Chapter 3 KADE

The rain came down in torrents, a relentless assault against the windows of the Blackfang Pack's stronghold. The wind lashed the glass, each gust a howling beast, each raindrop a clawing hand. Inside, the room swam in shadows, thick and choking, as if the darkness had a life of its own.

A man stood at the center of it, tall and unyielding, framed by the dim, struggling moonlight. His broad shoulders cast a long shadow against the stone wall, his jaw tight beneath the dark, tousled hair that hung like a mane around his face. Roger, the Alpha. The Almighty.

The air was taut with his presence. Dangerous. Electric. The kind that made wolves tuck their tails and men swallow their pride.

On the table before him lay a bow and a single arrow, its shaft gleaming silver. Roger's fingers traced the curve of the bow, each callus brushing against the wood as though reacquainting himself with an old lover. The arrow's point gleamed, wicked and sharp, as he lifted it, weighing its balance, feeling the potential for death in its edge.

His eyes narrowed, finding his target through the window. Beyond the glass, the rain made the world a blur, but Roger's gaze never wavered. A rabbit, small and shivering beneath the awning, its fur plastered to its skin by the downpour. Innocent. Helpless.

Roger drew the string back, his muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike. One breath. Two. Three....

A knock echoed through the room. He cursed under his breath, releasing the string but not the tension coiled in his shoulders.

"Enter," he growled, voice rough and deep, resonating through the stone walls.

The door swung open, and a man in noble attire stepped inside, eyes lowered, body bowed. In his hands, he held a letter, the parchment edges curled and damp. "For you, my lord."

Roger took it without a word, his eyes scanning the man with a look that could flay flesh from bone. The messenger swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"If that's all, get out."

The man scurried away, closing the door softly behind him. Roger's fingers tightened around the letter, the paper crumpling beneath his grip. His jaw worked, muscles ticking beneath his skin. With a flick of his wrist, he tore it open.

The ink on the page bled together, the words twisting and writhing as though alive. Roger's eyes darted over the lines, each word a blade sinking deeper into his mind.

A slow, dark smile spread across his face.

"I can't wait either," he murmured, voice dripping with the promise of blood. The letter fell from his hand, crumpled and forgotten on the stone floor.

A soft meow echoed from the corner. Roger looked down, his gaze finding the cat that sat coiled like a shadow at his feet. Moon. The black-furred stray he'd picked up after the Red Claws fell, a battle that had painted the ground crimson and left bodies rotting beneath the sun. Wolves whispered about the Almighty's strange fondness for a weak, mewling animal, but none dared speak it to his face.

Moon stared up at him, green eyes reflecting the storm outside.

"What do you want?" Roger muttered, bending to scoop the cat up in his large, scarred hands. The cat purred, nuzzling his neck. Roger's lips twitched. "Not now. It's still raining."

A second knock. Firmer. Louder.

Roger set Moon down, the cat hissing as its paws hit the floor.

"Enter," Roger barked.

The door creaked open, and another servant stepped inside, head bowed low. "My lord, King Kade humbly requests your presence."

Roger's brow arched, a slow, dark smirk curling his lips. "Kade? Requests? Interesting."

He shrugged off the robe, its heavy fabric falling to the floor in a heap. "I'll meet him in the council chamber."

Moments later, Roger strode down the corridor, each step a thunderclap against the stone floor. Servants and soldiers alike bowed their heads, eyes to the ground as he passed, his presence a wave of command that rippled through the hall.

The council chamber door groaned as Roger pushed it open. Inside, King Kade stood waiting, hands clasped, jaw clenched. His eyes flicked up, meeting Roger's, and a muscle in his cheek twitched.

Roger strode forward, his shadow swallowing Kade's smaller frame. He lifted a hand, motioning for Kade to speak.

Kade swallowed. "I've heard... rumors."

"Rumors?" Roger's voice dripped with mockery. "You came all this way for gossip?"

"About the girl." Kade's nostrils flared. "The Omega. The whore. You're bringing her here?"

Roger's eyes glinted like shards of broken glass. "You have a pack to lead, don't you, Kade? I suggest you return to it and sort out whatever mess you've left behind."

"I'm only looking out for you," Kade said, voice tightening with false concern. "We're Alphas, both of us. Wolves. You can't trust an Omega like her. She'll be your downfall."

"Safety?" Roger chuckled, the sound low and deadly. "Since when has my safety ever been your concern?"

Kade's face reddened, fists clenching at his sides. "I'm not your enemy, Roger."

Roger stepped forward, his height casting Kade in shadow. "It's King Roger," he said softly, his voice a blade pressed to the throat. "And don't you forget it."

Kade swallowed, his jaw working as he fought for control. "Fine. King Roger."

A beat of silence. Tension coiled between them like a snake waiting to strike.

Roger leaned down, his breath hot against Kade's ear. "Leave. Now. Before I remind you what real power feels like."

Kade's eyes flashed, but he didn't argue. He turned sharply, his robes whipping against the air as he strode from the room.

Roger watched him go, the smirk never leaving his face.

Above, the rain had finally stopped. The moon hung heavy in the sky, full and watchful.

And somewhere deep in the woods, something stirred. Something that carried the scent of old blood and the promise of a reckoning.