Chapter 88: The Shadow That Remains

Mariana’s POV

The mark carved into the dead man’s chest haunted me.

Marion’s symbol — a jagged wolf’s fang crossed with a broken crown — was supposed to have died with him. But here it was, fresh and cruel, carved into cooling flesh like a whisper from the grave.

Someone wanted us to remember.

Someone wanted us to fear.

Alexander crouched beside the body, fingers clenched tight as he studied the mutilation. His golden eyes burned, but his expression remained calm. Too calm.

He was simmering beneath the surface.

Eva stood behind him, her arms crossed, jaw tense. “This wasn’t just a killing. It was a message.”

I nodded, my stomach tight. “Someone’s trying to resurrect his legacy. Maybe even rebuild his following.”

Alexander rose slowly, brushing dirt off his hands. “Or never let it die in the first place.”

A cold silence fell over us.

The other warriors hovered nearby, keeping their distance. They had seen the mark too. Some stared in horror. Others… in quiet contemplation.

That’s what scared me the most.

Alexander spoke without turning. “Burn the body. No burial. No honor.”

The guards hesitated for only a second before nodding.

We walked away in silence, the weight of the moment pressing against us like a storm about to break.

“Do you think it’s Lucian?” I asked once we were alone.

Alexander didn’t answer right away. When he did, his voice was low. “I think Lucian is just the beginning.”

The words struck me like a blow.

If someone was reviving Marion’s cause—his darkness—it meant this battle was far from over. We hadn’t just inherited his pack.

We’d inherited his enemies.

And his secrets.

Back at the castle, Eva peeled off toward the eastern wing, muttering about needing to reinforce the watch rotation. I followed Alexander to his chambers, the heavy door closing behind us like a seal.

Only then did he finally let out the growl that had been burning in his chest.

“I should’ve ended every last one of them when I had the chance.”

“You couldn’t have known.”

He turned sharply to me. “But I should have.”

I stepped closer. “Then we fix it now. We finish what Marion started.”

His eyes locked with mine. “No. We do better.”

And just like that, I felt it again—beneath the fear, beneath the rage.

Hope.

Wounded and bloodied, but still alive.

Still fighting.

Even as the shadows closed in around us.

The fire in Alexander’s eyes lingered long after we left his chambers. It followed him through the halls, through the strategy meetings, through every whispered conversation that seemed to unravel just as we approached.

The pack was watching him—watching us.

We’d spent so long trying to rebuild trust after Marion’s fall, trying to create something new from the wreckage. But now, the foundation we’d built felt shaky again. Like a house resting on a fault line.

And the tremors were growing stronger.

By midday, word of the mutilated body had spread, no matter how hard we tried to contain it. Whispers echoed in every corner of the castle—at training grounds, in the kitchens, among the patrol units.

Some warriors believed it was a scare tactic. Others were already blaming the council. A few even questioned if Alexander had brought this on us by claiming the Alpha seat too quickly, too violently.

Fear had a way of making people forget who saved them.

I found Eva near the stables, fitting a blade beneath her cloak. Her expression was sharp, focused. The kind of look she wore right before something exploded.

“You’re leaving,” I said.

“Just to the border,” she replied. “If there’s more than one of Marion’s sympathizers out there, I want to know before they decide to carve up someone else.”

“I’ll come with you.”

She paused, then shook her head. “You need to be here—with him. If the council starts turning again, he’s going to need someone who can remind them what they’re fighting for.”

I swallowed the frustration burning in my throat. I hated being sidelined, but she was right.

Before she mounted her horse, she turned to me. “You trust him, right?”

“Alexander?”

“No. Garrick.”

I blinked. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because he was gone from last night’s meeting for almost an hour, and no one seems to remember when he came back.”

That night, I couldn’t sleep.

I wandered the halls of the castle, wrapping my cloak tighter around me as I moved. The moonlight spilled through the windows, painting everything in silver and shadow.

I found Garrick near the western wing, standing alone on the balcony.

“Couldn’t sleep?” I asked, keeping my tone light.

He didn’t startle. Just turned slowly, hands folded behind his back. “Too much on my mind.”

I stepped beside him. “You’ve been quiet lately.”

“Observation is underrated,” he said. “Too many people talk without thinking.”

A beat of silence passed.

“I heard you weren’t in the meeting the entire time,” I said carefully. “Is everything alright?”

He gave me a small, unreadable smile. “I was checking on something. You know how it is—rumors, suspicions. Better to be sure before bringing it to the Alpha.”

“And did you find what you were looking for?”

His smile widened just enough to unsettle me. “Not yet. But I will.”

Something about the way he said it made the hairs rise on my arms. I nodded and turned to leave, forcing myself to walk calmly until I was out of sight.

Then I ran.

Back to Alexander. Back to the one person I knew, without question, was on our side.

Because Garrick hadn’t just given me a vague answer.

He’d given me a warning.