"Alpha Shadows: Forbidden Shackles"

The Alpha slowly lifted his head, his sharp gaze sweeping across the grand hall. The palace walls were impregnable, its defenses nearly impenetrable. Patrols rotated in perfect synchronization, mage guards remained ever vigilant, their senses heightened to detect even the faintest disturbance.

There was no way a breach like this could have gone unnoticed.

Yet, here they stood, staring at the lifeless bodies of men who were supposed to be untouchable.

His hands curled into fists, his claws threatening to pierce his skin. A deep growl rumbled in his chest, his fangs glinting under the dim light as his suppressed fury simmered beneath the surface.

He turned sharply to Khoury and Eamon, their expressions mirroring the same grim realization.

"How did they get in? How did they do this without being seen?"

Silence.

A silence so heavy it carried a terrifying truth—

The threat was never outside the palace.

It had always been inside.

Khoury's sharp gaze flicked to the gathered soldiers. Without hesitation, he raised his hand, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.

"Get everyone back inside! No more panic in the streets!"

The soldiers sprang into action, trying to regain control, but the damage was already done.

Fear had taken root.

---

Beyond the palace walls, the kingdom trembled.

In the bustling squares and shadowed alleys, whispers surged like an unseen storm, spreading faster than wildfire.

"Who could do this?"

"How can warriors be killed without a single trace?"

"If they could breach the palace, what about the rest of us?"

Each question fanned the flames of doubt, uncertainty bleeding into the air like an unspoken curse.

But the most chilling question, the one no one dared to voice—

Why?

Why now?

Why were the most loyal warriors chosen? What purpose did this chaos serve?

And more importantly…

Who was the true target of this bloodstained message?

---

The Throne Room—A Gathering of Power

The Alpha stormed into the throne room, his fury barely leashed. With a single command, he summoned the kingdom's highest-ranking leaders. Within minutes, the grand hall was filled with warriors, commanders, and advisors, their faces drawn with tension.

A charged silence gripped the room. No one spoke. No one dared.

The Alpha's piercing gaze roamed over them, searching, dissecting, hunting.

Then—THUD!

His palm slammed against the grand stone table, the sheer force echoing through the chamber like a thunderclap.

His voice, laced with rage and authority, shook the very walls.

"How did they breach the heart of my kingdom? The heart of my palace?"

A beat of silence, then—

Khoury's voice rose, measured but strained with controlled frustration.

"Sire, there is no sign of an external breach… All evidence points to a single truth—

The enemy was already within our borders."

The Alpha's snarl reverberated through the grand hall, a sound that sent a shiver down the spines of even his most hardened commanders. His golden eyes burned with fury as he leaned forward, his presence an unshakable force.

"Are you insinuating a traitor among us?"

A heavy silence followed, but it wasn't the silence of uncertainty—it was the silence of men realizing the gravity of the situation.

Eamon exchanged a wary glance with Khoury before speaking, his tone measured but firm.

"We must consider the possibility, my lord. This attack was no mere accident. It was precise, calculated. Killing your most loyal men is not a random act of violence… it is a warning."

A deep growl rumbled in the Alpha's chest. His claws scraped against the armrest of his throne as a single, unyielding thought roared through his mind:

"I will not let them steal what I have built. I will not bow. Not now. Not ever."

His gaze swept over his commanders, each one standing tense under his scrutiny. Then, his voice dropped into something far deadlier than a snarl—a promise.

"If there is a traitor among us… I will find him myself. And when I do, I will not show mercy. Not to him. Not to his family. Not to anyone who stands by his side. Let this be a lesson for all."

The air in the room turned suffocating.

No one spoke. No one even dared to breathe too loudly.

The Alpha's decree was not a threat—it was a certainty.

Khoury stepped forward, breaking the silence, his voice sharp as steel.

"We will begin an immediate investigation, both inside and outside the palace. We will leave no stone unturned until we unmask the traitor, my lord."

The Alpha gave a slow nod, but the fire in his gaze did not waver.

"I don't want long investigations. I want answers. I want names."

Eamon hesitated for a fraction of a second before speaking, his voice careful, measured.

"Sire, if the enemy is cunning enough to execute these attacks without a trace, he knows we will be hunting him. He may already have another move prepared. We must tread carefully."

The Alpha's expression darkened. He leaned back slightly, his fingers tapping against the stone armrest in contemplation. Then, his lips curled into something between a smirk and a snarl.

"Caution will not save us. Strength will."

His next words were laced with a chilling finality.

"Double the guards at the gates. Have patrols circling the palace day and night. Anyone who arouses the slightest suspicion—kill them without hesitation."

A ripple of unease passed through the gathered commanders. Whispers stirred like dry leaves in the wind, but no one dared to voice an objection.

The Alpha had made up his mind.

One by one, the commanders left, their faces grim, their shoulders heavy with the weight of what was to come.

The throne room fell into silence.

Heavy. Oppressive.

The Alpha remained seated, his gaze distant, lost in the shifting tide of his own thoughts. Shadows of the past clawed at the edges of his mind—faces long gone, voices that whispered from the depths of his buried nightmares.

He clenched his fists.

The past was not finished with him.

And he knew—the price of the throne had not yet been paid in full.

---

Elsewhere… In the Hidden Corridors Beneath the Palace

Between the walls of the ancient palace, deep within the shadows where few dared to tread, a hushed conversation took place.

Two figures stood in the dim candlelight, their breathing uneven, their voices low with tension.

The first, his voice laced with unease, whispered:

"The Alpha is furious… If he finds out about us—"

The second figure, shrouded in darkness, cut him off with a quiet but unwavering certainty.

"He won't. By the time he realizes the truth… it will be too late."

A slow, sinister smirk formed in the darkness.

"The throne will be ours."

Questions:

1. Who are the traitors lurking within the palace, and what is their ultimate goal?

2. Will the Alpha uncover the truth before it's too late, or is he already ensnared in a deadly game of deception?