But in the end, I never got the chance to leave.
Seven days later, the leader of Blackpine came to Hollowmoor himself.
He wanted to meet the "savior" who had rescued him.
That was the first time I saw him fully as Alpha Aric Thorne.
No longer the blood-soaked, unconscious man in the old herb cellar.
He wore black robes that seemed woven from shadow itself.
Behind him followed his Beta and a line of warriors whose presence alone was enough to silence a crowd.
As he walked slowly into Hollowmoor’s square, every wolf in the pack lowered their heads instinctively.
That was the pressure of a true Alpha.
The aura of a ruler who had challenged enemies with blood-red eyes, killed those who threatened him, and commanded an entire territory.
It pressed heavily onto every shoulder.
I hid a
