It charged again, this time aiming for Leo.
But Sebastian was faster.
He shifted mid-leap and tackled the rogue with everything he had, sinking his jaws into its throat and driving it into the ground.
They rolled, snapping and tearing, until the rogue let out a final, gurgled whine.
Silence fell again.
Leo rushed into Elena's arms, sobbing.
"I… I couldn't stop them," he said. "They said you were dead, and that Dad wouldn't come."
"It's okay," Elena whispered, holding him tight. "You're safe now." I've got you."
Damien shifted back, bloodied and bruised.
"That wasn't just a rescue attempt," he said, breathing hard. "This was a message."
Sebastian nodded, his fur soaked with blood. "They wanted us to find him. They wanted us to fight."
"Roman sent them," Elena said flatly. "And now he knows."
Sebastian looked at Leo, then back at her. "Knows what?"
"That Leo's not just an heir," Elena said. "He's a threat."
The run back to the safe house was quiet.
No one said a word.
Not even Leo, who clung to Elena's side like a shadow, his small hand locked around her wrist.
By the time they returned, the moon had risen high and full over the treetops. A hunter's moon. Crimson-edged and heavy.
Fitting.
Damien closed and locked the steel-reinforced door behind them. The guards took their positions immediately, weapons ready.
Sebastian limped to the far wall and leaned against it, blood staining the side of his shirt. He looked at Leo, then back at Elena.
"Tell me again what happened," he said softly.
Elena looked down at her son.
Leo looked up, confused and tired.
"I don't know," he said. "When that thing came for me… I just didn't want to be afraid anymore."
Elena brushed his hair back gently. "And you weren't. You shifted."
"Only for a second," he whispered. "Was that bad?"
"No, baby," she said, kissing his forehead. It was brave. And beautiful."
Damien crossed his arms. "But not expected."
Sebastian looked straight at her. "You said he was wolfless."
"I thought he was," Elena replied.
"He's what? Eight?"
"Almost nine."
"No one shifts that young unless they're a born Alpha," Damien added.
Sebastian exhaled. "Then he's more powerful than any of us thought."
Elena stood, her voice firm. "Then we protect him. At any cost."
"Roman already knows," Damien said. "That rogue wasn't sent to kill Leo. He was sent to confirm."
Sebastian's fists clenched. "And now Roman will make his move."
A guard knocked quickly at the door, then entered.
"Alpha, ma'am," he said breathlessly. We just intercepted a council transmission. Roman's called for an emergency vote."
Elena's eyes narrowed. "Vote for what?"
"He wants to dissolve Alpha Sebastian's authority and appoint a temporary council leadership… under him."
Damien let out a sharp laugh. "He's not wasting time."
Sebastian looked to Elena. "They'll come for you both if this passes. Leo is the only heir left in this bloodline. If Roman controls him, he controls everything."
"Then we don't give him the chance," she said.
"You want to crash the council meeting?" Damien asked.
"No," Elena said, thinking quickly. "I want to end it before it starts."
Two hours later, the council building was swarming with guards.
Wolves in armor lined the hallway, weapons gleaming under torchlight.
But Elena didn't flinch.
She walked between them, head held high, her fingers laced with Leo's, Sebastian and Damien flanking her.
The main chamber doors stood open.
Inside, Roman stood at the podium, his voice echoing across the domed ceiling.
"We are no longer ruled by bloodlines alone," he said loudly. "We must protect the pack from uncertainty. And that means removing weak leadership and elevating those who are willing to act."
Murmurs of agreement buzzed in the crowd.
Elena stepped into view.
The murmurs died.
Roman's smile froze.
"Elena," he said, clearly trying to remain composed. "Didn't expect you here."
She didn't waste a second.
"You speak of weakness like it's a disease," she said, her voice clear. "But it's cowardice that's poisoned this pack. Not bloodlines. Not wolves like me."
Roman stepped down from the dais, approaching slowly. "You should have stayed gone."
"I tried," she said. "But you couldn't leave me alone, could you?"
"You've always been a problem," Roman said through clenched teeth. "And now, your son is one too."
Sebastian growled beside her.
"You'll never touch him," he warned.
Roman laughed. "You think you still have power here? You were already rejected by the council."
Damien stepped forward. "Not anymore."
He held up a scroll signed by three elder council members.
"A demand for a formal hearing," Damien said. "To investigate your involvement in Alpha Derek's death."
Gasps rang out through the chamber.
Roman's eyes turned dark. "You're bluffing."
"I have the footage," Damien snapped. "And the messages you thought you deleted. And if I go down, I take half this room with me."
The elders shifted in their seats.
Sebastian stepped forward, his voice calm but cutting.
"I challenge you, Roman."
Silence.
Roman blinked. "What?"
"I challenge you to a public Alpha duel," Sebastian repeated. "For control of this pack."
"You're not even the Alpha anymore."
"I never stepped down. And as long as I breathe, I have the right to defend my bloodline."
The chamber exploded in shocked whispers.
Roman turned to the elders. "You'll allow this?"
One elder stood. "It is law. Alpha challenge may not be denied if a blood heir or bonded mate is under threat."
Roman's gaze flicked to Elena.
"You're fighting for her?"
Sebastian looked straight at him. "No. I'm fighting for Leo."
Roman's lips curled in a smirk. "Then I hope he enjoys watching his father die."
The arena behind the council hall had never been this full.
Pack members lined the stone terraces, their whispers turning into a charged hum that vibrated beneath Elena's skin.
At the center of the clearing, Sebastian stood barefoot, bare-chested, eyes locked on Roman across the field.
Two Alphas.
One throne.
Leo sat beside Elena in the stands, silent, eyes wide. She kept her arm around him, holding him close, but her mind was already bracing for the fight.
This wasn't just about Sebastian reclaiming his title.
It was about survival.
Roman approached the circle, shedding his coat slowly, deliberately. His voice carried as he spoke.
"Fighting for a forgotten mate and a bastard heir. How noble of you, Sebastian."
Sebastian didn't respond. His jaw clenched, and the silver of his wolf shimmered just beneath his skin.
One of the elders stepped forward to announce the terms.
"This is a sanctioned Alpha duel. The fight ends when one concedes… or dies. No weapons. No interference."
Elena gripped the stone railing tighter.
Roman cracked his knuckles. "Last chance to walk away."
Sebastian's answer was immediate.
He shifted.
In one clean motion, his body rippled and transformed into the massive silver-gray wolf, fur bristling, teeth bared.
Roman followed, his shift darker, more violent, his fur black as pitch, muscles bulging, his red eyes gleaming with fury.
The crowd went dead silent.
Then the elder shouted.
"Begin!"
The wolves collided like lightning.
Flesh against flesh. Teeth against bone.
Sebastian struck first, slamming into Roman's shoulder and sending him skidding across the dirt. But Roman recovered fast, flipping onto his feet and lunging with his jaws wide.
He clamped onto Sebastian's foreleg, drawing first blood.
Sebastian howled, twisted, and raked his claws across Roman's face. Blood sprayed across the arena.