Chapter 4 – Clash at the Gates
Saphira's POV
The howl split through the night again, shaking the stone walls like thunder. My breath froze in my chest. I didn't need to see the wolf behind it. I knew that voice, that rage, that call.
Zade.
The name alone made my blood run cold. He hadn't forgotten me. He hadn't left me to disappear quietly like he swore he would. No—he was here. And he was furious.
I backed away from the window, pressing my palm flat against my stomach. My pup stirred faintly, or maybe that was just my fear trembling through me. I had thought signing Kieran's contract meant safety. A cage, yes,but a safe cage. Now I wasn't so sure.
Boots thundered in the halls. Shouts rose outside. And through it all, Kieran's aura pulsed like wildfire, leaking through the very stone. He was out there, meeting Zade head-on.
I should've felt relief knowing the Alpha King was my shield now. Instead, dread coiled tight in my chest. Because I knew Zade. He wasn't the type to back down. He wasn't here to beg. He was here to take.
And if he found out about the pup…
My hand tightened protectively over my belly. No. He couldn't. I wouldn't let him.
The voices outside rose, sharp and brutal, cutting through the night like blades. Zade's voice reached me first, sneering, mocking, the same tone he had used when he cast me out:
"The almighty Alpha King, reduced to stealing cast-offs!"
My body stiffened. The insult wasn't even subtle—it was me he was talking about. He was calling me his scrap. His leftover.
The same man who had spat in my face, who had told me I wasn't Luna material, now had the audacity to stand at Kieran's gates and claim I was his.
Why?
He hadn't wanted me then. But now that I was under another's roof, suddenly his pride bled too much to let me go.
I swallowed hard, pacing, fighting the urge to tear the curtains open just to see what was happening. But no,Kieran had told me not to open the door, not to move, not to let anyone in. His order had burned into me like law. And for once, I wanted to obey.
Yet each word zade spat, carried through the walls like poison.
"She was mine first!"
My knees nearly buckled. Not from longing,those days were long gone. From fury. From disgust. Because he dared to say that after casting me out like I was less than dirt.
And Kieran's reply came back like steel on stone
"She was never yours."
My chest tightened. His voice was sharp, final, but beneath it was something else. Something that almost sounded like… defence. For me.
I pressed my back to the wall, eyes burning. The Alpha King didn't need to defend me. He had no reason to. And yet he was out there, standing against Zade, not just for the pup,but for me.
The clash of dominance was so thick it seeped through the stone, pressing against my skin. My wolf whimpered deep inside, torn between fear and a strange, guilty thrill. Because even though this was dangerous, even though I knew it could end in blood… part of me was glad Kieran hadn't dismissed me like the rest.
But Zade wasn't done. His voice dropped low, sharp enough to pierce even the walls.
"She'll never be your Luna. Not truly. You can chain her, brand her, and dress her in your sigil. But inside,she's mine."
The words made bile rise in my throat. My hand shook where it clutched my belly. Mine? He had no right to say that. Not after what he'd done. Not after he'd turned his back on me when I needed him most.
I slammed my fist against the wall, fury burning hot enough to override the fear. "I was never yours!" I whispered fiercely, even though neither of them could hear me.
Kieran's growl rolled over the courtyard, so deep it rattled the glass panes. "Say that again, and I'll rip your throat out."
I closed my eyes, my breath ragged. The air inside my chamber was suffocating now, thick with power I couldn't escape. Their fight wasn't just about me,it was about dominance, about pride, about who got to claim victory. But at the heart of it… it was still me.
Me and the pup.
My stomach twisted with dread. If Zade was this desperate already, what would he do when he found out the truth?
Kieran's POV
The night air split with the weight of Zade's howl, but I stood rooted in the courtyard, unshaken. My guards bristled, spears raised, their formation tight. I lifted a hand, cutting through their nerves with a single command.
"Stand down," I growled. "He's mine."
The gates dragged open with a groan, and there he was. Zade. Striding forward with that arrogant smirk plastered on his face, wolves spilling around him like shadows. His eyes locked on mine, burning with fury and something darker,possession.
"Kieran Thorne," he called, his voice carrying across the stone like poison. "The mighty Alpha King, reduced to stealing cast-offs. Tell me,did my scraps taste that sweet?"
A growl tore from my chest, low and dangerous. My wolves stiffened at the sound, but I kept my focus on him. "Watch your tongue, Zade."
He laughed, sharp and cruel. "Why? Afraid I'll remind you she was mine first?"
"She was never yours," I snapped, my voice cutting through the night. "You spat on her bond. You threw her away."
His smirk faltered. For a heartbeat, the truth cut deeper than my claws ever could. Then rage filled the cracks. "She's still my pack. And you know the law, Kieran,no king takes a wolf from another Alpha without permission. You crossed a line."
"I don't need your permission." I stepped forward, every word laced with finality. "She carries my bloodline."
The words struck him like a blow. His wolves shifted uneasily, growls rumbling in their throats. Zade's nostrils flared, his jaw tight. "Your bloodline? Do you mean the pup? You claim it's yours?"
I unleashed my aura like a blade. Dominance flooded the air, choking them, forcing even his betas to their knees. Only Zade resisted, trembling as sweat slicked his brow.
"It is mine," I said, each word heavy as stone. "She is mine. And I'll kill any wolf who dares touch her again."
Zade sneered, though his voice wavered. "You think parading her on your arm will erase the truth? That contract won't make her yours."
"The truth," I said coldly, "is that you lost her the moment you called her unworthy. Now, she carries the heir of the Alpha King."
The courtyard fell into silence. Even the torches seemed to hold their breath. Zade's lips twisted, but the flicker of panic in his eyes betrayed him.
"She'll never be your Luna," he spat. "You can chain her, crown her, brand her with your sigil,but inside, she's mine."
My claws were unsheathed with a sharp crack, my aura slamming down harder. His wolves buckled, some collapsing outright. "Say that again," I snarled, "and I'll rip your throat out where you stand."
He faltered, shoulders trembling under the weight of me. Still, he forced the words out like shards of glass. "You don't want her. You want the pup."
"I want both," I growled, stepping close enough that the air between us trembled. "The pup is mine. And so is she. Fake Luna or not, she's under my protection. And you" my gaze swept his pack, forcing heads to bow, ears flat to the ground"will never lay a hand on her again."
Zade's smirk cracked. For the first time, I saw the desperation under his rage. "You can't keep her," he hissed. "She doesn't belong to you."
"She belongs nowhere else," I said. "Not to you. Not to your pack. She's mine now. And the next time you howl at my gates, you won't leave alive."
The night shuddered with my words. For a moment, the silence held. Then
Steel clashed.
The scent hit me before the sound,blood. My guards roared as shadows leapt from the palace walls. Wolves, cloaked and armed, pouring into the courtyard from every direction.
Infiltrators.
Zade grinned, wild and feral. "Did you think I'd come alone?"
I lunged, claws colliding with his, the force of our impact rattling the stones beneath our feet. Sparks from the torches flew as steel rang and bodies slammed.
Behind him, his wolves surged forward, tearing into my guards.
In the middle of the chaos, one thought roared above the noise.
Saphira.
I snapped my head toward the palace. Her scent, faint but sharp, threaded through the blood and smoke. She was close. Too close.
"Get to her!" I bellowed, even as I locked claws with Zade, shoving him back with all the force of my dominance.
He only grinned wider, teeth flashing. "Let's see if your Luna survives the night."