Chapter 177

Darius

The message came at dawn.

A single rider, half-frozen, drenched in sweat and fear. He barely had time to dismount before the guards dragged him inside. His face was gray when he knelt before me, the parchment shaking in his hand.

“Alpha, news from the north…”

“Speak,” I said, calmly as I stared at my glass of scotch, knowing well that the man was trembling.

He swallowed hard. “It’s Amelia, Alpha. She’s dead.”

The room went silent.

No one moved. Even the fire seemed to hold its breath.

For a long, unbearable moment, I didn’t feel anger, only the kind of hollow stillness that comes right before something breaks.

Then it broke.

“How?” I asked.

“She was found near Liam’s safe house. She, she was shot. They buried her by his command.” He said, looking up at me. “We traced their steps and found the safe house. It is not far out, but the area, to get there… that carry a weight held like death.”

The air in