Thorne stormed into the palace, the servants jumping in fright at the sight of the king. His jaw was locked tight as he walked straight to his office.

Caelum walked behind him, knowing a storm was brewing up.

The moment the doors to Thorne's office slammed shut, Thorne spun around, his voice cold and sharp.

"What do you mean Varrick is dead?"

Caelum didn't flinch. "We found the body just after dawn. Mauled. Torn apart like an animal attack. The guards think it was rogues."

Thorne's eyes narrowed. "And yet… no rogue activity has been reported. Not one sighting. Not one whisper. Why?"

Caelum shook his head. "I don't know, my king. The townspeople have been quiet. There have been no casualties. No reports of attacks from rebels or rogues. There's no missing livestock."

"And yet Varrick's dead from a supposed rogue attack. That's preposterous," he snarled angrily.

Thorne walked around his desk, hands braced against the edge as he bowed his head slightly, processing.

"Take me to him," he ordered, and the beta nodded.

____

Minutes later, he stood before the mauled body of Varrick.

His body was a mess, yet his face was intact, untouched. Almost like it was left clean so they'd be able to recognize him.

Thorne stared down at the corpse, his jaw tightening. The room was silent save for the sound of a distant guard shifting uneasily.

Varrick's body was shredded, limbs torn, chest opened, flesh mangled in a brutal way.

It was such a painful and tragic way to leave this earth. The man must've suffered so much.

Thorne's eyes narrowed. He crouched slightly, observing the markings on the body. His brows furrowed. "Except these rogues aren't wolves, then they didn't do this."

Caelum's brows furrowed, glancing at the body and at Thorne. "The claw marks are deeper, rougher, much more slanted. Not even wild rogues can do this."

"What are you saying, my king?"

Thorne looked at him. "Varrick wasn't killed by any wolf or rogue. This was something else and certainly done by someone. A rogue attack that affected no one but him. In all my years of living, no rogue has attacked this way. Whatever did this… it's a soulless cruel thing," he said.

Caelum stared at the dead man, trying to see what it was the king was seeing.

"My king… I don't think—"

"Scout the kingdom. Ask around if there's been anything suspicious of late. Be it a human, a wolf, or another creature. I want to know if anything has been out of place."

Caelum nodded. "Understood, my king." He straightened up but paused, remembering something he'd locked in his memory.

"My king," he began, earning Thorne's attention.

"Yes?"

"The day of Alpha Radek's attack. The guard in charge mentioned something to me."

At this, Thorne glanced up, brows raised. "What is it?"

"I didn't take his words seriously at first. It looked like he suffered from a concussion, but now…" he trailed off, glancing at the dead man once again.

"Get on with it, Caelum."

"He mentioned that the alpha wasn't feral. He was different."

"Different how?"

"The Alpha didn't seem like a wolf anymore. He looked possessed, according to him."

"Possessed?"

"That's what he said and also why I didn't take it seriously. He must've banged his head pretty hard, but this…" he trailed off.

It was pretty easy to connect actually, but it didn't make sense. Radek is a wolf. An alpha at that. What else can he be? Yet, looking at how Varrick disappeared right after meeting with the king…

Something was wrong. It wasn't clicking no matter how much Thorne tried to connect it.

He shook his head. Concussion or not, he had to do something.

"Scout the kingdom, Caelum, and look for anything that seems suspicious or out of place. I want answers," he ordered, and the beta nodded.

Thorne turned away from the corpse, his cloak sweeping behind him as he walked toward the door. "Send a message of Varrick's death and call a council meeting. I want every seat filled. No one absent."

______

In under two hours, the entire council had gathered in the palace. All seated uncomfortably like there was something pricking their butts. The king's delay wasn't helping their cause.

As Thorne entered, the room fell instantly silent. The tension was high in the air.

Thorne sat down, eyes falling on all eleven of them. "I trust you've heard of Lord Varrick's unfortunate passing," he began.

