MATED TO THE LONE WOLF

Chapter 3:part two

Lizzie followed Talia down the winding stone staircases and out into the bustling courtyard of the Blackwood pack. The sheer scale of the community took her breath away. Unlike her fractured, isolated birth pack, Blackwood was a thriving citadel. Pups dashed through the open market squares, older wolves tended to vast communal gardens, and the ringing of iron from the blacksmith's forge echoed off the mountain walls.Yet, as she walked beside Talia, the air shifted. The casual chatter of the townspeople dropped into low whispers. Sharp, curious eyes tracked Lizzie’s every move. They could smell the foreign scent on her—the bitter tang of rogue territory mingled indelibly with the unmistakable, dominant pheromones of their Alpha. They knew exactly what she was to Ramond, even if it hadn't been formally announced."They aren't hostile," Talia noted, noticing Lizzie’s shoulders tensing. "They’re just protective. Ramond took the Alpha mantle young after his father fell in battle. The pack would burn the world down before they let another Alpha suffer."Before Lizzie could answer, a sudden, piercing howl shattered the midday peace. It wasn't an alert; it was a death-howl, coming straight from the eastern watchtower.Instantly, the courtyard erupted into controlled chaos. Warriors dropped their tools, shifting into massive wolves mid-stride as they raced toward the gates. Talia’s eyes flared amber as her inner wolf surged to the surface. She grabbed Lizzie’s arm, pulling her back toward the heavy oak doors of the main house. "Inside. Now."But the threat was already at the gates.A massive, scarred gray wolf limped into the courtyard, collapsing onto the cobblestones. It was one of Ramond’s border scouts, bleeding heavily from deep claw wounds across his chest. Behind him, three Blackwood executioners marched in, dragging a bound, heavily chained prisoner.The prisoner was a Blood Moon rogue—a gaunt, feral-looking man with blood-stained teeth and eyes full of manic malice.Ramond descended the front steps of the pack house like a god of war, his face a mask of terrifying serenity. The crowd parted instantly for him. Marcus shifted to his right, his claws fully extended.The rogue looked up, his gaze sweeping past Ramond until it locked onto Lizzie standing on the porch. A sickening, jagged grin split his face."We found her," the rogue hissed, his voice wet and raspy as he spat blood onto the Blackwood stones. "The Alpha of the Blood Moon sends his regards, Blackwood. He says the Omega belongs to the mud. Deliver her to the border by the next full moon, or we will turn this valley into a graveyard."Ramond didn't hesitate. He closed the distance in a single, blur-like motion. His hand wrapped around the rogue’s throat, lifting the grown man off the ground with terrifying ease. The air pressure in the courtyard plummeted as Ramond released the full, suffocating weight of his Alpha aura."Tell your master," Ramond growled, his voice vibrating with enough primal force to make the stone walls tremble, "that if he wants her, he can come try to take her. But he should build his coffins first."With a swift, brutal twist of his wrist, Ramond snapped the rogue's neck, dropping the lifeless body to the floor like trash. He turned his blazed blue eyes up to Lizzie, his chest heaving, publicly declaring his absolute defiance to the entire pack.