The Alpha's Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger.

Lenny

I followed Seth through the corridors of the pack house, my mind racing through possible scenarios. A rogue attack? Territorial disputes? Financial crisis? Nothing in my experience had prepared me for the kind of fear I'd seen in Seth's eyes.

When we reached the main entrance, I immediately understood why he'd been so shaken.

In front of the pack house, I saw cars, not just cars but expensive ones. There were at least five of them lined up in front of the pack house.

As if that wasn't enough, my attention shifted to the group of men stepping out of them.

Everything about them was wrong.

They were dressed like they had walked out of a forgotten age.

They wore clothes that looked as if they belonged in a museum, with rough-hewn leather tunics, jewellery made of bone and stone, and cloaks that seemed to be crafted from animal pelts.

My gaze moved to Elder Eldric standing off to one side, looking more rattled than I'd ever seen him. The old man who had weathered pack wars, territorial disputes, and the recent battle with the Dark One was visibly shaken, his hands trembling slightly as he gripped his walking cane.

The strangers hadn't noticed my arrival yet, too busy examining our pack house with the kind of critical assessment that made my hackles rise. One of them ran his finger along the marble bannister and made a disapproving sound, as if our modern architecture personally offended him.

Instead of approaching them, I made my way to Elder Eldric first. "What the hell is going on?" I asked.

He shook his head. "They... came out of nowhere. I tried to stall them—"

"Who gave them clearance to enter White Mountain?" I turned to Seth, who was behind me. "Quick, find me Caius, I need to know who allowed clearance to strangers inside our pack."

Seth nodded and hurried away.

Then I turned and approached them with the diplomatic smile I'd perfected over years of working with Ramsey. "Gentlemen, welcome to White Moon Pack. How may we help you today?"

The man who appeared to be their leader turned to face me, and I had to suppress a shudder.

His eyes were completely black—not just the iris, but the entire visible eye, as if someone had filled the sockets with ink. When he looked at me, I felt like he was seeing through my skin to something deeper and more vulnerable underneath.

I noted the faint shimmer of a blade tucked beneath his hide cloak. He seemed to be sizing me up, and I wasn't in the mood.

"Where is the Lycan Leader?" he asked, his voice carrying an authority that made every instinct I possessed want to submit.

I forced myself to maintain eye contact, though it felt like staring into an abyss.

I turned slightly to glance at Eldric, and he lowered his gaze, avoiding my eyes. Damn, he already told them Ramsey wasn't here.

We had all agreed that aside from close family and friends, no one was to know Ramsey was not in the pack.

Sighing, I turned back to the man.

"Alpha Ramsey is currently on vacation with his Luna," I said carefully, keeping my tone respectful but firm. "If you have pack business to discuss, I'm authorised to handle most matters in his absence."

"Vacation," he repeated mockingly. "While our world is on the brink of chaos and our territories are still unstable from the damage of the Dark One's influence, our supposed leader chooses to play honeymoon games with his mate. Has he forgotten his role as Lycan Leader?

The man next to him, a slightly shorter man with similar black eyes, shook his head in disgust.

"We heard rumours that he took a mere werewolf as his Luna. We are Lycans; there is a reason why the Moon Goddess made us different from werewolves. Perhaps the reports of his weakening judgment were accurate."

I took a step towards the man, forcing myself to hold his gaze. I was prepared to reason with them, but insulting Lyla and Ramsey was crossing a line.

"I was going to offer you proper hospitality," I said, my voice quiet. "Water, food, comfortable seats while we discussed whatever brought you here. But I see you've come to spout nonsense and disrespect our Luna."

I moved another step closer, close enough that the man would have to crane his neck to maintain eye contact. "If you have nothing better to say than childish insults, then I suggest you leave. Our hospitality doesn't extend to covering ignorance and poor manners."

For a moment, I thought I'd pushed too far. The man's black eyes seemed to swirl with something that I couldn't understand.

