Claimed By A Midnight King

Chapter 50

Dominic’s POV

They arrived at dawn.

The Solari forces spread around the mountain like a closing hand. Fifty warriors. Maybe more. Professional military. They’re armor gleaming. Weapons ready.

And at the front, a prince in a battle dress that caught the rising sun.

Damian Sol Helios.

The damn Solari Prince himself had come to burn my mountain.

I stood on the wall and watched them take position. Watched the siege camps being established. Watched the formation settling into place.

“Status,” I said to Kade.

“Warriors in position,” he reported. “Civilians evacuated to the lower levels. Supplies distributed. We’re as ready as we can be.”

One day. That’s how long we’d had to prepare.

It wasn’t enough time. It would never be enough time.

But it was what we had.

I could see Damian clearly from the wall. Could see him surveying the mountain like it was already his. Could see the confidence in his posture.

He raised a flag. Parley.

“Let him speak,” I said.

A messenger approached with words I expected to hear.

“Surrender the girl,” the messenger said. “Do that and the pack will be spared. Resist and burn.”

I looked at the messenger. Young. Solari. Following orders he probably didn’t believe in.

“Tell your prince,” I said, “that the Shadow Clan doesn’t surrender. We don’t negotiate. We don’t break.”

The messenger left.

I turned back to the mountain. To the tower where Vivian was waiting. To the Citadel I’d sworn to protect.

The siege had begun.

Through the bond, I felt Vivian’s fear and her certainty mixing together. I felt her understanding that everything had changed. Felt her preparing herself for what came next.

“They’re positioning siege weapons,” Kade reported. “Two hours maybe before they start on the gates.”

“Then we use those two hours,” I said. “Final check on everything. Make sure every warrior knows their position. Make sure supplies are distributed. Make sure people in the lower levels understand what’s coming.”

I looked down at the Solari forces.

“We’ve fought before,” I said to Kade. “Pack against pack. Territory disputes. But this is different. This is organized military. This is trained soldiers with superior weapons.”

“I know,” Kade said.

“We can’t win in a direct fight,” I said.

“I know,” Kade said again.

“But we can survive,” I said. “We can hold the mountain. We can make them pay for every inch. And we can wait until they make mistakes.”

“Yes,” Kade said.

I felt the weight of the coming siege settle on my shoulders.

But I didn’t buckle under it.

Because through the bond, I could feel Vivian’s strength. Her certainty. Her power waiting to be unleashed.

And because I knew exactly what I was fighting for.

Not pride. Not territory. Not politics.

I was fighting for my mate. My pack. The future we could build together if we survived this.

And that was enough.