CHAPTER 1

"You're either brave or stupid to come here alone."

The voice pierced through the silence like a blade, cold and harsh, sending a shudder down my spine. I didn't flinch. I couldn't afford to. My hands tightened at my sides, nails cutting into my palms as I turned to face him.

"I don't have time for games. You know why I'm here." My voice was steady, but the effort to keep it that way cost me.

Alpha Darius Blackthorne stood just a few steps away, his towering figure backlit by the weak light of the moon. His presence filled the clearing, heavy and overpowering like the storm rolling in overhead. His black eyes fixed on mine, unblinking, unreadable.

"And yet you're still standing in my territory, rogue." His lips twisted into something that wasn't quite a smile. It was more like a warning. "That's bold, even for someone like you."

“Someone like me.” The words curled around my chest, suffocating. He didn't need to say what he meant. A rogue wolf, packless and unwelcome, was barely worth his consideration. But here I was, demanding it anyhow.

"I need your help." The words were sour as I forced them out.

"Help?" His tone was sarcastic, his gaze roving over me like I was an amusing distraction. "You came all this way to beg?"

"I don't beg."

That drew his attention. His head tilted slightly, the shadow of inquiry sliding over his face.

"Then what exactly are you offering in return for this... help?" His voice was quieter now, but the tenderness raised by wolf's hackles. It wasn't kindness , it was a trap.

"I have information," I said calmly. "About the Council. About their preparations for the rogue wolves."

That took the smirk off his face. His gaze clouded, the comfortable confidence replaced by something far more menacing.

"Speak."

"Not here," I answered. "And not until you guarantee my safety."

The tension in the air deepened, his quiet extending into something unpleasant. Finally, he moved, circling me with the predatory grace of a wolf weighing up its prey.

"You come to my land, throw accusations about the Council, and now you're dictating terms?" He halted before me, so close I saw the tiny scar running over his jawline. "Do you know who you're talking to?"

"I do." My voice was quieter now, but it didn't waver. "You're the Alpha of the Midnight Pack. You're vicious, cruel, and dangerous. But you also despise the Council as much as I do. Probably more."

His laugh was low and humorless. "You think you know me?"

"I know enough."

For a second, I thought he might attack. His eyes drilled into mine, and I could feel the weight of his might pressing against my chest. Then he stepped back, the enchantment shattering.

"Follow me."

It wasn't a request.

The Midnight Pack's compound was different from what I expected. The buildings were huge, gloomy, and foreboding, with flickering candles casting spooky shadows on the aged stone walls. Wolves patrolled the grounds, their eyes sharpening when they saw me trotting behind Darius.

"I can smell their distrust," I whispered beneath my breath.

"They're smart to distrust you," Darius responded without turning around. "Rogues are rarely worth the trouble they bring."

"And yet, here I am."

"Here you are," he agreed, his voice inscrutable.

He took me into a vast hall, the air saturated with the fragrance of smoke and wood. At the other end of the room, a long table spread out, unoccupied save for two chairs. He beckoned for me to sit, and I hesitated before lowering myself into the one furthest from the entrance.

"You wanted to talk," he murmured, leaning on the table. "So talk."

I hesitated. My plan had looked straightforward while I was alone, rehearsing it under the shelter of the forest. But now, with his black gaze drilling into mine, the words felt weighty and dangerous.

"The Council has a plan to eliminate the rogues," I stated finally. "All of them."

His demeanor didn't change, but the air in the room shifted, turning colder.

"That's not news," he remarked.

"No, but their methods are."

I leaned forward, dropping my voice. "They're using something new. A toxin. It targets renegade wolves and weakens them until they're vulnerable enough to kill. I saw it utilized. It's not just a theory, it's already happening."

I saw something spark in his eyes for the first time since I arrived. It wasn't fear, it was wrath, cold, calculated anger.

"And why are you telling me this?"

"Because you're the only one who can stop them."

He chuckled once more, but this time, it was without humor. "You think I'm some kind of hero?"

"No," was my honest response. "You seem like a weapon to me. And they'll target your pack next if you don't stop them."

The silence between us was oppressive. After pushing me off the table, he moved slowly and deliberately toward me.

"You've got guts, I'll give you that," he replied. However, after you're dead, the intestines don't matter. And if you remain here, that's precisely where you're going."

"So you're refusing to help?" With my heart pounding, I challenged.

"I didn't say that." He spoke in a low, nearly growling voice. "But if you want my protection, you'll have to prove you're worth it."

"How?"

His sneer came back vicious and rapacious. "That's for me to decide."

I didn't get any sleep that evening. He had given me a tiny, empty room with a scratchy, unwelcoming mattress. But, I wasn't awake because of the discomfort. I knew I had just entered a wolf lair and might not survive.

A howl shattered the long, sorrowful silence in the distance. I looked at the ceiling, my mind racing and my chest constricted.

What did I do?