Chapter Eight: The Challenge
1075 Words
The words refused to leave Rowan’s mind.
He’s challenging the mate bond.
The balcony felt colder after Isla said it.
Rowan stared at her, trying to read her expression, but her face had gone pale and unreadable.
Lucian was the first to speak.
“That’s impossible,” he muttered.
But Rowan knew better.
Nothing was impossible for someone like Adrian Blackwood.
“What exactly does that mean?” Rowan asked, his voice low and controlled.
Isla folded the card slowly, her fingers tightening around the paper.
“It means Adrian is invoking an old law.”
Lucian frowned.
“Those laws were abandoned centuries ago.”
“Yes,” Isla said quietly.
“But they were never erased.”
Rowan felt his wolf stir restlessly.
“Explain.”
Isla took a slow breath before speaking.
“In ancient pack traditions, if two Alphas both claim the same mate… a formal challenge can be issued.”
Lucian swore under his breath.
“You’re kidding.”
Isla shook her head.
“No.”
Rowan’s voice dropped into a dangerous calm.
“And what happens in this challenge?”
Her eyes met his.
“One Alpha proves he is the stronger protector.”
“And the other?”
Her silence answered the question.
Lucian stepped forward.
“That’s barbaric.”
“It’s tradition,” Isla said.
Rowan laughed coldly.
“Tradition can burn.”
Isla studied him carefully.
“Adrian knows the council values ancient laws.”
Of course he did.
Adrian wasn’t just powerful.
He was strategic.
“This isn’t about me,” Rowan realized.
“He’s forcing the council to choose.”
Lucian nodded grimly.
“And if the council accepts the challenge…”
Rowan’s jaw tightened.
“Then they turn this into a spectacle.”
Isla looked away, her expression troubled.
“They might.”
Rowan’s wolf growled deep inside his chest.
He hated this.
Not the idea of fighting.
Fighting didn’t scare him.
What he hated was the fact that Isla had been dragged into it.
“You don’t belong in their politics,” he said quietly.
Isla’s gaze snapped back to him.
“Rowan”
“I mean it.”
“You don’t get to decide that.”
“I do when someone tries to claim you like property.”
Her expression softened slightly.
“You’re angry.”
“I’m furious.”
Lucian rubbed his temples.
“This is exactly what Blackwood wanted.”
“Yes,” Rowan said darkly.
“He wanted a war.”
The wind swept across the balcony, carrying the scent of rain and pine.
Somewhere in the forest, a wolf howled.
Isla turned toward the sound.
“The council meeting is tomorrow night,” she said.
“That doesn’t give us much time.”
Rowan leaned against the railing.
“What are our options?”
Lucian answered immediately.
“Three.”
He raised one finger.
“First option: we ignore the challenge.”
“And let him spread rumors that we’re afraid?” Rowan asked.
Lucian shrugged.
“Not ideal.”
He raised a second finger.
“Second option: you accept the challenge.”
Rowan’s wolf stirred eagerly at the thought.
But Isla spoke before he could.
“No.”
Both men looked at her.
“That challenge is based on outdated laws,” she said firmly.
“It’s meant to turn me into a prize.”
Rowan stepped closer to her.
“You’re not a prize.”
“I know that.”
“But if you accept the challenge, that’s exactly what it becomes.”
Lucian lifted a third finger.
“Third option.”
Rowan looked at him.
“What?”
Lucian’s eyes flickered toward Isla.
“She rejects both of you.”
Silence fell over the balcony.
Rowan blinked slowly.
“What?”
“If she publicly rejects both claims,” Lucian said, “the council loses the reason for the challenge.”
Isla’s brows pulled together.
“That would work… technically.”
Rowan stared at them both.
“So the solution is that my mate pretends she doesn’t want me?”
Lucian winced.
“When you put it like that…”
Rowan shook his head.
“No.”
Isla crossed her arms.
“You didn’t even let me finish.”
“I don’t need to.”
“This could prevent bloodshed.”
Rowan’s eyes burned with intensity.
“And it would also weaken the mate bond.”
Isla hesitated.
Just for a moment.
But Rowan saw it.
“Wouldn’t it?” he asked quietly.
“Yes,” she admitted.
The bond between them pulsed uneasily, as if reacting to the conversation.
Rowan stepped closer.
Close enough that he could feel the warmth of her skin.
“I’m not risking that,” he said.
Her voice softened slightly.
“You’re risking war instead.”
“If that’s the price.”
Lucian sighed loudly.
“You two are impossible.”
Neither of them disagreed.
Isla looked at Rowan for a long moment.
“You really would fight him.”
“Yes.”
“Even if the council demands it.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes searched his face carefully.
“You don’t even know Adrian.”
“I know enough.”
“Rowan—”
“He came to take what’s mine.”
Isla froze.
The words hung heavily between them.
Not possessive.
Not cruel.
Just… certain.
Rowan saw something flicker in her eyes.
Something warmer.
Something dangerous.
But before she could respond—
A loud crash echoed from the courtyard below.
All three of them turned toward the sound.
Guards were shouting.
Rowan’s instincts snapped into place instantly.
“What the hell was that?”
Lucian leaned over the balcony railing.
His expression darkened immediately.
“Rowan.”
“What?”
Lucian pointed toward the gates.
A figure stood in the center of the courtyard.
Tall.
Still.
Unmoving.
Even from the balcony Rowan recognized him.
Adrian Blackwood.
He had crossed the pack boundary.
And he wasn’t alone.
Behind him stood half a dozen wolves from the Blackwood pack.
Adrian looked up slowly.
His eyes locked onto Rowan.
Then shifted.
To Isla.
A faint smile touched his lips.
“Looks like the war started early,” Lucian muttered.
Rowan’s wolf surged forward with a furious growl.
Because Adrian hadn’t come to wait anymore.
He had come to claim what he believed belonged to him.
And Rowan was about to show him exactly how dangerous that mistake was.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD