The rival Alpha stepped into the moonlight, his massive frame casting a shadow over the clearing. His wolf form lingered just beneath the surface, red-tinged eyes glowing like embers as his pack spread out in a semicircle, cutting off any escape.
"Hand over the girl, Kael," he repeated, his voice low and sharp. "Or I'll tear through you and every mutt who follows you."
Beside me, Aria's glow flickered again—bright enough that even the enemy wolves hesitated. Her power pulsed in the air, prickling across my skin, making my wolf snarl inside me. The pull toward her was worse now, violent, as if something deep inside me wanted to either claim her… or destroy her before that power consumed us all.
I kept my voice calm. "She's not yours to take, Draven."
Draven's lips peeled back in a cruel smile. "Not yours either, if I remember correctly. Rejected, wasn't she? Cast out like the trash she is." His gaze flicked to Aria, lingering on the faint silver flames dancing across her fingertips. "But she's not so worthless now, is she?"
Aria's posture stiffened. She didn't look at me, but I could feel the fury radiating off her.
Draven chuckled. "Whatever blessing she's stolen, it doesn't belong to her. Give her to me, and I'll make sure she's… properly contained."
Before I could answer, the glow around Aria surged. The earth beneath her feet cracked, faint runes etching themselves into the dirt. Her voice was quiet, but it carried across the clearing like a blade cutting through air.
"Come any closer," she said, "and I'll show you what happens to anyone who underestimates me."
My wolf pressed against my skin, uneasy. She's losing control, it growled. If she lets that thing inside her loose… none of us will walk away alive.
Draven sneered and raised a hand. His wolves tensed, ready to strike.
And then, before he could give the order, I stepped forward.
"Stand down, Draven," I said, my voice carrying the full weight of my Alpha command. "She's under my protection."
Aria's head snapped toward me, her eyes widening. Shock, anger, and something else flickered across her face.
Draven's smile vanished, replaced by a low, rumbling growl. "Your protection? After you cast her aside? What game are you playing, Kael?"
I didn't answer. I couldn't. Because truthfully, I wasn't sure myself. All I knew was this: if Draven took her, it wouldn't just endanger her. Whatever power she now carried… it could tip the balance of every pack war in the region.
The glow around Aria dimmed slightly, her breathing heavy, but her eyes never left mine. "Why?" she whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. "Why protect me now?"
The words I wanted to say caught in my throat. The ones I had to say came out instead. "Because if you lose control out here, Aria, you won't just kill them."
I stepped closer, my voice low, my gaze locking on hers. "You'll kill yourself."
Before she could reply, Draven let out a roar, his wolves lunging forward all at once.