DAMIEN’S POV

The palace gates loomed ahead as I pushed the car harder down the winding road. Trees blurred past, but my mind was sharper than ever—Scarlett’s voice echoing in my head like a bad dream that wouldn’t end.

“We’re going to get our hands on that property. Real soon.”

My knuckles whitened on the wheel. The Crescent Moon territory wasn’t just land. It was sacred. Hidden trails where our ancestors shifted under the full moon. Burial grounds. A place where packs gathered for rituals no human eye had ever seen. If they built a resort there—tourists, workers, cameras—it would be the end. Exposure. War.

I slammed on the brakes...