There was silence on the line for a moment, the kind of silence that spoke louder than words. Both alphas knew what was at stake. Fane was more than just the alpha of the Romania pack. He was a symbol of unity—a leader who kept the dominant Canis lupus in check—placed there by the Great Luna. Without him, the wolves would be leaderless, fractured, and vulnerable to whatever darkness was coming.
“Have you reached out to the other packs, Tyler?”
“Not yet. I wanted to get my head on straight before I started calling alphas and flipping their worlds upside down. They’re already dealing with the hybrids that Cain let loose on all of us. That evil alone could be enough to push some male wolves who may already be close to the edge of going feral right over the cliff. But if what you’re saying is true, then we need to act fast. If this sprite has the book, and if she’s using it to spread darkness?—”
“She’s not just spreading it.” Jeff’s voice was hard. “She’s feeding it. My wolves are reporting strange behavior in the supernaturals they’ve come across—warlocks, fae, pixies, and even some of the lesser species like the trolls. They’re more aggressive, more volatile. It’s like something’s twisting them from the inside out.”
Tyler’s heart sank. This wasn’t just about Fane or the book. This was bigger than any of them, and it was growing by the second. “What do you need from me, Jeff?” He kept his voice steady despite the chaos swirling in his mind.
“Keep your pack on high alert. And, not to tell you how to do your job, but if you’ve got anyone who can move quietly, send them out. We need eyes and ears everywhere. If Celise is out there, we need to find her before she can cause any more damage. And Tyler…”
“Yeah?”
“Be ready for a fight,” Jeff said grimly. “Something tells me this isn’t going to end without bloodshed.”
The line went dead, and Tyler lowered the phone, his mind racing. He turned to the room, his eyes blazing with determination. He might not have all the answers, but one thing was certain: whatever was coming, they couldn’t face it alone.
“You never have to face anything alone,”his mate, Sadra, said through their bond.“I’ve always got your back, alpha-mine.”
Peace, a feeling that only she could ever give him, flowed into him. His other half. He thanked the Great Luna that he had his true mate. Sadra would keep him grounded as the growing darkness filled their world. But the unmated males? Tyler’s heart went out to them. The blood that Jeff spoke of might not only flow because of war. Tyler might just have to spill the blood of one of his own in order to keep others safe. A feral wolf was a dead wolf walking.
“Thank you, mate.”He hoped Sadra felt even a sliver of the love that he experienced from her. Sadra had always had a warm heart and an almost unnatural kindness toward others. She was able to see past the worst in people to their core. And she’d done that with him—seen past the darkness that had nearly consumed him before they met—and she’d pulled him back to sanity with her light.“I love you.”
“And I you.”
Feeling a little more centered, Tyler brought his attention back to his surroundings. “Eric,” he called, his beta appearing in the doorway almost instantly. He’d no doubt felt Tyler’s anger and worry through the pack bonds and had come to find out what the hell was going on. “Gather the pack. We’ve got a problem, and it’s bigger than anything we’ve dealt with before.”
Eric nodded, his expression grim. “What’s the plan?”
Tyler’s jaw tightened. “We find Fane. We find this sprite. And we put an end to this darkness before it destroys us all.”
Chapter 2
“One minute you think you know what the hell you’re doing, and then the next some power-hungry asswipe is stepping into your spotlight. Dammit. Make a note, Sisters. Power-hungry asswipes are not allowed into the club. And no, I have no idea of what club I am referring to. Just go with it.” ~ Celise
Celise’s laughter— a sound as sharp and cold as broken glass—shattered the silence in the dense, shadowy forest. She thrived on the power coursing through her veins, the intoxicating dominance that theNushtoniagranted her. Her sisters stood nearby, their expressions a mix of awe and perhaps a little growing unease. Celise knew, even for them, her ambitions stretched into a realm of darkness they hadn’t fully anticipated. But none of them dared voice their doubts. They wouldn’t because they owed her. She’d saved them from an unworthy death and brought them back to rule by her side.
“We’ll open the Realm of the Dead.” Celise ran a finger over lips as she thought. “And once its ruler sees that our goals align, he’ll join us. Together, we’ll dismantle this broken world and rebuild it into something worthy of the power we command.”
“Assuming he doesn’t kill us first,” Crestia muttered, earning a glare from Celise.
Limaria elbowed her sister in the side, giving her a sharp gaze.
Celise didn’t respond to the quip. Instead, she turned her attention to theNushtoniaand began flipping through its ancient, brittle pages. The book’s magic hummed under her fingertips, vibrating with a dark energy that made her skin tingle. She could feel its hunger, its desire to be used. The book wasn’t just a tool; it was alive, sentient, and it reveled in chaos as much as she did.
Before she could delve further into its secrets, the sound of heavy footsteps rustling through the underbrush drew her attention. Her sisters stiffened, their hands instinctively going to the weapons they carried. The supernaturals who had been lingering in the shadows—the ones who had allied themselves with Celise’s cause—melted back into the trees. She noticed that though they seemed willing to fight for her, they seemed anxious around the Book of the Dead.
A figure emerged from the darkness, his presence both commanding and unsettling. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and moved with the predatory grace of a wolf. But his crimson eyes, and the faint sheen of death magic clinging to his aura, betrayed his vampiric nature.
“A hybrid,” Limaria whispered, her voice barely audible.
Celise smiled as the hybrid stepped closer, his gaze fixed on her. He stopped a few paces away, his expression one of cold disdain.
“So,” he drawled, his voice low and gravelly. “You’re the one who’s been stirring up trouble. Celise, is it?”
“And you are?” Celise replied with false politeness.
“Name’s Dorian. I was a dormant, until I became one of Cain’s new creations. You remember Cain, don’t you? The Vampire King your little group of supernaturals took down not too long ago? I was loyal to him. And now I hear whispers that you’re trying to fill the void he left behind.”
