The ride back to Ironfang Keep shouldn't have been quiet. Usually after a Blood Moon hunt, the pack returned with victory energy, everyone laughing, pushing each other, and arguing about who had made the best kill.
Tonight, no one spoke.
Kaelen rode at the front of the convoy, the cold wind from the mountains hitting his face as the black fortress slowly appeared ahead. Ironfang Keep was not an ancient castle; it was a massive fortress built directly into the side of the mountains with steel, black stone, and glass rising in sharp angles against the night sky.
The drones circled high above the towers, scanning the forest perimeter. Normally the sight of it filled Kaelen with pride, but all that was missing that night.
"Everywhere looks too quiet," Ravok muttered inside his mind, and Kaelen noticed it too.
The gates were open; too many guards stood outside, and every single one of them looked tense. As Kaelen's convoy rode into the main courtyard, warriors rushed toward them.
Beta Rowan stepped forward first. "What happened?" he asked sharply.
A young Gamma looked shaken as he delivered the news, "The King collapsed."
Kaelen's head snapped toward him. "What?"
"It happened not long after you left for the hunt," the gamma said quickly. "He suddenly became weak, and the healers were called immediately."
Kaelen was already moving before the man finished speaking. Inside the fortress, everything was chaos. Staff rushed through the halls carrying medical equipment while the security teams stood outside several restricted rooms.
The atmosphere inside Ironfang Keep felt tense. Kaelen's boots hit the polished floors as he moved through the main corridor.
Ravok growled quietly. This feels wrong.
Before Kaelen could respond, someone grabbed his arm. "Finally."
Princess Lyra stood in front of him, her hair messy and her expression unusually serious. For once, she wasn't smiling.
"Where is he?" Kaelen asked.
"Medical wing," she said. "He's awake, but barely."
Rowan joined them. "Royal healers have been working nonstop," he added. "But they don't understand what's happening."
Kaelen's chest tightened at the news. His father was not a weak man. Alpha King Darius Draven had ruled the kingdom for nearly three decades. He had survived wars, assassinations, and challenges from rival Alphas.
For him to collapse like this... then something was very wrong. They reached the medical wing within minutes.
Outside the King's room stood two heavily armed guards. Rowan opened the door to reveal the dim room. Machines were beeping softly in the background, and on the bed lay the most powerful wolf in the kingdom.
Alpha King Darius looked smaller in the span of hours. His once powerful frame seemed drained of strength. Dark veins spread faintly beneath his skin, and sweat covered his forehead.
Kaelen froze for half a second. He had never seen his father like this.
The royal healer stepped forward. "Your Highness," she said quietly. "The King insisted on speaking to you immediately."
Kaelen nodded once. "Leave us."
The room cleared quickly until only Kaelen, Rowan, Lyra, and the King remained.
Darius slowly opened his golden wolf eyes. They were still sharp despite the weakness.
"You have returned from the hunt," he said hoarsely.
Kaelen stepped closer. "What happened to you?"
Darius looked at him for a long moment. Then he asked a strange question.
"Did you see anything unusual tonight?"
Kaelen's mind flashed back to the forest.
The dead wolf, the carved symbols, and the voice.
"Yes," he said slowly.
Darius closed his eyes briefly. "So it has begun."
Kaelen frowned. "What has begun?"
The King opened his eyes again. "The curse."
The word put everyone in the room on alert. Lyra shifted slightly, and Rowan crossed his arms.
Kaelen's voice hardened. "What curse?"
Darius took a slow breath. "Centuries ago... our ancestors slaughtered a powerful coven of witches."
Kaelen had heard that story before; it was taught in royal history, and it happened in the forest they visited that night.
"They cursed our bloodline with their dying magic," Darius continued. "A curse designed to destroy the Alpha line."
Kaelen shook his head. "That's just a legend."
"I believed the same thing," Darius said quietly.
"Until tonight."
He lifted his hand weakly. Dark veins pulsed beneath his skin.
"The moment you left for the hunt... the sickness began."
Kaelen felt Ravok shift uneasily inside him. The forest, the wolf murmured.
Darius nodded slowly. "The curse awakens when the royal bloodline grows too proud, and we all know you are so adamant about doing the needful."
Silence filled the room in that instant.
Finally, Kaelen asked, "What stops it?"
Darius looked directly at him. "There is only one solution."
Kaelen didn't like the sound of that.
Darius continued. "The Alpha heir must unite the bloodline with the one race we rejected."
Kaelen already knew where this was going.
"No."
Darius ignored him. "A political marriage has been arranged with the human kingdom."
Kaelen's temper exploded instantly. "You can't be serious."
Lyra winced slightly. Kaelen stepped back from the bed, anger rising fast.
"A human?" he snapped.
"You expect the future Alpha to mate with a human princess?"
Darius remained calm. "It is the only way to weaken the curse."
Kaelen laughed harshly. "Humans are weak." He paused for a light chuckle. "They are fragile, short-lived, and barely understand the supernatural world."
He pointed toward the bed. "And you want one of them sitting beside the Moon Throne?"
Rowan spoke carefully. "Kaelen..."
"No."
Kaelen turned toward his father again. "I don't even want a mate."
The room went silent. "I rule alone," Kaelen said firmly. "I don't need anyone beside me."
Lyra stepped forward. "You might not get that choice."
Kaelen glared at her. "I will not tie myself to a human just to satisfy an old story."
Darius coughed weakly. "Then the curse will finish what it started."
Kaelen's anger paused. "What does that mean?"
Darius met his eyes. "It means I die."
Silence filled everywhere once again. The room became uncomfortable with the declaration. Then the King continued. "And after me... it will come for you."
Ravok stirred again, and Kaelen clenched his fists. "This is madness."
Rowan stepped closer. "Kaelen," he said quietly. "If there's even a chance this works..."
Lyra added softly, "You don't have to love her."
Kaelen looked at her. "You just have to marry her," she said.
Kaelen stared at the floor for a long moment. His wolf growled quietly in his mind. I do not like humans.
"Neither do I," Kaelen muttered.
But then he looked back at the bed. His father, the strongest Alpha he had ever known, was barely breathing.
Kaelen felt trapped. The throne demanded a sacrifice, and it was his freedom.
