Ryker's POV
It was past noon when I stopped to check on Karren. He hadn’t left his chambers since the council meeting before dawn. No one had seen him. No reports had been approved, no training updates reviewed, no war strategies discussed. The pack was waiting. But the Alpha wasn’t available.. The servants who usually go in to clean his room and get him dressed confirmed he was still asleep.
I walked through the main hallway toward his wing. I didn’t bother knocking. I had a feeling I wouldn’t get an answer anyway.
I opened the door
The scent of a sharp, bitter, and heavy wine hits me first.
I stepped inside slowly.
The room was a wreck. Bottles lay shattered across the floor, dark red stains bleeding into the stone. The fireplace had gone out, casting the space in a dull gray ligh
