The city of Ravenshade never slept, and neither did Hayley Blackwood.
Perched high above the city in her penthouse office, she stared out at the neon glow of downtown, where the streets pulsed with human life.
To them, the biggest dangers were pickpockets, drunken fights, and bad decisions. They had no idea what truly lurked in the shadows: the packs, the vampires, the monsters.
She turned away from the window, exhaling slowly. Her pack, Silverfang, was the strongest in the city, and she had fought hard to earn her place as Alpha. But power was a lonely thing. Strength makes you a target. And lately, something about the air felt wrong like a storm was coming, but no one else could feel the shift in the wind.
A sharp knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts.
"Come in," she called.
The door swung open, and her Beta, Liam Carter, stepped in, his tall frame tense. His usual smirk was nowhere in sight a bad sign.
"We've got a problem," he said, dropping a thick manila folder onto her desk.
Hayley sighed, rubbing her temple. "When don't we?"
"This one's different."
She opened the folder. Inside were photos of grainy surveillance shots taken at the city's east border. A man lay in the alley, his body contorted, blood pooling around him. Even in black and white, she could tell what had happened.
A rogue.
But Liam wouldn't have come all this way just for that.
"What's the catch?" she asked, flipping through the images.
"He had an Alpha's mark."
Hayley's fingers tightened on the paper. An Alpha's mark? That wasn't possible. A turned werewolf could only bear an Alpha's bite if they were claimed or if someone was out there making new wolves.
Someone was breaking the law.
"That's not even the worst part," Liam continued. "Before he died, he asked for you."
Hayley's head snapped up. "For me?"
Liam nodded grimly. "Said he had a message. Then he dropped dead before he could say anything else."
Silence stretched between them. Hayley kept her expression unreadable, but inside, unease curled in her gut.
"This feels like a trap," she muttered.
"Agreed."
She closed the folder and met Liam's gaze. "Burn the body."
Liam hesitated. "Are you sure? What if?
"I said burn it."
Her Beta studied her for a moment, then gave a curt nod before leaving the room.
The moment the door clicked shut, Hayley leaned back in her chair, staring up at the ceiling.
Someone was playing a dangerous game. And somehow, she was at the center of it.
She stood abruptly and crossed to the tall bookshelves behind her desk, fingers trailing over spines worn with age. One of them, a leather-bound tome labeled Wolves of the New Era, held more than just dusty pages. She pulled it down, flipping past old lineage charts and law fragments until she reached a hidden compartment at the back. Inside was a small, locked box.
She hesitated for a second, then unlocked it with a key from around her neck.
Inside was a silver pendant ancient, etched with runes long lost to time. She hadn't looked at it in years, not since her father's death. He had warned her that if it ever glowed again, it meant danger was near.
It was glowing now soft, pulsing, steady.
"Damn it," she whispered.
Her father had been paranoid, obsessed with legends of the Midnight Society and rogue Alphas trying to destabilize supernatural territories. She had dismissed most of it as fear-fueled ramblings… until now.
She replaced the pendant and snapped the box shut, shoving it back into the book and returning the volume to its shelf.
Her mind was racing, too many variables and not enough answers.
With tension burning through her veins, she moved to the window again, eyes scanning the sprawling city. Somewhere out there was someone who wanted to send a message. A warning? A threat?
She didn't know which. And she hated that.
A soft knock at the door interrupted her brooding.
"Come in," she called again, sharper this time.
This time, it was Riley, one of her top scouts. Lean, quick, and loyal to a fault.
"Sorry to bother you, Alpha," he said with a slight bow of his head. "Just got back from patrol. No signs of movement at the borders yet, but there's chatter packs in the south are saying a new power's stirring. Something… dark."
Hayley's jaw clenched. "What kind of power?"
"They don't know. But the rumors started two nights ago right before the rogue appeared."
Coincidence? She didn't believe in those.
"Double patrols. No one enters or exits without clearance from me or Liam. Got it?"
Riley nodded. "Understood."
"And Riley?"
"Yes?"
"Keep your eyes open. If someone's watching us, I want to know first."
With another nod, he disappeared down the hallway.
Hayley turned back toward her desk, pacing for a moment. Her wolf was stirring again, alert and agitated. She could feel the tension in her spine, the way her instincts prickled at the back of her neck.
There was no denying it anymore something ancient was awakening in Ravenshade.
And Hayley Blackwood would be damned before she let it catch her off guard.
***
Later that night, restless energy hummed beneath her skin. She needed out.
Grabbing her leather jacket, she took the private elevator down to street level. The city was alive, music thumped from rooftop bars, couples walked hand in hand, and somewhere in the distance, a police siren wailed.
She moved through the streets with purpose, her senses sharp. Every scent, every sound, every heartbeat she absorbed it all.
And then, just as she passed a dimly lit alley, she caught a scent that made her freeze.
Electricity. Cedarwood. The faintest hint of something forbidden.
Her wolf stirred.
Slowly, she turned. Across the street, standing beneath the glow of a flickering street lamp, was a man.
Tall. Dark-haired. Devastatingly handsome.
He was watching her.
Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, the entire city faded away.
Then he smirked.
It was cocky. A challenge.
Her instincts screamed. Who the hell is he?
Before she could react, he did something impossible he vanished.
No human could move that fast.
Hayley's heart pounded. Her wolf snarled in frustration. Whoever he was, he wasn't just some lost tourist.
And for some reason, she had the overwhelming feeling that this was just the beginning.
A storm was coming.
And this stranger?
He was at the center of it.
As Damien disappeared into the night, Hayley remained standing in the alleyway, her thoughts churning.
The Midnight Society.
She had always considered them a rumor, a whispered threat meant to keep wolves in line. Yet, Damien spoke of them as if they were real and worse, as if they were moving against her.
Riley shifted beside her. "You believe him?"
Hayley exhaled, watching the city lights flicker beyond the alley. "I don't know."
But deep down, she had a feeling this wasn't a bluff.
Her wolf was still uneasy, restless in a way she couldn't ignore. That alone told her something was coming.
And she wasn't about to wait for it to catch her off guard.
"Let's get back to the Den," Hayley finally said, turning on her heel. "I want everyone on alert."
Riley nodded, falling into step beside her. "If this is real, we need a plan."
Hayley's jaw tightened. She already had one.
Because if the Midnight Society thought they could come for her...
They had no idea who they were messing with.