In The Wolf and the Crown of Blood, vast power is presented as a corrupting force that erodes morality and isolates its wielders. The immortal Eternals, particularly Alexios and Evander, serve as primary examples of this decay. They have transformed from rulers and princes into tyrants and assassins, justifying their cruelty as a necessary response to past trauma while indulging in violence for control and entertainment. The novel demonstrates that whether divine or mortal, unchecked power leads to a callous disregard for others, turning leaders into the very monsters they might have once fought against.

Alexios embodies the corruption of absolute authority. As the ruler of the court of Asteria and the linchpin of the Accords, his power is immense, but it has also led to isolation. The psychic burden of his millions of Claimed is so overwhelming that he admits he prefers them dead, as their living thoughts are like “fucking noise” (421) in his head. This detachment allows him to act with casual cruelty. He revokes Bryony’s Claim and marks her for death simply because her growing popularity among the people is a political inconvenience. He coolly manipulates the agreements his family bled to create, viewing his subjects as pawns in a game of power, easily discarded when they become troublesome.

Evander illustrates how power becomes corrupted when it is wielded in service to a broken authority. Once a prince of a radiant kingdom, his grief over the destruction of his home and family during the war—the “Devouring”—has twisted him into Alexios’s remorseless assassin. He views his slaughters as an “art” (31) and a righteous duty, a narrative that allows him to distance himself from the horror of his actions. However, his toying with Bryony reveals a deeper corruption: violence has become a source of entertainment and a means of emotional release. He openly admits he enjoys the “game” of the hunt and gets “hard when [he] hurt[s] people” (142). His power, initially a tool for vengeance, has become an end in itself, a way to exert control.

The narrative provides a mortal parallel to this theme through Emperor Idris Devaliant. While his power is political rather than divine, its effect is similarly destructive. Devastated by the deaths of his brother and daughter, Idris abandons his duties, drowning his grief in “wine and women” (14) while his kingdom falters. His corruption culminates in the attempted murder of his niece, Bryony. He justifies the act as a necessary sacrifice to appease Alexios, but it is ultimately a selfish transaction to protect his own precarious position. Idris’s actions demonstrate that the decay of morality is not exclusive to the immortal; unchecked authority combined with personal suffering can turn any ruler into a tyrant who sacrifices others for their own security.