*A/N: The name Patch uses, Shaw, is a nod to “The Manchurian Candidate,” both the classic Frank Sinatra film and the remake with Denzel Washington.*
ONE WEEK LATER
Cyran POV
He watched from the shadows, his blood boiling, while Alphas and Betas, as well as ambassadors and leaders from other kingdoms, flocked to Red Crescent City to gain the new Alpha’s favor. The pretender. The imposter.
Hades stayed close beside him. “Choose one.”
Cyran scanned the faces of the travelers. A mysterious-looking chieftain from the Dark Elves. A proud faerie princess. Even a goblin ambassador, who just followed the rest of the crowd blindly. And, of course, several alphas. Every shifter pack, except Evenhide which already had its puppet, must be sending their people to expose their throats before the pretender.
One of the group hung back with the goblin and looked lost. This shifter had sunshine blond hair, a shade lighter than Garnet’s and Cyran’s, and seemed timid. Perfect.