The night air was thick with pine and damp earth, the kind of darkness that hummed with unseen danger. Sena's chest rose and fell quickly as she stood at the edge of the clearing, trying to steady herself. The brothers had given her space—just a little—after leaving the pack house. They'd sensed she needed a moment to breathe, to gather her thoughts.
But solitude was short-lived.
Laughter sliced through the stillness. Cruel, familiar, and feminine. From the trees emerged the Alpha brothers' ex-lovers—women with sharp smiles and colder eyes. Their silk dresses swayed like predators circling prey. Behind them slouched the men who had tormented her before, the same ones who had mocked and cornered her in the pack house corridors.
"Well, well," one of the women purred, lips curling. "The little nobody thinks she belongs to them now?"
Sena's throat tightened. Her fingers clutched at the photograph tucked safely against her chest. "I don't want trouble," she whispered, though her wolf snarled deep inside, begging to be unleashed.
The exes smirked in unison. One gestured sharply, and before Sena could react, the men lunged. Hands shoved her from behind, sending her stumbling toward the creek at the clearing's edge. Cold water swallowed her with a gasp, her lungs seizing as rough fingers pressed her down.
She thrashed, kicking, clawing. Her mind screamed: Not like this. Not here. Not again. The water burned her nose and throat, the laughter above ringing cruelly in her ears.
Fight back, Sena. You have to.
Her wolf clawed at her insides, frantic. And then—something cracked open. Heat surged from her chest to her fingertips, the water rippling violently around her. With a cry that was more growl than scream, she released it.
The air around her exploded. A burst of energy shot outward like a storm unleashed. The women shrieked as they were hurled back, crashing against tree trunks with sickening thuds. The force rattled the forest itself, sending branches snapping and stones leaping from the ground.
The men still held her down, though their grip faltered. Her vision blurred, darkness edging in as the last of her strength bled out. She coughed, choking on the cold water filling her lungs.
No... not enough. I'm not strong enough.
Her arms weakened. The sparks fizzled. The cold crept in deeper.
And then—chaos.
A roar split the night, primal and thunderous. Branches cracked under the weight of bodies moving too fast to follow. Kael was the first to appear, his silver eyes burning like molten steel. With one blow, he tore a man from the water, throwing him so far into the trees that the crash echoed long after.
Rian followed, stormy-eyed and merciless, his fists raining down on another until the man's screams turned to silence.
Loran's movements were colder, cleaner. A single strike, precise as a blade, dropped one of the bullies to the ground gasping. His green eyes glowed with deadly calm, every step purposeful, final.
And Dacen—his growl shook the creek itself. He ripped the last man off Sena, slamming him into the rocks so hard the ground trembled.
Through her fading vision, Sena caught flashes: fists striking, bones snapping, the women scrambling away, shrieking in terror as the once-powerful bullies were reduced to broken shells at the brothers' feet.
But it wasn't enough to keep her awake. Her body sagged, heavy and numb. The world tilted.
I can't... stay... awake.
And then he was there.
Deacon.
He stepped from the shadows like he had always been waiting, like he had always known this moment would come. His amber eyes locked on her, fierce and unyielding, and the battle around them seemed to vanish into nothing.
"Sena." His voice was the tether that held her for one last heartbeat.
Strong arms caught her as her body went limp, pulling her against his chest. She felt the warmth of him even as cold dragged her down. His scent—smoke, danger, heat—wrapped around her like a shield.
Her last sight before the darkness claimed her was the fury blazing in his eyes, a promise of vengeance, and the unexpected gentleness of his grip.
Then everything slipped away.