The hallways formerly the pride of the Black Claw Pack’s palace were now empty mausoleums of fear.

No longer did shadows dance upon the stone but instead watched, waited, listened. Fear hung heavy in the air, an asphyxiating aura that clung to every breath. Morning had arrived and departed, but days went by before the sun rose again.

The sky was an ever-present gray, refusing to shine on the soiled grounds that had succumbed to Melucia's heel.

The great hall, where counsel and concord once ...