Two centuries after the Great War, peace between humans and werewolves was finally achieved, or so everyone believes. Werewolves reign like gods, and humans remain blissfully unaware of their true place in the new world order.

To maintain this fragile balance, each year, a handful of “lucky” humans are selected from various districts to attend Lunaris Academy, a prestigious institution that promises glory, status, and a chance to mingle with the elite. Those chosen are hailed as the lucky few, destined to marry powerful alphas and rise as luna.

This year, Violet Purple is among the chosen, much to everyone's surprise. For an orphaned girl adopted by a disgraced prostitute, this is a golden ticket to a better life or so she's told. But Lunaris Academy isn’t the paradise it’s painted to be.

Everything Violet and her fellow humans have been taught is a lie. Humans are far from equal; they're pawns in a much larger game. The academy is nothing but a gilded cage, and the students are lambs led to slaughter, playthings for the alphas to toy with in their ruthless games.

To make matters worse, Violet catches the attention of the most dangerous players in this game, the Terror Four: the Alpha of the North, Alpha of the South, Alpha of the East, and Alpha of the West. Each one is more dangerous, more twisted, and more powerful than the last. But even among themselves, the alphas are divided, each with their own deadly ambitions.

Yet, they all have their eyes on her.

They expect Violet to play along, to fall in line like the others who worship at their feet, to break under their games. But Violet isn’t like the others. She refuses to bow. She’ll defy them all.

***********

With a grin that made her uneasy, he handed the application to her. “Approve this one.”

Principal Jameson’s curiosity got the better of her as she took the paper from him, her eyes scanning the text.

Almost immediately, her breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in disbelief. “What the...?”

“It’s perfect, isn’t it?” Asher’s voice was almost gleeful.

Fucking psychopath!

Jameson could hardly believe what she was reading. “Mr. Nightshade, with all due respect, this applicant….this girl just admitted to—”

She couldn’t even finish the sentence, still horrified at the explicit nature of the application.

Taking a deep breath, she continued, “I’m sorry, but I cannot approve this.”

“She’s issued me a challenge,” Archer said, a dark gleam in his eyes.

“What?”

“‘Wait till you see me in bed,’” he repeated the bold line from the application, his grin widening. “And I can’t wait to find out.”

“Mr. Nightshade—”

He stood up, cutting off her protest as he fixed her with an intense stare. “Approve the application. I won’t ask again.”

Without waiting for her response, Asher strode out of the office, confident she would follow his orders. He always got what he wanted.

Archer Nightshade walked down the hall, a spring in his step. For the first time in a long while, he felt alive, his blood pulsing with excitement.

The other Cardinal Alphas had no idea what he was up to, but it would soon hit them.

He’d just set the game in motion.

And the target was Violet Purple.

It was game on.