Kian’s POV
The courtyard felt like a ghost town that morning. The air itself seemed to hold its breath as well. With most of the warriors gone to North Ridge, the once lively estate was left bare. Only a few Elders lingered, murmuring in corners, while servants moved like shadows, heads bowed, too afraid to speak above a whisper. Even the children’s laughter, the sound that once breathed life into the pack, was gone. Schools were shut down while playgrounds stood empty.
I walked along the hallway, my boots echoing faintly against the marble floor. Each step reminded me that this silence wasn’t peace, it was the kind that came before chaos.
“Alpha Kian,” Elder Koro’s gravelly voice called from behind me. I turned to see him approaching, his silver hair ruffled and his face carved with y
