Deep into the heart of Vexor City sits the most powerful werewolf pack, close to the woods and surrounded by lush, green flora and fauna. The faces of the warriors patrolling the grounds are far from friendly. All of them are muscular and well-built. Their eyes scream danger and even the most viscous of rogues dare not trespass. 

Away from the borders, sits the pack house in the center of the settlement. It is a mansion projecting wealth and affluence. The serene fountain flowing in the front seems to provide some sort of comfort, contrasting the ruthless aura of the man staring at it from the top right window. 

Black and dark brown covers the entire interior of the room, similar to the dark heart of the man who now rounds the mahogany table, taking a seat in front of the man kneeling before him. In his hands rests a glass filled with the strongest liquor humans ever made. Humans. The most hated species in this part of the city. 

The liquor does not affect his mind; he continues to sip with measured movements. After all, it wasn't Silverbane. His heightened sense of sight, smell, and hearing are trained on the kneeling male. The traitor who dared to conspire with rogues against him. Since he had no thought of sparing him mercy, he gave the order for his death. 

At the flick of His wrist, the traitor was dragged away to be tortured to death. This is when the dreaded silverbane would be put to good use. He is the most powerful Alpha in the realm; no one can stand against him and his territories expand as the years pass.

He is no other than Alpha Ragnar, the Lycan whose name heralds dread and death—the Alpha of Blackthorn pack.

Ragnar takes the final sip of his liquor and proceeds to the side cabinet of the large office to pour himself another glass. It is quite remarkable how the alcohol does nothing to his system. Instead, it enables him to focus despite the thousand thoughts running through his mind. It is not the first time he has been betrayed. One that tore his heart out occurred a few centuries ago before he became alpha and no, it did not come from a woman. It came from his male twin, Ronan. However, it is the least of his problems.

Ragnar shakes his head again to clear his thoughts. The alpha of an allied pack faces constant invasion by rogues. The cowards. It is what they do. Since they dared not attack his pack, they went after his allies. Ragnar needs to think of a way to stop them fast if he still wants to have some sort of control over the said pack. Being the only Lycan alive, almost all the packs in the realm pledged their alliance to him. Not only is he stronger and harder to kill, but he is also very calculative - knowing how to perfectly play the game of politics.

Yes, living for about seven centuries has its perks but it also comes with its disadvantages. one of which is the curse of not being able to find his destined mate. His beta and gamma both have families of their own, but he is stuck with a chosen mate, whose alliance with him provides a strong support system for both of their packs. 

His relationship with Valeria Nightshade, his supposed Luna is nothing short of a political union-One lacking any mate bond or love. Instead, it is filled with rough sex, political games, and greed. It is safe to say that they only make use of each other. Valeria uses him to reinforce her position as Luna and he exploits the influence that comes with having the support of her father- Alpha Draven, the Alpha of the second most powerful pack in the realm. 

Ragnar has given up all hope on a destined mate. All he cares about is protecting his pack and the territories under him. 

The thick double doors to the office swing open as Kael Stone, Ragnar's beta walks in. Behind him is Thorne Ashford, the gamma and friendliest of the three.

"Took you long enough," Ragnar said as he reclined on his swivel chair. He had sent them to deal with the traitor who knelt before him minutes ago.

"he's gone" Kael reported. He resembled Ragnar with his cold demeanor. The scar that sliced his left eyebrow into two perfect halves is the only defect on his perfect face. It however earned him the nickname scar. 

Ragnar nodded once in satisfaction. "As it should be. I wonder why I'm always betrayed by spineless wolves. Am I not ruthless enough to deter them?"

Thorne scoffed as he popped a gum into his mouth. "You are worse than ruthless. There is no word to describe what you are." 

"I like the sound of that" Ragnar's eyes darkened as he smirked. "Prepare for a trip to the east. Let's show the rebellious pups in Blue Moon pack what we're capable of. Jack tags along."

'I have noticed your interest in the young warrior lately." Kael said as he shoved his hands into his perfectly tailored trousers. 

"He has a lot of fire. we might have a use for him in the nearest future." Ragnar strokes his jaw, half thinking. 

"Or more like he reminds you of your traitorous twin" Thorne taunts. He knew that the mention of the banished Ronan was a bitter taste for Ragnar but in his carefree nature, he made jokes about it. This time, he earned a menacing growl from Ragnar and a slap to the back of his head from Kael.

"You must have a death wish" Ragnar's eyes darkened as his green eyes changed to black.

"Whoa, easy now Alpha" Thorne raised his hand in surrender as he slowly backed away, bowing his neck. With the show of submission, Ragnar's wolf retreats to the darkest place in his mind. Instead, he throws the liquor glass at Thorne, knowing fully well that his gamma has the reflexes to dodge it. The shattering glass rings out through the room; none of them flinches. A shaking Omega enters the room to clean the mess, disappearing just as quickly as she came. 

Over the years, after Ronan's betrayal, Ragnar became friends with Kael and Thorne when they helped him build his empire from the ruins it once was to the glorious state it is in. Kael and Thorne were the sons of the former Beta and Gamma. With the passing of their fathers came the birth of a new era and their undying friendship.

Ragnar has come to love their kids too. He has a cordial relationship with their mates as well. Especially Lyra, Thorne's pregnant mate. The shaman predicted the birth of another son, but the beta prefers a daughter instead. 

Ragnar finally decides to make a trip to the human side of the realm where he owns a couple of successful businesses. Yes, power commands respect. But guess what commands will? Money and he had lots of it. The lavish mansion sitting in the center of the pack settlement did not materialize there by itself neither did the luxury cars parked to the right of the building. He needed to keep his pack afloat and what better way to do that than to use humans to gather his money? Not only was Blackthorn the most powerful, but it was also the richest. 

As Ragnar and his beta make their way to one of the parked SUVs, a bright red sports car speeds up to them, sliding into the narrow space between the SUV and the Dodge Challenger, where it is usually parked. Thorne proceeds to excuse himself by throwing the black SUV in reverse and slowly backing away. from the red car, the Luna appears, flipping her fiery red hair over her shoulder. Valeria is a beauty with the perfect hourglass shape, perfectly rounded breasts, a sharp mouth, and a cunning mind. She is a manipulative woman who knows how to get whatever she wants when she wants. Men worship her and the women envy her. She is just as vicious as Ragnar and together they make a power couple who crush their enemies at the slightest provocation. Being, the only child of an Alpha, Valeria was trained to be a warrior and a future Alpha. she would take over her father's position after his death and Ragnar's mating with her provided him the opportunity to rule alongside her as she does him. Valeria is also a spoilt brat who loves shopping and partying, but she knows how to lock in on business when necessary. She took off her shades as she sashayed towards her mate. 

"How was the visit to your father's pack," Ragnar asks. they weren't particularly romantic with each other. hence, the lack of affectionate greetings. the only time a little bit of romance seeped into their relationship was when he had his hands wrapped around her neck, pounding into her behind. Plus, Valeria seemed more than satisfied with their arrangement. Just like other females of all species, she was interested in his money and influence. 

"Wonderful. It was nice being at home." She flashed him a sweet smile.

"hmm. Interesting. And the rebellious elders?"

"Murdered by their sons and eaten by their daughters." Valeria shrugged like it was no big deal

"Shouldn't have asked. You are very merciless."

"Learning from the best." the Luna giggled

Ragnar smirked and turned to go. "See you later."

"And where are you off to?"

Ragnar turned and looked her dead in the eye "Oh please, dont act like you care about my whereabouts. doesn't suit you."