The blood-red sun was beginning to descend when he appeared.
Not walking. Not materializing like the Duchess did. Simply existing where he hadn't existed a moment before.
The Alpha.
He was massive. Easily eight feet tall, built like violence given form. His body flickered between solid and transparent, shifting between flesh and spirit. Wolf and man. Real and illusion.
His eyes were the worst part. Pure silver, glowing with the same light as Luna's moon. They swept across our pack, seeing everything. Every secret. Every sin. Every truth we'd tried to hide.
"Pack 3." His voice was like thunder rolling across stone. "You wish to enter the Den's core. To face the judgments. To prove your bonds are worthy of survival."
It wasn't a question.
Corvus stepped forward, his complex Blood Moon mark pulsing. "We're ready. Whatever test—"
