Alpha Marcus Valen sat at the head of the long oak table, his sharp golden eyes locked onto his beta, Theo Hayes. The air in the room was tense, thick with the scent of unease. Maps and reports were scattered across the table, each one a grim reminder of the growing rogue wolf problem. Two smaller packs had already fallen, their lands reduced to nothing but ash and blood. The most recent attack hit closer to home than Marcus could have ever anticipated.
His bride-to-be's pack had been the latest target. When he arrived at their territory, his heart clenched at the sheer devastation before him. The village was in ruins, homes reduced to smoldering embers. Bodies lay scattered across the ground, some torn apart by claws and fangs, others burned beyond recognition. The acrid stench of charred flesh clung to the air, making his wolf snarl in fury.
"There were no survivors," Theo confirmed, his voice solemn, breaking the heavy silence.
Marcus exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of the table until his knuckles turned white. His mind raced. This wasn't just a random rogue attack; this was calculated and ruthless. Whoever was behind this wasn't just seeking chaos; they were waging war.
"The timing is deliberate," Theo continued. "They knew you were supposed to take her as your mate. They wanted to send a message."
A growl rumbled in Marcus's chest. He had never even met his intended mate, had never even had the chance to know her scent, her voice. And now, she was gone. Just like that.
"They want to weaken us," he muttered darkly. "Make us afraid. But they've only made a mistake."
His wolf clawed at the surface, itching for vengeance. His hands curled into fists as he made a silent vow. He would find whoever had done this, and when he did, he would make them suffer.
"Ready the warriors," Marcus ordered, his voice low, deadly. "We hunt at dawn."
Marcus frowned as he stood amidst the ruins of what was once a thriving pack. The acrid scent of smoke and death lingered in the air, but something didn't sit right with him. The bodies, though burned and bloodied, were not scattered in the usual way. Rogues were ruthless, savage beasts that reveled in destruction. They tore their victims apart and left them as warnings. Yet here, the dead had been laid to rest, their remains placed with an eerie semblance of care.
His golden eyes narrowed as he scanned the scorched earth, his wolf bristling with suspicion. Someone had survived. Someone had taken the time to do this.
"The rogues wouldn't have done this," Theo muttered, mirroring his thoughts.
"No, they wouldn't," Marcus agreed, his voice low. "That means there is a survivor. Or at least... there was."
His sharp gaze caught something: a faint trail leading away from the carnage. Footsteps, lighter than his own, deliberate but hurried. Whoever had made them had been running, escaping. He followed the tracks, moving swiftly through the trees, his senses honed. The scent was faint but unmistakably floral, feminine, and laced with the sharp tang of blood and fear. A woman who had been wounded, judging by the trail of blood.
The trail led him deeper into the forest, weaving through thick underbrush, before suddenly stopping at the river's edge. Marcus halted, his chest rising and falling with restrained frustration. The tracks ended too abruptly. Either she had crossed the river, or...
His wolf growled lowly.
"She either drowned or managed to escape." Theo stepped up beside him, scanning the dark waters.
Marcus clenched his jaw. He didn't want to believe she was dead, not after making it so far. But the river was deep, its current strong, and with injuries, she wouldn't have made it far. He exhaled, his breath heavy with resignation. If she had died, the water would have carried her body downstream. If she had survived, she wouldn't have just vanished into thin air without a trace.
Closing his eyes briefly, he whispered a silent farewell to her, to the fallen, to all who had lost their lives in this senseless massacre. His wolf stirred, restless, filled with a dark promise.
"This has to end," he said, his voice steely.
Theo nodded solemnly.
Marcus turned back toward the ruins of the pack, his determination hardening into something lethal.
"Send scouts to search the riverbanks," he ordered. "If there's even the slightest chance she survived, I want her found."
"And if we don't find her?" Theo asked.
Marcus's golden eyes glowed in the dimming light. "Then we prepare for war."
Marcus exhaled slowly, his fists clenching at his sides as he stared at the dark river, the final resting place of a woman he had never met. Anger coiled in his chest, hot and suffocating, but beneath it, a strange sense of loss gnawed at him.
Luna. That was her name.
He had never known her, never even laid eyes on her, yet the weight of her death pressed down on him. The marriage had been nothing more than a strategic alliance, a way to merge their packs and strengthen his hold over the region. Perhaps, in time, they would have found some form of companionship, maybe even produced an heir. But now, none of that mattered. She was gone, along with her entire pack, erased from existence as if they had never mattered.
A bitter growl rumbled in his chest.
"Alpha," Theo's voice broke through his thoughts. "There's more."
Marcus turned to his beta, his expression unreadable. "Speak."
Theo hesitated for a moment before continuing. "It's not just the wolves. Our scouts found evidence that the rogues, if it was truly them, have been slaughtering animals in large numbers. Deer, boars, even livestock from nearby human settlements."
"For food?" Marcus asked, though he already sensed the answer.
Theo shook his head. "No. The carcasses were left behind, untouched. It wasn't a hunt; it was senseless slaughter."
Marcus's wolf bristled at the implication. Rogues killed to survive, to assert dominance, but this? This was something else entirely. It was destruction for the sake of destruction.