands. The stoic mask he’d worn for hours cracked; silent sobs shook him, tears strea
