The gates shuddered under the weight of claws and snarls. My pack crowded the battlements, bows raised, growls vibrating through the night air. Every wolf was poised to fight. Every heart was ready to bleed.
And then there was me—caught between them all, the storm inside me louder than the chaos outside.
“Hold your ground!” my father roared, his Alpha aura sweeping over the pack like fire. His command steadied them, but I could still hear the tremors of fear beneath the growls. They weren’t just fighting Shadowfang wolves. They were fighting the bond between me and their enemy.
Ronan stepped forward from the tree line, his presence part shadow, part moonlight. The wolves behind him shifted slightly, like shadows rippling with his every breath. His silver eyes never left mine.
“Aria.” M
