Chapter 50: THE BLOOD ON HER NAME
Lucien spoke slowly, like someone trying not to shatter a glass in his hand. "If Lucia Thorne lives, and she’s reclaiming the Syndicate... this is more than revenge. This is a throne war."
Savannah felt her skin tighten. Her pulse was quick but steady, controlled, like the stillness before a lightning strike. "And what happens when thrones are up for grabs?"
"They burn down the world around them to get there," Beckett said grimly. "And kill anyone who remembers the blood price that once kept the peace."
Rhett leaned against the edge of the table, arms crossed, his voice low. "The Alpha Syndicate was fractured the moment my mother vanished. Without her, they divided the factions. Each pack chose their own rulers. But if she’s really alive, if she’s back, then every pact, every treaty, every fragile line we’ve drawn over the years means nothing now."
Savannah glanced down at the pendant in her palm again. It bore the same sigil from the envelope. But now that she saw it closer, she noticed the back had an engraving. One word: AUREATE.
"What does this mean?" she asked.
Lucien’s eyes widened. "The Aureate Pact... it was sealed in blood. An oath between the ruling Alpha bloodlines. I thought it was dissolved when Lucia fell."
Rhett stared at it. "If she’s invoking the Aureate Pact, she’s calling the old heirs to heel. She wants submission. Fealty."
Savannah met his gaze, fire flaring behind hers. "Then you’ll be expected to bend the knee."
"I’d rather bleed."
"Good," she said. "Because I’m not letting any ghost queen tear this house apart."