Bound By Blood, Torn By Power

fear that hung in the air like a shadow. Darius paced restlessly beneath the ancient oak tree, the weight of the pack's fear

burdens of leadership had finally begun to crush him. He had always been the Alpha who carried the pack's weight withou

closer. "You need to rest. The pack is on ed

k with exhaustion. "I'm fine, Seraphine. I

t Kael isn't the only threat. The pack is divided. Wolves are questioning your leaders

had spread like wildfire. There was talk of betrayal, talk of choosing sides. Some wolves believed Kael's return would restore the p

gain. "You have to confront them, Darius. If y

do. But the pack won't follow me if they think I'm losing control. And if Kael's truly coming

ger we wait, the more the pack will splinter. If we

re, and the weight of it threatened to suffocate him. Every moment spent wondering what Kael would do nex

ed, more to himself than to Seraphine. But even as h

Br

other. The pack's unity had begun to crack, and Darius could feel it in every moment. His every decision was questioned, every action scrutinized.

ine was at his side, her quiet presence a stark contrast to the swirling chaos inside him. He had hoped the calm of the

cluster of trees. Darius's instincts kicked in immediately, his muscl

was something strange about it-it wasn't the low, threatening growl of a wolf protecting its ter

ognized a few of them immediately-wolves who had once pledged their loyalty to him without hesitation. But now, th

sive beast, its fur as black as the midnight sky, its eyes glowing an unnatural red. Th

a

ut now, Kael was no more than a shadow of the man he had once been. His transformation was complete. The

e had always known that Kael would come back eventually, but seeing him-seei

with malice. "Did you really think I would just disappear

ed yourself," Darius shot back, hi

learing. "You never understood, did you? You never understoo

grew colder. "What truth c

lead the pack together, Darius. But you chose the easy path-the path of power and contro

ut firm. "Kael, this isn't you. The curse h

"You always were a fool, Seraphine. You could never see the truth, could you? I've become something more than any of

hed into the darkness, his laugh lingering in the air. The wolves around Darius a

hispered, her voice strained

had known would come. Kael was no longer the wolf he had once known. And now, Darius had to ma