Then he laughed.

"I take it you don't know who I am," he said, reaching into a leather pouch at his waist. "How refreshing. It's been decades since someone spoke to me with such... boldness."

He pulled out what looked like a coin made of black metal, though it seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent it spinning through the air toward me.

I caught it, staring at the medallion with a symbol that I didn't recognise. Two crescent moons entwined in a spiral and surrounded by runes.

"My name is Korvain, and I'm a member of the Hollow Kin."

I arched my brows. "The Hollow Kin? What is that?"

His eyes flashed with annoyance as he turned to Elder Eldric, who seemed to be trembling more now.

"I see no one had told these young people about us, Eldric. I wonder if your grandson knows who we are, too."

"Of course he knows," Eldric stuttered. "Please forgive Beta Lenny, the war with the Dark One…"

"Why would he forgive me?" I cut Elder Eldric short, turning to the man. "Here, within these territories, I have orders and laws backing me up. You have no right, whatsoever, to show up here and demand to be treated like a god. Who are you? And what the fuck is Hollow Kin?"

The man murmured something underneath his breath and sighed.

"I'll let it go this once because I admire Lycans like you with balls, but next time, I might not be as lenient. I'm sure there is knowledge about us in the library. That should do."

"Then I don't think you're important," I said quietly, flashing him a smile.

The man chuckled and cleared his throat. "Tell your Lycan Leader," the man continued, "that he has a fortnight to present himself before the Hollow Kin council. Two weeks to explain his recent decisions, his choice of mate, and his fitness to continue leading our kind through these turbulent times."

He paused and then added. "And tell him to bring the werewolf woman with him. We have many questions about her role in recent events, her true nature, and whether she represents a threat to the stability we've worked ages to maintain."

The casual way he dismissed Lyla as 'the werewolf woman' made my teeth clench, but I forced myself to remain calm.

"You think you can show up here and demand the presence of the Lycan Leader like this is some fairytale council meeting? Is he a joke to you?"

"Yes," the man nodded without blinking. "And we're not asking. This is a summoning."

"And what if he refuses? What would happen?"

Korvain smiled.

"True, the Lycan Leader holds the ultimate power in our world today, but he serves at the pleasure of the Hollow Kin, young Beta. We created that position, we grant its authority, and we can strip it away just as easily." His black eyes seemed to bore into my soul. "Without our backing, Ramsey Kincaid becomes just another Alpha with delusions of grandeur."

"Is that a threat?" I asked, staring at the man. "Ramsey is not here yet, and I can choose to deliver the message to him or not."

"Like I said, Beta Lenny, we do not have time to negotiate with mere Betas. The only reason why I am standing here and sharing the same air with you is because I am impressed by your fearlessness, and I'm looking forward to seeing if the Lycan Leader is more than you are. The more stubborn they come by, the easier it is for us to break them."

I stared at the medallion he'd handed to me a while ago and raised it.

"What is this?" I asked.

His gaze darted from my raised hand back to my face.

"A summoning chip," he said.

"Good!" I flicked it back at him, copying what he'd done when he wanted to give me the medallion. "You can go with it. If the Hollow king…"

"Kin!" the man said tersely.

"If the Hollow King," I repeated coldly, holding his gaze, "who claims to be a body that the Lycan Leader serves, cannot treat him with the respect that he deserves and that is due to his position, then we will not answer."

"Do you know the consequences of your refusal?" Korvain asked.

"Perhaps, you've not heard, but Alpha Ramsey has dismissed councils and sent them all home. He has done it before, and he'll do it again. If you want the Lycan Leader to attend your tea party, then send an invitation and do it properly. Ask someone to give you a handbook, so you know the correct addresses to use. I wish you safe trips back to the Hollow King."

"Hollow Kin!" the man yelled, but I'd already turned back and was walking into the pack house.

No one would insult or disrespect Ramsey again. At least, not on my watch.