Chapter 1 CALL OF DEATH

CHAPTER ONE | CALL OF DEATH

ASPEN

Everyone believed Ever West trained the perfect Alphas. It was a school far away from civilization, where all Alpha heirs went for a compulsory three months of training before they could ascend the throne.

No one knew why, but the rules only allowed Alpha heirs within the premises. Anyone else found near the school would be executed instantly.

Those were the rules, and everyone abided by them. For years, no one dared to break them... at least not until I witnessed his death.

Two weeks ago, on my twentieth birthday, the same day my mate, Adrian, was meant to come back to the pack after completing his training, I saw him get murdered over the phone.

He had called me that day, breathless and mortified, tears spilling down his cheeks, eyes widened in panic.

"What is wrong, Adrian?" I asked, panic setting in the moment I picked up the FaceTime call and saw his expression.

My heartbeat accelerated as I watched his eyes dart around frantically. His uneven tone, sweaty face, and ragged breathing told me he had been running. But from what... or who?

"I need to tell you something, Aspen," he said, trying to sound strong, trying to hide the tremor in his hands and the stutter in his voice. But I could see right through it. I always could.

"What is it? Aren’t you coming back today?" I asked, gripping the phone tighter as anxiety coiled through my veins.

"I need you to listen to me," he said urgently. "Someone is after me. Someone wants to kill me. I saw something I wasn’t meant to see, and now I’m going to pay with my life."

My heart pounded in my ears. "What are you talking about? I’ll tell the Alpha right now. He’ll send warriors."

"No!" His voice cut through mine, sharp and icy. "You can’t tell my father. I think he has something to do with it too."

I froze, confused, unable to process why a father would want to harm his own son. But before I could ask, the color drained from Adrian’s face.

I saw a shadow move behind him, a figure sneaking up fast.

"Adrian!" I screamed, but it was too late. His scream echoed through the phone, followed by a loud thud that made my heart stop.

Blood splattered across the screen, blocking my view. My stomach lurched, bile rising in my throat. I bent forward and threw up, trembling from head to toe as tears blurred my vision.

I didn’t want to believe it... that my mate was dead.

Then I heard a voice, cold, low, and filled with rage. "Everything could have been avoided if he didn’t come back here."

The phone shifted. I saw a chest covered in blood and a tattoo of a skull etched over the left side.

"Fucking bastard," the man muttered before smashing the phone to the ground, cutting me off.

My scream tore through the room. I couldn’t stay still. I had to do something.

Ignoring Adrian’s warning, I grabbed my phone and ran to the pack house. Tears streamed down my face as I stumbled on the rough path, vision blurring. People stared as I passed, whispering that the orphan Omega had finally gone mad.

By the time I reached the palace, the guards had already crossed their spears, blocking my way.

"Please," I gasped. "You have to let me in. I need to see the Alpha."

The urgency in my voice didn’t move them. One of them grabbed my arms and shoved me to my knees. The gravel tore my skin, but I didn’t care. "Let me through! Adrian is in danger!"

They didn’t listen. Instead, they dragged me across the hall, throwing me before the Alpha’s throne. Curious pack members gathered, whispering amongst themselves.

Alpha Darius stood slowly, his eyes cold and sharp.

"Alpha," I began breathlessly, struggling to stay calm. "Adrian, your son, he’s in danger. He said someone was after him. I saw it happen over FaceTime. Please, you have to send warriors."

He didn’t move. His expression didn’t change.

"I know we’ve had our differences," I continued, my voice breaking. "And I know you hate that your son’s mate is a lowly Omega instead of the woman you wanted for him, but this isn’t about that. He’s your son, and he needs your help."

He smirked, a slow, chilling curve of his lips that made my blood run cold.

"They were right," he muttered, circling me like a predator closing in on its prey.

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

He crouched in front of me, eyes dark and cruel. "You killed Adrian."

My breath hitched. "What?"

"I got a call from the academy two weeks ago," he said calmly. "They told me someone placed a bounty on Adrian’s head. They found a letter in his room, from you, that said, If I can’t have you, no one else will."

I shook my head violently. "That’s not true! I didn’t."

"You killed him because he chose Ava over you," he said. "You couldn’t bear to be rejected."

My mind spun. I realized then this was no misunderstanding. It was a setup. A trap. They needed a villain, and I was the perfect one.

"No," I whispered, trembling. "You’re lying. I loved him. I would never."

He cut me off, his voice like steel. "I hereby sentence you, Aspen Morgan, to immediate execution for the murder of my son, Adrian."

The world around me blurred. My lungs burned.

And in that moment, I knew the Alpha wasn’t just condemning me. He was erasing me.

“You can’t do this to me. There’s no evidence… I’m your son’s mate!” I yelled, rage burning through my veins.

I finally understood that he had something to do with Adrian’s death. I couldn’t prove it yet, but I damn sure wouldn’t take the blame for it.

Alpha Darius’s chilling laughter echoed through the hall. “I can do anything, Aspen. I might not have proof, but I know you did it. You never loved him. You only wanted to climb the social ladder. Now, you can do that in the grave. Take her away. Bring me her head in thirty minutes. I need to collect my son’s body for burial.”

The guards bound me before I could react, dragging me toward the slaughter room. I fought, but I was too weak, too heartbroken, too numb to stop them.

They forced my head onto the wooden block, the dagger gleaming above me. I lifted my eyes to the Moon Goddess and whispered a trembling prayer.

“If you save me, I’ll dedicate my life to finding Adrian’s murderers… even if it costs me mine.”

The guard raised the dagger. I closed my eyes, bracing for the end.

Then…a gunshot.

The sound echoed through the room and the guard collapsed on top of me, dead.