Alpha Marcus stood frozen, his chest heaving as his eyes fixated on the knife in his hand.
His pulse thundered in his ears, and a cold sweat trickled down his temple.
The weight of the blade seemed to pull him back to a moment he had buried deep—a night shrouded in darkness, screams, and blood.
"Leave," he muttered hoarsely, his voice barely above a whisper but laced with authority.
Beta Cedric hesitated for a moment, his wolf picking up on the turmoil in Marcus's scent. "Alpha," he began softly, but the Alpha Marcus's piercing green eyes, now shadowed with pain, stopped him.
"I said, leave," Marcus repeated, this time louder, his tone trembling with suppressed emotion.
Cedric took a deep breath, nodded, and stepped back. He knew better than to push Marcus when he was like this.
