Chapter 8 — Wolves at the Gate
1626 Words
The Moonfang Palace descended into panic.
Council members shouted over one another while servants rushed terrified guests toward the exits. Warriors flooded the grand hall, weapons drawn, their boots pounding against marble floors as alarms echoed through the fortress.
“The eastern gates are closing!”
“Move the children underground!”
“Where’s the Beta commander?”
Fear spread faster than wildfire.
Because everyone knew what the Crimson Claw Legion represented.
Death.
Entire packs had vanished because of them.
Villages burned overnight.
Children disappeared.
Alphas slaughtered without mercy.
And now they were here.
Inside Moonfang territory.
Tristan stood at the center of the chaos issuing rapid commands while warriors surrounded him awaiting orders.
“No one leaves the capital,” he barked. “Every patrol unit reports directly to me. I want scouts on every border immediately.”
“Yes, Alpha!”
The warriors dispersed instantly.
Selene clung tightly to Tristan’s arm. “You can’t go out there yourself.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“You’re the Alpha—”
“And this is my territory.”
His tone silenced her immediately.
Across the hall, Aria watched everything quietly.
Calm.
Observant.
Dangerously composed.
Vincent stepped beside her, lowering his voice. “You expected this attack.”
It wasn’t a question.
Aria’s eyes remained fixed on Tristan.
“I expected movement,” she answered carefully. “Not this soon.”
Vincent studied her profile.
“You know something.”
“I know the Crimson Claw Legion never attacks randomly.”
That caught his attention.
Before he could press further, another warrior stormed into the hall covered in blood.
“Alpha!” he shouted breathlessly. “The western village is burning!”
Gasps erupted across the room.
“How many casualties?” Tristan demanded.
“We, we don’t know yet.”
The warrior swallowed hard.
“They came out of nowhere.”
Tristan cursed under his breath and turned sharply toward his Beta commander.
“Prepare the cavalry.”
Selene grabbed him again. “Tristan, please—”
“Enough.”
The coldness in his voice stunned her.
For years, Tristan had tolerated her dramatics.
Tonight, his patience was gone.
Because the situation had become real.
Deadly real.
And deep down, Tristan could feel it.
Something bigger was happening beneath the surface.
His eyes shifted unconsciously toward Aria again.
Still calm.
Still unreadable.
As if chaos didn’t frighten her at all.
That unsettled him more than the attack itself.
Most people panicked during the war.
Aria looked prepared for it.
Suddenly Ethan appeared at the top of the staircase, frightened by the commotion.
“Dad?”
Tristan’s expression softened immediately.
“Ethan, go back to your room.”
“But everyone’s yelling.”
Selene rushed toward the boy. “Come with Mommy.”
Aria’s wolf snarled violently inside her chest.
Not his mother.
Her fingers tightened around her wine glass so hard the crystal cracked.
Vincent noticed instantly.
“You need to stay calm,” he murmured.
“I am calm.”
“No,” he replied carefully, “you’re furious.”
She looked away.
Because he was right.
Watching another woman raise her son was torture she endured every single day.
And Ethan didn’t even know the truth.
The thought burned like poison.
Before anyone could move further, the palace doors burst open again.
This time, three warriors dragged in a wounded scout.
Blood soaked the man’s uniform.
“They’re moving toward the capital,” the scout gasped painfully.
“How many?” Tristan demanded.
The scout hesitated.
Then whispered:
“Thousands.”
Silence crushed the room.
Even the strongest Alphas looked shaken.
The Crimson Claw Legion was never supposed to gather in such numbers again.
They had scattered years ago after the death of their former leader.
Unless—
Someone had united them.
Tristan’s face darkened instantly.
“Who’s leading them?”
The scout looked terrified.
“We never saw his face.”
A chill moved through the hall.
Vincent folded his arms thoughtfully. “Interesting.”
Tristan’s eyes narrowed. “You know something?”
“Only rumors,” Vincent replied lazily. “There’s been talk of a new warlord rising in the southern territories.”
“Rumors don’t gather thousands of rogues.”
“No,” Vincent agreed softly. “Power does.”
The council elders immediately began arguing.
“We need reinforcements!”
“Seal the tunnels beneath the city!”
“The Alpha Council must evacuate!”
Cowards, Aria thought coldly.
Not one of them cared about the civilians dying outside the walls.
They only cared about survival.
Pathetic.
Tristan turned toward the room sharply.
“Enough!”
His Alpha aura exploded across the hall with terrifying force.
Instant silence followed.
Even Aria felt the pressure.
“This territory will not fall tonight,” Tristan said coldly. “Anyone unwilling to fight can leave now and live with the shame forever.”
No one moved.
