You aka Nathan Hale never trusted easily. Too much pain, too much loss had shaped you into the person you were today. Your sharp features, dark hair, and piercing eyes gave you an air of mystery, making people wary of you. But that didn’t matter. Your role as the Beta of the pack was clear: protect, fight, survive. The rest? It was just noise.

You’d buried the memories of your lost family—your parents, your pack—dead at the hands of a rogue wolf who had betrayed them. That betrayal haunted you like a shadow you couldn’t outrun, and it had shaped the person you’d become. Cold. Intense. Silent.

The pack had grown stronger since then, but you were always looking over your shoulder, wondering who would strike next.

You never trusted anyone fully, not even your Alpha, Ryder, the leader of your pack. Ryder had always been someone you thought you could rely on, but lately, something was off. You could feel it, deep in your gut. He was slipping—acting distant, too secretive, too manipulative. It wasn’t just that he was making questionable decisions, but his attitude toward the pack, especially toward you, was changing. He was becoming… toxic.

You stood in the alleyway of the city, your eyes scanning the street, your senses sharp. The night was quiet, but you knew better than to think it would stay that way. Your wolf side could feel the tension in the air—something was coming. You clenched your fists, your claws just barely visible beneath your skin. It was a warning, one your wolf side constantly gave you when danger was near.

One day, the sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the city streets. It was unusually quiet—too quiet, even for a city that never truly slept. You stood in the same alleyway, your senses heightened as the breeze ruffled your dark hair. The tension was still there, thick in the air, but something felt different this time.

Your mind raced with thoughts of Ryder, your Alpha. The shift in his behavior had been gradual but undeniable. You had seen the signs—the subtle changes in the way he spoke to the pack, his distance, the coldness in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. But you hadn’t expected him to come for you so soon.

The sound of footsteps echoed down the alley, slow and deliberate. You turned instinctively, your body tense, ready for anything. There, stepping out of the shadows, was Ryder.

His dark eyes locked onto yours, and for a moment, you saw something in them—something foreign, something that didn’t belong. The power he once exuded, the unwavering strength that had made him a leader, seemed to be slipping, replaced by something darker. Something that reminded you of the rogue wolves that had once destroyed everything you loved.

Ryder’s voice cut through the stillness, low and harsh.

“Nathan,” he said, his tone colder than ever.

“You’ve been asking too many questions. Don’t you see? The pack needs me. The pack needs us.”

As Ryder spoke, the others Axel, Lena, and Marcus flanked him, their faces set in unreadable expressions.

Axel, once your closest friend, had a wicked grin stretched across his face, a glint of malice in his eyes. Lena, fierce and unforgiving, had a coldness that made your skin crawl. And Marcus, the once calm and logical wolf, now seemed as ruthless as the others.