Chapter Ten: Clash of Wolves
415 Words
The forest was alive with the rustle of night creatures, but my wolf’s ears picked up something else — footsteps, steady and deliberate, moving closer.
Kael returned from patrol, his expression sharp. “Aria,” he said, voice low, “we’re no longer alone.”
I stood quickly, my pulse racing. “Rogues?”
He shook his head, his silver eyes narrowing. “No. Stronger. A wolf with authority. An Alpha.”
My breath caught in my throat. There was only one Alpha whose presence could make my blood burn like this.
“Damien,” I whispered.
Kael stepped in front of me protectively, his aura flaring. “If he comes for you, he’ll have to go through me.”
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Not far away, Damien stalked through the trees, his wolf restless, scenting the air. The pull of the bond was like fire in his veins, guiding him closer and closer. He could feel me, taste my fear and my defiance.
But there was another scent, too. Male. Powerful.
He growled low in his throat. Someone else was with me.
---
The clearing lit with moonlight as Damien stepped from the shadows, his black hair falling across his brow, his eyes glowing gold with his wolf.
“Aria,” he said, his voice rough, strained, almost broken.
My heart betrayed me with a painful lurch. But before I could speak, Kael moved forward, placing himself firmly between us.
“You lost the right to say her name,” Kael said coldly. His wolf glimmered in his eyes, silver bright. “She doesn’t belong to you.”
Damien’s gaze snapped to him, his lips curling back in a snarl. “And who are you to claim her?”
Kael’s aura surged, colliding with Damien’s like thunder. “The one who stands where you fell short.”
The air vibrated with their power, the clash of two Alphas pressing down on me until I could hardly breathe. My wolf whimpered, torn between the bond to Damien and the safety she felt with Kael.
I took a step back, my hands trembling. This was exactly what I feared — two forces colliding because of me.
Damien’s golden eyes locked on mine. “You can’t run from me, Aria. You know the bond won’t let you.”
Kael bared his teeth. “She doesn’t need you anymore.”
Their growls echoed through the night, and I knew one truth with chilling certainty — this would not end without blood.
- Writer
