Chapter 47
843 Words
Vivian’s POV
I felt Dominic’s decision through the bond before he said the words.
We were connected now. What he felt, I felt. What he decided, I knew. It was like having a second heartbeat that wasn’t mine but somehow was.
He was in the great hall. I was in the tower. But through the bond, I was there with him.
Garett stood in front of him. Sixty warriors behind Garett. All watching. All waiting to see what the Alpha would do.
Garett spoke words that made the whole hall go quiet.
“I challenge your right to lead.”
The words hung in the air like a weapon.
And through the bond, I felt Dominic’s response before he opened his mouth. No fear. No doubt. Just certainty.
He was going to accept.
He was going to fight.
And he was going to win.
“I accept,” Dominic said.
The hall erupted. Warriors moving. Voices rising. The pack fracturing in front of his eyes .
But through the bond, Dominic wasn’t focused on the chaos. He was already thinking ahead. Already planning. Already using this moment as cover for something larger.
I left the tower and went to the training grounds.
He was there alone when I arrived. Moving through the forms. The same movements his father had taught him. Movements that had been practiced for years. Movements that were part of his body now.
I watched him finish a sequence, then spoke.
“You’re going to win,” I said.
He stopped and turned to look at me.
“Yes,” he said.
Not arrogant. Just stating a fact.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“Because I have to be,” he said. He walked toward me. “The pack needs to see strength. They need to believe their Alpha is unshakeable.Garett thinks I’m weak because I care about you. I’m going to show him he’s wrong.”
He pulled me close.
“He thinks love makes me weak,” Dominic said. “He thinks bonding with you clouded my judgment. He thinks my wolf took over.He’s going to learn that none of that is true.”
“But personal feelings do complicate things,” I said. “That’s real.”
“Sometimes,” Dominic agreed. He brought his hand to my face. “But they also make things clear. They tell you what matters. They make you certain about things that strategy alone never could.”
He kissed me.
“After I defeat Garett,” he said, “the pack will understand. They’ll see that I’m still strong. They’ll see that my choice wasn’t weakness. And when the Solari come, the pack will stand with me.”
“When?” I asked. “Not if?”
“Silas confirmed it,” Dominic said. “They’re coming. The timeline is accelerating. We have a week maybe. Maybe less.”
I felt cold.
A week.
That was nothing. That was barely enough time to breathe.
“The mountain will burn,” Dominic said quietly. “Some of us might die. The pack might fracture further. But we will survive it. We will stand together and we will survive it.”
“How can you be so sure?” I asked.
“Because you’re here,” he said. “Because I know what I’m fighting for. Because my pack knows I’m willing to die for them.”
He pulled back and looked directly at me.
“Garett thinks this challenge is about us,” Dominic said. “He thinks it’s about whether I should have bonded with you. But it’s really about something else. It’s about whether the Alpha can lead. Whether he can make hard choices. Whether he can stand strong when everything around him is falling apart.”
“And can you?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said. “Because I have you. Because the bond makes me certain. Because I know exactly what I’m fighting for and I won’t hesitate.”
We trained together for hours.
He showed me new forms. Movements designed for power. Movements designed for control. Each one a piece of the larger structure of what he was building.
And I learned them. Absorbed them. Felt the power responding to the movements. Felt myself becoming sharper. More focused. More ready.
By the time we stopped, the sun was setting.
“Three days,” Dominic said. “In three days, the pack will choose. They’ll either stand with me or they’ll fracture further. But either way, I’ll be Alpha. And either way, we’ll be ready.”
“For what?” I asked.
“For everything,” he said. “For the siege. For the invasion. For whatever comes after.”
We stood together on the training grounds as darkness fell around us.
And I believed him.
Not because he was invincible. Not because the fight would be easy.
But because he was certain. And his certainty was contagious.
Through the bond, I felt his resolve harden into reality.
Garett didn’t stand a chance.
- Writer