The room shifted with uncomfortable murmurs.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Lord Silas said, his face drawn. "We gathered here as soon as we got the news. Lord Varrick was one of us, and hearing of his death was certainly a shock to all of us," he said, and the rest nodded in agreement.

"How did the Lord die?"

Thorne leaned back against the chair. "Rogue attack. Varrick was killed by wild rogues," he replied, eyes flickering through each of them.

"How unfortunate. His pups are still young and to now grow up fatherless. It's truly unfortunate," one said.

"However unfortunate it is, Lord Varrick brought this upon himself."

Thorne's brows rose. "How do you mean?"

"Forgive me for speaking ill of the dead, Your Majesty, but I'm certain most of us here have the same opinion of the late Lord Varrick. He was a greedy man who made enemies of his own without much effort."

"He did?" Thorne asked, watching them all nod in agreement.

"Lord Varrick didn't know how to choose his battles. He was greedy and wanted things that didn't belong to him. Did you know he taxed even his own people until they starved?"

No. Thorne didn't know that.

"He did?"

"Not just that. He slept with Alpha Maxwell's mate, causing their separation."

Thorne nodded, listening to everything they said. It was hilarious, really. When Varrick was alive, they all liked him, and now that he was dead… they had this many grievances towards him.

"And you, Lord Carter. What has Lord Varrick done to offend you?" Thorne asked, eyes on the man.

Carter cleared his throat, shaking his head. "While the lord definitely stepped on toes, we were cordial at the least. He hasn't offended me," he replied, eyes on Thorne without blinking.

Thorne hummed, nodding. "How unfortunate. No one except Lord Carter has something okay to speak about Lord Varrick," he said and straightened up.

"While Lord Varrick's death is a core part of this summon, I have something else in mind," he said, watching as they all tensed up.

"I've also come to a decision," he said. "Regarding Alpha Radek."

All heads turned. Some stiffened.

Carter immediately stood up, brows drawn tight. "What? You can't make that call alone! The council hasn't voted. We agreed to deliberate further and—"

"Sit down, Lord Carter, or I'll have you thrown out of here and banned. Don't piss me off," Thorne snapped.

Carter's face reddened with anger as he sat down like a reprimanded child.

"I have made my decision regarding Alpha Radek, and I will not drag it on further," Thorne didn't move. "The matter has dragged long enough. Radek's actions endangered my maid. There are serious allegations laid against him for assault. He embezzled funds meant for the pack and used his power and authority as pack alpha. Withheld reports to the palace."

Carter's mouth opened, but Thorne kept going.

"As of this day, Radek is no longer Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. The lands and borders will remain under the royal house for the next six months. All dues will now be reported and paid to the Crown weekly. No exceptions. No appeals."

"That's preposterous, Your Majesty. The pack belongs to me. I made Radek Alpha for he mated my daughter. You can't take away what's mine," Carter gritted out.

"The pack belongs to the king. Perhaps you should've taken better care of what you had instead of giving it to an incompetent man. The palace will oversee the Blood Moon Pack for the next six months until I say otherwise."

A few of the councilmen exchanged glances, some murmured approval. Others looked uncomfortable, but no one dared to challenge him.

Carter sat back down slowly, lips pressed into a thin line.

Thorne stood from his chair. "Let this serve as a warning. The Kingdom will not turn a blind eye to disobedience. You will keep your lands in order. You will report threats. And you will remember that this kingdom is not yours to rule."

He looked around the table once more, eyes dark. "It's mine."

He stood up, and they all bowed as he walked out of the room. The door shut behind him with a bang, leaving the councilmen to themselves.

Caelum was already behind him as he walked. "Radek?" Thorne asked.

"Being freed," he replied, lips pursed. "Are you sure about letting him go free, Your Majesty?" he asked.

Thorne paused in his steps, turning toward Caelum, his lips curled into something dark. "I'm counting on it."