yond, where the howls of his kin echoed like a warning. The weight of the cursed empire he'd inherited pressed against him, a suffocating fog laced with the scent of blood and decay. His fat

its rawest form, demanded sacrifices-his humanity, his compassion, the hope of a life free from the curse that pulsed through his ve

ng, still haunted him in the quiet moment

ed of a life unshackled from the bloodshed, where he could be more than a predator, where he could know peace. But such

d the walls as his control wavered, the beast stirring beneath his skin. He remembered the first time he'd embraced the change, the intoxicating ru

d in the silence, tempting him with promises of unrivaled strength, a primal force that could make him a god

the urge to shift. Was he doomed to become the monster he feared? A beast rule

ence was relentless, and Magnus was so entrenched that peace felt like a fever dream, slipping through his grasp. His empire had no r

moments when the beast was quiet, he wondered if this was worth it. Was the empire, the power, the blood t

ness, no time for doubt. The empire was his to rule, even if

cy loomed like a specter, the blood of countless victims staining the walls. The primal urge to dominate, to rip and te

the way his father had. The old alpha had been a creature of instinct, his actions more beast than man. Magnus had inherited his ferocity, his cunnin

The older man had seen Magnus grow from a reckless pup to the tormented alpha he was now. Jakob's qu

ady to pounce. "There are whispers among the pack. They fear the next hunt

I rule as I must," he growled, his voice edged with a weariness that hadn

y the alpha's rising hackles. "Fea

s fraying, a silent rebellion brewing in their hearts. It was inevitable-he'd sensed it in the

e you were a boy. I've watched you fight the beast inside you. But I've

ngthening as he fought the urg

n consumed by the curse, who forget the cost of what they've become. You

a razor's edge, each choice a gamble with his soul. But to hear it from Jakob, to sense

s voice sharp, controlled. He cou

"There's a woman, my lord. She's been... asking que

a low growl rumbling in

clans, a noble among the humans. She's been pushing for a place amo

on him? A noblewoman no less. He'd dealt with her kind before-ambitious, eager to carve a name in hi

?" Magnus asked, his

akob said. "And not

ting, the curse tightening its grip. A human challenging an alpha was a spark that could ignit

d, his tone cold but laced with a hunger he didn't fu