The Rogue King’s blood splattered across my face, hot and thick, before his body even hit the ground.In the werewolf territories, when an army loses its commander, two things happen immediately: absolute panic or absolute slaughter. I didn't wait to see which one the rogue army would choose. I wiped the red drops from my eyes with my sleeve and gripped Ugochukwu’s broadsword tight in my right hand.I looked up at the ruined gate tower. Obinna stood on the edge, pulling another silver arrow from his quiver. Obinna was Ugochukwu’s younger brother, known across the southern border as the most brutal commander in the pack. Unlike Ugochukwu, who preferred to use law and trade contracts to steal land, Obinna loved open bloodshed."Nkiru!" Obinna called out, his voice cutting through the panic below. "Yo

A sudden surge of purple light burned against the fog, freezing Commander Simeon in his tracks.In our world, magic users were hunted down by the High Council and executed without trial. The capital feared sorcery more than rogue armies because ancient magic could shatter alpha authority and break pack blood bonds. Amarachi was the most wanted sorceress in the realm. Ten years ago, she broke into the capital vault, stole the dark blood seals, and vanished into the wasteland. Seeing her stand ten feet away felt like watching a dead legend walk back to life.Simeon slowly pulled his silver blade away from my throat, turning his body to face her."Amarachi," Simeon said, his voice dropping into a dangerous warning. "The High Council has a standing execution order for your head. You should have stayed hidden in the wast

Elder Vane was the man who taught me how to count silver coins, but tonight he handed Alpha Ugochukwu the blade meant for my father’s heart.In the northern pack territories, trading without an official council stamp was punishable by death, but selling out your own partner was rewarded with rank and land. I grew up believing that contracts were sacred. I thought paper and ink meant something. Standing in that stone hall, watching Elder Vane wipe dust from his fine silk sleeves while my father reached for his sword, I realized the only true contract in this world was written with sharp steel."You sold us out, Vane," my father said, stepping directly in front of me. His voice was steady, but his right hand shook as he drew his iron blade. "Thirty years of running trade lines together, and you bring the council’s executioner to my door."<

Lady Abigail wiped Elder Vane’s dark blood from her thin silver blade with a clean white cloth, but my eyes never left her hands.In our world, the High Council’s chief interrogator was known as the Silent Blade. She did not lead armies or wear heavy iron armor. She specialized in hunting down rogue nobles and extracting trade secrets using capital poison and skinning knives. Seeing her stand five paces away in the iron pipe room proved that the High Council had planned this ambush long before Alpha Ugochukwu ever marched his pack soldiers to our border gate.I reached into my coat, my fingers wrapping around the cold silver key my father gave me before the vault ceiling collapsed."You wiped out my father's trade house five years ago," I said, keeping my voice level as I stepped in front of Amarachi. "Y

Freezing river water slammed into my face, knocking every last bit of air from my lungs.In our world, the Northern River was known as the Bone Collector. Its deep currents flowed straight through sharp rock passages, carrying runaway slaves, failed traders, and dead soldiers down to the southern badlands. Most people who jumped from forty feet up died when they hit the water. But my father had mapped these riverbeds twenty years ago when he ran illegal silver shipments past capital patrols. I knew where the deep trench lay, and I knew how to hold my breath until the fast current threw me past the sharp rocks.I kept my left hand clamped tight around the black parchment scroll, my own blood binding the ink so the water wouldn't wash away the names of my father's killers.The wild current tumbled my body round and ro