Chapter Three
Ergimi woke to the faint hum of voices and the low crackle of firelight. Her eyes blinked open, vision blurred, the ceiling above her shifting into focus. She wasn't in her bed. The couch beneath her was firm, worn leather. The air smelled of smoke, dust, and faintly—wolf.
Her heart raced.
She sat up too quickly, her head pounding. The living room was dim, lit only by the fireplace and the broken lamp in the corner. Her gaze darted around the room, wild, until it landed on him.
Scott.
He stood by the window, shoulders broad, cap gone, his profile sharp against the glow. His arms were crossed, but the tension in his body was unmistakable. He looked less like a man and more like a shadow carved out of stone.
Her chest tightened.
"What the hell are you doing in my house?" she demanded, her voice cracking between fear and anger.
Scott turned his head slowly, his golden eyes catching the firelight. "We don't have time for questions. We have to leave. Now. They're coming."
Ergimi blinked. Her pulse hammered in her ears. "What are you talking about? Who's coming? And—does Gloria know you're here?"
Something flickered across his face. Pain. Guilt. Regret. He looked away for a moment before speaking, his voice low, almost reluctant.
"Gloria is dead."
The words hit like ice water in her veins. Ergimi shook her head violently. "No. No, she can't be. She's the Alpha mate of the Lightning Tribe. She's untouchable."
"She was killed," Scott said, each syllable heavy as stone. "Because she saved you."
The room tilted. Ergimi gripped the edge of the couch. "What are you talking about? Saved me from what?"
Scott's gaze met hers again, unwavering.
"The assassination of the royals."
Her breath caught. Her throat dried. "What assassination?"
Scott stepped closer, the weight of his presence filling the space. His voice dropped into a growl.
"You are the last of the royal bloodline, Ergimi. The one who carries all seven attributes. They want your blood."
Her hands trembled. A cold sweat slid down her spine. "No," she whispered. "That's impossible. I—I'm nobody."
"You're not nobody." His tone cut like a blade. "You're everything. And if you don't accept it, they will tear you apart to claim what's inside you."
Her chest heaved, denial clawing its way out of her. "Get out," she snapped, pointing to the door with shaking hands. "You're lying. You're insane. Get out of my house!"
For a long moment, Scott didn't move. His jaw clenched, his eyes burning into hers with a mixture of frustration and sorrow. But finally, he stepped back, his voice flat.
"Don't say I didn't warn you."
The door shut behind him. The silence left in his wake was unbearable.
Ergimi collapsed onto the couch, burying her face in her hands. Her body shook, her mind spinning with fragments she couldn't piece together. Gloria. Dead. Assassination. Royal bloodline. None of it made sense. None of it could be real.
Hours bled into the night. The house grew colder. The shadows stretched longer. And then—
A sound.
Her head snapped up, her body freezing. Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway. Slow. Deliberate.
Her throat tightened. "Scott?" she whispered, though she already knew it wasn't him.
A figure emerged from the dark.
It wasn't human. Its body was hunched, fur matted and black, claws dragging against the wooden floorboards. Its eyes glowed a deep, unnatural blue, piercing the dark like shards of ice.
Ergimi's breath caught. Panic exploded in her chest. She scrambled backward, her hands slipping against the leather couch.
The creature snarled, lips curling to reveal teeth like blades. It lunged.
She screamed—
And then a blur of motion slammed into the beast, sending it crashing against the wall.
Scott.
Only now, he wasn't human.
His body rippled with muscle, his fur a stormy blue-gray, his eyes blazing gold. He growled, a low, thunderous sound that shook the room, before launching at the intruder.
The two wolves collided, claws and teeth flashing, furniture splintering beneath their weight. The shadow beast slashed across Scott's flank, blood spraying against the wall, but Scott didn't falter. He snapped at its throat, forcing it back toward the shattered window.
Ergimi could only watch, frozen in terror and awe, as the clash of beasts filled the room with chaos. Growls reverberated through the walls, claws screeched against wood, glass crunched under heavy paws.
The beast pinned Scott briefly, snarling into his face. Scott roared, shoving upward, his teeth sinking deep into its shoulder. With a final, savage twist, he clamped onto its neck and snapped.
The creature fell limp, crumpling to the floor in a twitching heap before going still.
Scott staggered back, panting, his chest heaving. His fur rippled, his form shrinking, reshaping. In seconds, the wolf was gone, leaving Scott human once more—sweat-drenched, bloodied, but alive.
He looked at Ergimi, his eyes still glowing faintly. His voice was rough, but steady.
"You can either get strong, or you can die like your parents."
Ergimi's lips parted, a thousand words caught in her throat, none finding their way out.
And then—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The sound echoed through the house, slow, deliberate, heavy as thunder.
Scott's head whipped toward the door, his muscles tense, every line of his body ready for battle.
He turned back to Ergimi, his voice a whisper edged with steel.
"Stay behind me."
Ergimi froze, her blood running cold. Whoever—or whatever—was on the other side of that door hadn't come by accident.