Lucien’s POV
THE COUNCIL chamber smelled of ash and iron. Old blood had seeped into the stone centuries ago, and no matter how many times they scrubbed or rebuilt, the walls carried it still. A reminder. Power was never passed with ceremony alone—it was always bought with blood.
And today, mine was being called for.
I stood at the center of the circular chamber, beneath the carved emblem of the Moon Goddess, while the High Council elders watched from their thrones. Around me, whispers coiled like smoke, carrying names, judgments, wagers. They spoke of me as if I were already half a ghost.
At the far end of the chamber, the doors groaned open.
The rival Alpha stepped in.
Alpha Kael. Taller than most, broad-shouldered, eyes gleaming with that hungry, feral light of a wolf who believed
