Eden pack

“Father, something is wrong.”

Linda’s voice trembled as she pressed a trembling hand to her abdomen. The fire in the hearth crackled, but the air in Leon’s study felt unbearably cold. Shadows flickered along the carved wolf totems that lined the walls.

Beta Leon didn’t look up immediately. He was standing by the window, his broad back rigid, his reflection fractured by the frost on the glass. Outside, the night wind howled across the courtyard, carrying with it a faint, eerie pulse that had begun just hours ago, a heartbeat that didn’t belong to any living thing.

Finally, he turned. His silver hair gleamed under the lamplight, his...