The weight of Damien's words hung in the air.
"They're after an Alpha."
Evelyn felt the chill of it settle deep in her bones. The Noctis Order wasn't just hunting werewolves—they were after something bigger. Something more dangerous.
Damien closed the old book with a sharp thud, his golden eyes unreadable. "This changes things."
Lucas let out a breath. "Yeah, no kidding."
Emily shifted nervously. "If they're targeting an Alpha, then—" She hesitated, then looked at Damien.
Evelyn followed her gaze.
It made sense. Damien was the most powerful wolf in the region. If the Noctis Order had resurfaced, they wouldn't waste their time on weak prey. They'd go straight for the strongest.
Damien's expression remained unreadable, but something flickered in his eyes—something Evelyn couldn't quite place.
She tapped her notebook. "Why an Alpha? What do they want?"
Silence.
Lucas and Emily looked to Damien, waiting for him to answer.
Finally, he spoke. "Power."
Evelyn frowned. "Power?"
Damien leaned against the heavy oak desk, his voice quieter now. "Alphas aren't just leaders. Our blood is different. Stronger. The Noctis Order doesn't just kill for sport—they take what they can use."
The fire crackled behind them, casting flickering shadows on the walls.
Evelyn's mind raced. "You're saying they don't just kill Alphas. They… experiment on them?"
Damien didn't answer. He didn't have to.
Lucas ran a hand through his hair. "Damn it. If that's true, then they won't stop until they have what they want."
Evelyn swallowed. This was bigger than she had imagined. The Noctis Order wasn't just a rogue group of hunters. They were something much worse.
And Damien was right in their sights.
A Warning in Blood
A loud bang echoed through the packhouse.
Everyone tensed.
Lucas was the first to react, moving toward the door. "That came from outside."
Damien was already moving, his body tense with readiness. "Stay here," he ordered Evelyn and Emily.
Evelyn had no intention of listening.
She grabbed her camera bag and followed Damien and Lucas out of the study, her pulse hammering.
The air outside was thick with tension. The night was cool, the scent of pine and damp earth filling the air, but something darker lingered beneath it.
Blood.
Damien stopped abruptly at the edge of the front steps. His entire body stiffened.
Evelyn followed his gaze—and her stomach lurched.
A body hung from the old oak tree in the center of the pack's courtyard.
It was a wolf.
His throat had been cut, his arms bound behind his back. His body swayed slightly in the night breeze, and carved into his chest was the same sigil from the archives.
The Noctis Order's mark.
A warning.
Evelyn clamped a hand over her mouth, bile rising in her throat.
Lucas swore under his breath.
The pack members began to gather, whispers rippling through the crowd.
Damien stepped forward, his expression dark as he examined the sigil. He recognized the wolf—Tyler, one of his scouts. A good soldier. A loyal packmate.
His jaw clenched.
They had killed him and left his body here. Not just to send a message—this was a declaration of war.
Damien turned to Lucas. "Cut him down."
Lucas nodded, already moving.
Evelyn forced herself to take a deep breath, her journalistic instincts kicking in despite the horror in front of her. She pulled out her camera, snapping a photo of the sigil before she could second-guess herself.
She didn't know what terrified her more—the brutality of it or the message it sent.
The Noctis Order was here.
And they were watching.
The Alpha's Fury
The packhouse was silent after they carried Tyler's body inside.
Damien stood at the head of the long table in the war room, his hands planted firmly on the polished wood. His pack's warriors stood around him, their faces grim.
Lucas leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "They're escalating."
"No," Damien said coldly. "They're testing us."
Evelyn sat at the far end of the table, listening carefully. She had seen fear before—on battlefields, in crime-ridden cities, in the eyes of desperate people.
But she had never seen fear like this.
The pack wasn't just worried. They were on edge.
Emily sat beside her, eyes downcast. "They've never been this bold before."
Damien's golden eyes burned with fury. "That means they think they can win."
A deep silence followed his words.
Then Lucas broke it. "So what's the plan?"
Damien exhaled slowly. "We go on the offensive."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the warriors.
Evelyn frowned. "Hold on. You don't even know where they are."
Damien turned his gaze on her. "Not yet."
His voice sent a shiver down her spine.
She knew what he meant. He wasn't going to sit back and wait for the Noctis Order to strike again.
He was going to hunt them down.
The Journalist and the Alpha
The meeting ended soon after, with the warriors dispersing to prepare.
Evelyn lingered behind, watching Damien as he stared down at a map spread across the table.
She stepped forward. "You're not scared, are you?"
Damien glanced at her, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Scared?"
Evelyn met his gaze. "The Noctis Order just left a dead body on your doorstep. And you're acting like it's just another night."
Damien studied her for a moment. Then he spoke, his voice low.
"I don't fear them." He leaned in slightly. "But they should fear me."
Evelyn's breath hitched.
There was something about Damien Blackwood—something more than just his strength or his power. It was the way he carried himself, the way he looked at the world as if it owed him nothing but battle.
She should have been terrified.
Instead, she was intrigued.
"You're different," she said before she could stop herself.
Damien raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
Evelyn hesitated. "You're not just some brute Alpha looking for blood. You actually care about them." She nodded toward the door where the warriors had left. "Your pack."
Damien's expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes.
"You're observant," he murmured.
Evelyn smirked. "It's my job."
A brief silence stretched between them.
Then Damien spoke again, softer this time. "Be careful, Evelyn."
She frowned. "Why?"
Damien's golden eyes darkened.
"Because you've caught their attention too."
Evelyn's stomach twisted.
She had been chasing a story.
Now the story was chasing her.