Kael's POV.
I slid into the vehicle, my heart pounding, my fists still clenched, the sting of my knuckles raw from punching Nicholas.
The air was hot, the forest thick around the Fang pack's territory, the midday sun glaring through the trees.
My side throbbed, but my anger burned hotter, Nicholas's mocking smile, "Weak" and his cold laugh fueling my rage.
Elijah's death, his blood pooling in my packhouse, shot by someone I knew Nicholas sent, pushed me to the edge.
My wolf, Zeus, growled, his rage sharp, urging me to go back, to fight, but I stayed put, my jaw tight, my eyes hard.
Brian climbed into the driver's seat, his face pale, his brown eyes wide with worry. "Alpha, you shouldn't have punched him," he said, his voice shaky, his hands gripping the wheel.
"Nicholas won't let that go. You're risking war." His words were urgent, his fear real, but my anger drowned him out, my heart racing, my mind on Nicholas's bloodied lip, his shocked eyes.
