Seraphine's pov

In the war chamber….just the way it was called, a war meeting.

The huge chandelier in the middle already gave me goosebumps, screaming luxury, fame, and authority. Only for the high-end people, and not lonely servants like us.

I was lucky to have survived Agora’s rage, or maybe his stare that could make me unconscious.

I couldn’t shake the feeling off, his back, the fresh wounds, the scars on his bare skin. Oh goddess, how does he endure all that?

The elders sat with so much power extending from them, their faces cold. They looked more like they could rip out bones with a snap of their fingers.

Alpha Agora sat at the center of the whole long table, his gaze sharp. I felt the temperature of the hall drop. It was my first time in this part of the mansion, with elders of high rank and their expensive veils.

And Agora was no different. His presence dropped the temperature of the whole room. His demeanor, the way he moved, his cold temperament, the way his steps echoed until he finally got to his seat.

I stood behind him with my gaze lowered, using my side view instincts to scan everywhere.

The place that felt like a meeting seemed more like a banquet party. The scent of liquor and fresh local wine filled the atmosphere.

Maidens danced, their bodies swaying sexily under the torchlight. Their netted clothes revealed their hard peach nipples, but nothing could compare to how hard my heartbeat hit.

Food and drink filled the greedy elders’ bellies, their lips dripping with fat and wine. I stood still behind, watching everything.

Agora placed a cigarette on his lips. I knew my duty too well and grabbed a lighter, lit it up. I watched the way the smoke curled from the cigarette between his fingers, then drifted to my throat, choking me up.

Trying to fight the intense urge to cough but…

Cough. Cough.

Everyone’s eyes were suddenly pulled toward me. For a few seconds, I wished the ground could swallow me.

“This,” an elder suddenly stood up and declared, voice echoing against the stone walls, “is the decree of the former Alpha King. It binds claim to the East side of Blood Moon. For decades, the council has kept it safe, waiting for the day it must be spoken of.”

A chill flickered through the chamber. I noticed the sudden change in Agora’s expression, the way his jaw tightened, but his face remained stone. I knew where this would lead.

I remembered what Dad always said each time he came home, before he never did.

“Every gathering beneath the Blood Moon ends in blood.”

I was sure this one would be no different. And oh goddess, I would really have to witness it.

The elder’s tone shifted, becoming oily and greedy. “If the Alpha grants the East side, we…his faithful council ... .will divide it. Balance. Unity. Protection for your reign.”

Another nodded quickly, eyes gleaming like a starving wolf. “Yes, Alpha. If you share it with us, the packs will prosper. We will prosper.”

Agora didn’t say a word. Instead, he lifted his goblet, tasted the wine, and gave them nothing. No answer. No expression. Only silence.

The elder who held the scroll slammed his fist down, rattling the goblets. “No! It was I who bore this burden. I carried it even when the Black Wolves hunted me to death’s door. I did not let it go. It should be mine to decide!”

“Lies,” another spat. “We all paid the price. You are not the only one who suffered.”

The room erupted, snarls, accusations, claws scraping against polished wood. Wolves who had once sworn loyalty now snapped at each other like mongrels fighting for scraps.

Then Alpha Keal Throncrest,Agora’s worst enemy,suddenly scoffed, making his presence known.

His gaze landed on mine first, then shifted, locking on Agora. The way he glared at him was more like he was fisting for war. “I know where this ends, Agora. I’m not in the mood for your little-minded games, at least not today. If it’s war you want, I’ll bring it to you.”

The air thickened, heavy with the scent of bloodlust. I felt a sudden switch in Agora’s reaction to Keal’s words, his claws itched, his wolf straining at the leash.

A man stood up, looking gracefully handsome and humble. I could guess he was one with Agora’s side; I had seen him a few times before.

His voice was sharp yet peaceful. “Enough! Your wives sit here, your sons and daughters are watching. Will you truly let greed drag them into the grave with you?” he yelled, anger flashing now.

But the words slid off deaf ears. The elder clutched the scroll to his chest, knuckles white, desperation in his eyes. “I kept this alive! I decided!”

That felt like the final straw.

Agora rose, slowly, deliberately. The scrape of his chair against the stone silenced the chamber. His claws slid free, glinting silver in the torchlight.

The room froze. Even the flames seemed to lean closer.

With a single strike, he drove his claw through the elder’s throat. His breath caught, blood spraying across the scroll as his body crumpled onto the table. Gasps echoed, chairs scraped back, but to me, the world was silent.

He pulled his claw out of his throat making a squirt sound of just ripping gut. Blood spilled out and the sound that came next was thug, the elder lifeless body collided to the ground.

He picked up a wipe, and cleaned his hands like he didn’t just end a life again, for the second time in one day. Blood soaked the parchment still clutched in the elder’s stiffening fingers.

“My pack is mine,” he said, his voice echoing through the icy chamber. Even the music, the maidens’ dancing, everything stopped. “No one negotiates for it.”

The chamber fell deathly quiet. No elder dared move. Not even Keal.

The meeting had ended. With that, he walked out of the chamber toward his dorm room.

My heart was still racing so fast, pounding hard against my chest as I walked behind him.

The next moment, he stopped in his tracks, catching me off guard, my forehead bumping into his back.