Page 6 of To Carve A Wolf

The snow had painted the world white overnight.

From the high glass windows of the great hall, I could see it blanketing the stone courtyard below, fresh and untouched, save for the bloodied prints left by the guards returning from patrol. It glittered in the soft morning sun like crushed bone under crystal. The mountains beyond stood tall and merciless, their peaks slicing into the sky.

Inside, the warmth of the hearths and the scent of roasted meat chased away the cold. Flames danced in the twin fireplaces that flanked the room, licking at carved stone wolves with ruby eyes. The long table was set for two, draped in dark cloth, silver goblets already filled with warmed spiced wine. Platters of smoked venison, fried duck eggs, thick slabs of bread soaked in butter, and baked apples filled the air with the rich perfume of power and excess.

My Beta arrived late, as usual. Garrick was a brute of a man—broad, scarred, and always smiling like he knew something no one else did. He dropped into the seat across from me withoutceremony, snatched a drumstick from the tray, and bit in before offering a word.

“Well,” he said through a mouthful, “you look like shit.”

I poured my wine, slow and unbothered. “You reek like it. Balance.”

Garrick chuckled, licking grease from his fingers. “Heard you kicked Tanya out before sunrise.”

I didn’t answer. Just raised a brow and took a long sip.

He smirked. “Was she too much for you, old wolf?”

I leaned back in my chair, stretching my legs, letting the fire warm the ache still lingering in my bones. “She was... fine. Until she wouldn’t leave.”

“She’s still scenting your rooms. Poor girl probably thought she’d wake up mated.”

I grunted.

Garrick leaned in, dropping his voice with mock seriousness. “You know... she wouldn’t be a bad choice. Omega like that—trained, loyal, sweet as summer fruit. She’d give you strong pups.”

My jaw tightened.

“I need heirs,” I admitted. “But I need more land first. My name should be carved into stone from the Frostfang coast to the burning gates of the East. A child now would slow me.”

He raised his goblet. “And yet... you’re not getting younger.”

I gave him a sharp look, but he didn’t flinch. He never did.

“I have time,” I said flatly.

“You do,” he agreed, nodding. “But not forever. You want a legacy, Andros? You’ll need blood to carry it.”

My gaze drifted back to the snow-covered world beyond the window. I would build an empire soaked in blood and crowned in ice. There would be time for heirs once the world knew my name in fear. For now, I only needed war.

The cold bit deeper as we descended into the belly of thecastle. Stone gave way to older stone, slick with damp and shadow. The torches flickered violently, their light dancing over iron rings, dried blood, and chains that had never known rest. The dungeon was old, built by the first alphas of Blood Night—long before I took the title. But it had always served the same purpose.

Fear.

The air reeked of it. Faintly copper, mixed with rot and piss. Garrick walked beside me, silent now, his earlier humour gone. He knew what I was like down here. Everyone did.

The guards stepped aside as we entered the last chamber. The iron door groaned open, and there he was—Arlen, or what remained of him. The former alpha of Crescent Moon slumped in chains, his body barely holding itself upright. Strips of skin hung from his back like shredded cloth, and one of his eyes had swollen shut. Blood crusted over his mouth, his chest, the floor beneath him.

My men had done their work. I stepped into the cell, boots echoing, slow and heavy. He raised his head with great effort, the one good eye glassy but aware.

“Didn’t think you’d last the night,” I said, voice like a growl soaked in ice.

He coughed—wet, broken—and spit blood onto the stone. Garrick crouched beside him, fingers tapping the hilt of his blade.

“You ready to tell us where your little pup ran off to? Or shall we keep peeling?”

Arlen wheezed a laugh. “You’ll… never find him.”

I slammed my fist into his jaw. Bone cracked. He slumped but didn’t fall.

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