Fear flickered across many faces, but pride kept them rooted in place.
Good.
Tristan’s gaze shifted toward Aria again.
“You’ve been unusually quiet.”
Her lips curved slightly.
“I’m observing.”
“And what exactly are you observing?”
“You.”
The single word hit harder than expected.
Tristan’s jaw tightened.
For a brief moment, the noise around them faded again.
Just like earlier.
Two predators silently circling each other.
Selene stepped between them immediately.
“This isn’t the time for games.”
Aria’s eyes moved lazily toward her.
“You’re right,” she replied. “Games ended the moment blood touched your borders.”
Selene stiffened.
Something was unsettling about Aria tonight.
Not emotional.
Not reckless.
Calculated.
As though every word carried hidden meaning.
Tristan noticed it too.
And he hated that part of him that wanted answers from her more than anyone else in the room.
Suddenly the palace trembled violently.
A distant explosion thundered outside.
Screams echoed from somewhere beyond the walls.
The hall erupted again.
“They breached the outer defenses!”
“How?!”
“That fast?”
Tristan immediately moved toward the exit. “All warriors with me.”
Several Alphas followed him without hesitation.
Vincent sighed dramatically. “Looks like dinner is officially ruined.”
Aria ignored him.
Her eyes followed Tristan as he strode toward the battlefield.
Power radiated from him.
Dominant.
Fearless.
Exactly the kind of Alpha she once fell in love with.
Exactly the kind of man who destroyed her.
Vincent glanced sideways at her. “You still care about him.”
“No.”
“That answer came too quickly.”
Aria’s expression hardened.
“What I feel for Tristan no longer matters.”
“Liar.”
Her icy stare met his amused one.
Yet Vincent only smiled faintly.
“Hatred that intense doesn’t grow from nothing.”
Before she could respond, another explosion shook the palace.
This one is much closer.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
The Warriors rushed past them toward the gates.
Then,
A cry echoed from upstairs.
“Help!”
Aria froze instantly.
Ethan.
Her wolf surged violently.
Without thinking, she ran.
“Aria!” Vincent called after her.
But she was already moving up the staircase at terrifying speed.
Smoke filled the upper corridors.
Servants screamed while trying to evacuate children toward the underground shelters. Somewhere nearby, flames crackled violently.
Then Aria saw him.
Ethan stood trapped near a collapsed beam, coughing from smoke as fire spread rapidly around him.
Panic ripped through her.
“Ethan!”
The boy looked up fearfully. “Help!”
Instinct erased everything else.
Aria lunged through the flames without hesitation.
Heat scorched her skin as part of the ceiling collapsed beside her, but she barely noticed.
All she saw was her son.
Her child.
Mine.
She reached Ethan just as another beam crashed downward.
Aria shielded him with her body.
The impact slammed painfully against her back, forcing a gasp from her lips.
“Are you hurt?” she asked urgently.
Ethan shook his head, trembling.
Aria quickly pulled him into her arms.
For one brief moment, time stopped.
He fit against her perfectly.
Naturally.
Like he had always belonged there.
Tears burned her eyes unexpectedly.
Then Ethan looked up at her closely.
And whispered:
“You smell like home.”
Her breath caught.
Before she could answer, more shouting erupted down the corridor.
“Ethan!”
Tristan appeared through the smoke, followed by several warriors.
Relief flooded his face instantly upon seeing the boy alive.
Then he saw Aria holding him.
And everything froze.
Ethan clung tightly to her neck.
“She saved me,” the child said softly.
Something unreadable crossed Tristan’s expression.
Shock.
Confusion.
Guilt.
Aria carefully set Ethan down.
“He shouldn’t stay up here.”
Tristan stared at her silently for several seconds.
Then finally said:
“Thank you.”
The words sounded foreign coming from him.
Because Tristan Blackwood rarely thanked anyone.
Especially her.
Aria gave a small nod.
But before anyone could say more,
A horrifying howl echoed across the palace grounds.
Every wolf in the corridor froze.
The sound was monstrous.
Ancient.
Terrifying.
Even Tristan’s face darkened instantly.
One of the warriors went pale. “That… wasn’t normal.”
No.
It wasn’t.
Aria recognized that howl.
And for the first time that night,
Fear touched her expression.
Vincent suddenly appeared behind them, unusually serious now.
“We have a problem,” he said quietly.
Tristan turned sharply. “What is it?”
Vincent’s eyes moved toward Aria briefly before returning to Tristan.
“The Crimson Claw Legion didn’t come alone.”
Another howl split the night.
Closer this time.
The palace walls trembled.
And then the words every Alpha feared most left Vincent’s mouth.
“The Rogue King is here.”
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