“Husband,” he said. “Call me husband.”


    COLLIN BLACK’S POV


    E55 vouchers


    They were inside Alpha Collin’s study, a room that smelled faintly of old books, worn leather, and the lingering traces of smoke that the maids had yet to fully scrub from the air. The fire hadn’t reached this part of the estate, but it hade close enough that soot had slipped in through the cracks, staining the edges of the tall windows and leaving the curtains dull with


    ash.


    Beta William stood just a few steps from therge oak desk, a thick parchment in his hand. “Alpha, here is the inventory list,” he said, his tone steady despite the tension in his shoulders. “It covers everything the fire consumed the other night.”


    Without lifting his head, Collin extended a hand in a dismissive gesture toward the desk, his other hand still holding a separate stack of documents. “Set it there,” he said.


    William obeyed immediately, cing the parchment carefully atop a pile that was already growing with unread reports.


    Collin didn’t so much as nce at it. His attention remained fixed on the report in front of him, something rted to patrol rotations and troop movements and the Demon Fangs. The destruction from the fire, while unfortunate, was not his current priority. The western border demanded more urgent attention.


    After a long pause, he finally spoke again, eyes still scanning the page. “Where is the Luna?”


    “She’s in the infirmary,” William replied. “Helping with the wounded.”


    That caught Collin’s attention. His pen stilled.


    “We ran out of several healing herbs,” William continued, clearing his throat. “Most of them were stored in the supply room closest to the eastern wall, the same wing where the fire started. Because the mes spread quickly through the wooden beams, we weren’t able to recover much. The heat scorched most of the bundles before the guards could get the doors open.”


    Collin exhaled sharply through his nose and finally set his pen down, fingers tapping against the desk in irritation. The supply room had been stocked recently, and many of those herbs were imported. Expensive. Difficult to rece on short notice. And worse, he knew that once news of the shortage spread, questions would follow.


    Another problem added to an already growing pile.


    “Have you kept this matter a secret?” Collin asked as he finally looked up from the document


    in his hand.


    79


    E55 vouchers


    “Yes, Alpha,” William answered with a firm nod. His posture remained straight, hands behind his back, but there was a tension in his voice that wasn’t there before. “We’ve made sure the information hasn’t left the inner circle. If news spreads that we’re already running low on essential supplies, especially medical herbs, the Demon Fangs will undoubtedly take advantage of the weakness. Another attack would be inevitable. However, I already sent some letters to our allies. I believe, we will be hearing from them soon.”


    Collin narrowed his eyes slightly, as if running through potential scenarios in his mind. He leaned back in his chair, the old leather creaking beneath him, and studied the Beta for a moment longer. “Good.”


    But William didn’t leave.


    He remained rooted in ce, shoulders stiff, eyes flicking toward the door and then back again.


    “What is it?” Collin asked, noticing the hesitation.


    “Alpha… word has reached us. Lord Cassian is currently within the Crimson Howlers Pack territory.” William paused, watching closely for his Alpha’s reaction. “Three of his lieutenants were reported to be gravely injured. A significant number of his men also sustained injuries during the most recent attack. It seems the damage was considerable.”


    <i>That</i>, finally, drew a response.


    Collin’s features shifted. The cold detachment he wore as a shield cracked slightly, just enough for a faint smile to form at the corner of his mouth. His eyes gleamed. “Good,” he murmured. “Is everything in order on our end?”


    “Yes, Alpha. The patrol routes have been reinforced. We’ve rotated out the more exhausted squads. Fresh eyes are on the eastern and southern posts. And I already coordinated with Alpha Jason. Everything is just ording to our n.”


    Collin gave a short nod, pleased. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he dismissed William. “Mind the patrols. Keep our guards sharp. We can’t affordcency.”


    William bowed his head respectfully, then turned on his heel and exited the study without another word.


    Collin leaned forward again, elbows braced on the edge of his desk as he stared down at the map spread across it. While he had provided Cassian’s location to the Demon Fangs, he had never once considered himself their ally. Cooperation did not mean loyalty.


    The Demon Fangs were feral beasts, vicious, uncontroble, and driven solely by bloodlust. Aligning with them had been a temporary tactic, not a long–term strategy. He had no intention of binding himself to creatures who could not be reasoned with. No matter how


    useful they were now, they were still monsters.


    And monsters, eventually, had to be caged or killed.


    <b>79 </b>


    55 vouchers


    After what felt like an unending stretch of silence, another knock broke through the stillness of the study. The sound was sharp against the muted hum of the crackling firece.


    “Enter,” Collin called, his voice steady but carrying an edge.


    The door opened, and Renan stepped inside. He came to a halt a few steps from the desk and gave a shallow bow.


    Collin’s eyes narrowed. “How was your investigation?”


    Renan straightened, meeting his Alpha’s gaze briefly before speaking. “It was just as you suspected,” he began, his tone grim. “The cages were not empty. But the burned corpses inside…” His voice faltered, and for a moment, hisposure cracked. The memory was still fresh, seared into his mind. “Those were not children,” he finished quietly. “Those were our people.”


    Collin’s expression shifted, the satisfaction from earlier wiped clean and reced with a dark, stony gravity. His hands stilled over the papers on his desk, the air between them growing heavier. “Have you obtained the list,” he asked slowly. “Of the ones who were supposed to be inside the cave when the incident happened?”


    Renan shook his head. “Sadly, no. Everything inside was destroyed by the fire. Whoever set it… they did it with precision. Multiple ignition points. It wasn’t a simple ze, it was meticulously nned. Every document, every record of the experiments, gone. However…” He reached into his coat and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. “I do have a list of the men currently unounted for.”


    Collin reached for it, but Renan’s hesitation made him pause.


    “And what?” Collin barked.


    Renan’s jaw tightened before he spoke the words he clearly didn’t want to say, “Beta William’s son, Jack… was one of them.”


    The silence that followed was thick, Collin’s hand, still half–extended toward the parchment, lowered slowly. His gaze locked onto Renan, and his expression darkened further.


    “Their deaths will not go in vain.” Alpha Collin’s eyes burned with a cold, lethal promise. “We will find the ones responsible… and make them pay.”