Six Months Ago—Werewolf Clan.
The Thornfield Alpha Prince's courtyard was silent in the way only places of power ever were—oppressive, watchful, and heavy with consequence.
Six young werewolf women knelt in a straight line on the cold stone ground just outside the main residence. Their backs were straight, hands folded, and heads bowed low.
Each of them was dressed properly, modestly, as befitted women presented to royalty. But not one dared to lift her gaze toward the tightly shut double doors before them.
A single guard stood at the end of the row, his sword already unsheathed. The metal caught the pale morning light, sharp and unforgiving.
At the other side stood another guard. He was broad-shouldered and intimidating. His presence alone was enough to suffocate the air.
Three more guards lingered behind him, their stances relaxed but their eyes alert.
Closer to the double doors, two guards in black armour stood watch with swords in hand, positioned inwardly, as if they were prepared to defend the residence from those standing in the courtyard itself.
The heavy tension was unmistakable and hard to ignore.
"These women were sent by the Queen," the intimidating guard finally said, his voice cutting through the stillness. His gaze never left the doors, as if he was trying to make a point to a particular person.
"Your Highness, if you do not step out within the next minute to choose one… their lives will be wasted."
A tremor rippled through the line at the solid threat, yet subtle challenge.
One of the women clenched her fingers into the stone. Another's shoulders shook, barely restrained. Their breaths came shallow, controlled by fear rather than discipline.
Actually, none of them wanted to be here. None of them wanted to be chosen by the Crown Prince.
They had grown up with the same stories, whispers passed in hushed voices, warnings spoken only behind locked doors.
The Alpha Prince was cursed. The Alpha Prince was a monster. The Alpha Prince killed without reason.
Yet refusing the Queen was also not a viable option. They were caught in a cruel power struggle, offered as pawns in a game everyone understood, but no one dared to challenge.
How could the Alpha Prince accept women sent by his stepmother, of all people? And if he refused—
Not one of them finished that thought.
Meanwhile, the double doors remained closed. One minute passed, and nothing changed. There was not even a mere crack sound from the doors.
Then, the intimidating guard exhaled slowly and lifted his hand. The signal was clear.
Immediately, the guard at the other end of the line stepped forward, his grip tight on the handle of his sword as his eyes turned cold.
The next second, the steel sliced through the air without mercy, and the first scream shattered the courtyard.
Chaos followed in quick succession, screams overlapping, bodies collapsing, and blood staining the stone that had once been pristine.
The women had no time to beg or plead for their lives. Their deaths were swift, merciless, and carried out with chilling efficiency as if they were worth nothing.
By the time the fifth body hit the ground, the sixth woman's mind gave out. She had witnessed the deaths of others beside her. How could her fragile heart take it?
She collapsed sideways, falling unconscious before the blade could reach her.
At that exact moment, the heavy double doors finally swung open, and a man in black stepped out.
His uniform was unlike the others. It was darker, heavier, and marked with the Thornfield crest. His expression was carved from stone, his eyes burning with barely restrained fury.
The courtyard froze as he surveyed the scene in silence, his gaze lingering on the fallen bodies, the blood, and then on the guards who dared to trespass so brazenly within the Alpha Prince's domain.
"How bold of you," he growled at last. "To spill blood in the Alpha Prince's courtyard."
The intimidating guard did not flinch at all. "His Highness left us no choice. We were acting on orders."
Just then, a low, resonant sound rolled through the air before the words fully settled. The growl was slow, deep, and terrifying at the same time.
From within the residence, a massive black wolf stepped into view.
His fur was as dark as night, and marked by striking white stripes that glowed faintly beneath the light. Each step he took bent the atmosphere around him, pressing down on every living thing present.
The air changed instantly, and every guard dropped to one knee.
"Your Highness," they chorused, their voices tight with fear.
The Alpha Prince did not look at them. His golden eyes swept across the courtyard once, taking in the bodies, the blood, and the trembling unconscious woman still breathing among the dead.
Then he threw his head back and roared. The sound tore through the palace grounds, raw with fury and warning. It was not a command, but a verdict.
Without another glance, he turned and walked back inside, and the doors closed behind him with finality.
Only then did the guards dare to breathe again.
The man in black, who is the leader of the Alpha Prince's personal guards, straightened slowly.
"You have received His Highness's message," he said coldly. "Seize them."
Before the offending guards could react, more black-clad soldiers poured into the courtyard, surrounding them from all sides.
"You cannot touch us!" the intimidating guard barked as he was restrained. "We act in the Queen's name!"
"Then you will die in her name as well," came the calm reply.
Within a few seconds, they were dragged away amid furious protests, their words echoing uselessly through the stone halls as they were taken for public execution.
Silence returned to the courtyard, broken only by shallow breathing. The Alpha Prince's personal guard turned back toward the fallen women. Then his gaze paused.
"There," he said, pointing. "That one is still alive."
Immediately, one of the guards stationed at the door stepped forward and knelt to check. "The blade never touched her. She only fainted."
The man in black considered this briefly. "Call a doctor," he ordered. "See that she is tended to."
Then he looked toward the closed doors once more. "She is lucky, if nothing else," he added quietly.
The unconscious woman was lifted carefully from the blood-soaked ground.
"Since she survived," he said with finality, "she has entered the Alpha Prince's residence."