The city of Velmara had risen fast—too fast.
On the surface, it was a tech utopia. Gleaming towers, whisper-smooth transport, and LUNEX Corp—a rival to Dusk Enterprises, rising like a phoenix from nothing. But beneath its polished facade, something stirred.
Something ancient.
From the highest balcony in Nocturne, Mia stood beside Dusk, her eyes on the glowing skyline of Velmara.
"You know who's behind it," she said. "You've been quiet ever since they opened the first blood-tech lab."
Dusk's expression didn't change. But his hands—those careful, elegant hands—curled into fists.
"Her name was Olivia."
Mia turned, eyes narrowing. "Was?"
Dusk didn't answer at first. "She was my first fiancée. Before the empire. Before Nocturne. Before I became what I am."
"And now she's leading werewolves?"
"She always had a taste for control."
A pause.
"And vengeance."
Beneath Velmara
Moonlight poured into the subterranean stronghold. Wolves crouched in silence—warriors, assassins, outcasts. Every one of them marked by old scars and older grudges.
At the center stood Olivia.
Not a corpse.
Not a memory.
But a queen reborn.
She wore black, her eyes silver like polished steel, her power cold and undeniable. And beside her, her Beta—Kael, Alpha of the pack, and her most loyal.
"They think they've won," she murmured. "Nocturne believes itself untouchable."
Kael growled low. "They'll smell us when we cross the river."
She smiled, holding up a glass vial swirling with crimson light.
"Not if we use his blood to walk among them."
The Nocturne Council
"Velmara's blood-tech has crippled two of our supply chains," Vale growled. "We've lost influence in three districts."
"And we've picked up lupine scents near the border," added Arabelle, her voice tight. "But that's impossible. The last werewolf died fifty years ago."
"They didn't die," Dusk said flatly. "They went into hiding."
A heavy silence followed.
Then Cadien leaned forward. "You sound as if you know this for certain."
"I do."
He looked at Mia.
"Because I once loved their queen."
The room erupted.
"Olivia?"
"The Olivia?"
"The blood pact?"
"You swore she was dead!"
"She was," Dusk said, voice cold. "I saw to it myself."
Mia's blood chilled.
What the hell happened between them?
Meanwhile, in Velmara
Olivia watched the surveillance feed—a grainy image of Dusk beside Mia. Her smile barely twitched, but her eyes—they burned.
"She wears the crown," Kael muttered. "But does she deserve it?"
"We'll find out soon enough," Olivia whispered. "I want her alive when the towers fall."
Behind her, the wolves howled.
Not for the hunt.
But for war.