Chapter 26 – The Alpha's Reckoning
POV: Kael Thorne
We barely made it out of the ruins before they collapsed behind us. The explosion of energy from the Heartstone's destruction was felt across the valley—wolves howled in pain and awe, as if the land itself had been torn open.
Seren was unconscious in my arms, her body still crackling with residual magic. I carried her to the edge of the treeline where the rest of the patrol waited, eyes wide with confusion and fear.
"What happened?" demanded Soren, our beta. "We felt it. Like… something ancient died."
I met his eyes, my expression grim. "The Heartstone is gone. The blood pact is broken."
He staggered back a step. "But… that means…"
"It means the Old Gods know," I said. "And now they're not bound by the pact."
We returned to the fortress that night under a sky stained crimson. The moon seemed to pulse, as if warning us. Seren woke just before dawn, weak but alive. She told us what she'd seen—of the gods beyond the veil, their hunger, their wrath.
"We thought the Alpha War was the worst of it," I told her as we stood on the ramparts, watching the sunrise. "But we were wrong."
She leaned into me, her hand finding mine. "The war was just the beginning. Now we face something far older… far darker."
My mind turned to my father—Alpha Gideon. He'd sensed the disturbance too, I was sure. His rule, already strained by our growing rebellion, would not survive the coming storm.
And maybe… maybe he shouldn't.
It was time I took my place—not just as Seren's mate, but as a leader. As Alpha. And if Gideon wouldn't stand down peacefully, then blood would decide the future of our pack.