CHAPTER 17: The Alpha's Rage
1104 Words
The night was thick with tension, the air charged with something dangerous—something feral. The scent of blood still clung to the wind, a bitter reminder of the brutal fight that had taken place under the moon’s watchful gaze. But even with his wounds, even with defeat hanging over him like a curse, Killian was not a wolf to accept loss.
Selene felt it before she saw him—the shift in the air, the chill that crept along her spine like a phantom touch. A presence that coiled around the edges of her senses, dark and relentless, like a storm building on the horizon. Xander had taken her away, shielding her within the safety of his territory, trying to put distance between her and the past. But deep down, she knew. This wasn’t over.
It had never been over.
Killian would come for her.
She stood at the edge of Xander’s land, where the forest thickened, and the moonlight barely touched the ground. Leaves rustled in the wind, whispering secrets only the night could hear. Selene tried to steady her breathing, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as the weight of her decision pressed down on her—suffocating, yet strangely freeing.
She had chosen this path. Chosen to leave the man who had once been her mate—the man who had cast her aside as if she were nothing. And yet, the bond still lingered in the hollow places of her soul. It was weaker now, fading with every heartbeat, but some wounds didn’t heal so easily.
A sharp c***k echoed in the distance—a twig snapping beneath a boot. Selene’s body tensed. Her eyes darted to the shadows beyond the trees. She took a cautious step back, her senses on high alert.
And then he emerged.
Killian stepped from the darkness like a ghost returned from war. His usual polished control was gone, replaced by something raw.
Something unhinged. His clothes were torn, mud and blood staining the fabric. His knuckles were cracked and bloodied, but it was his eyes that made her breath catch.
They burned.
Not just with rage. Not only with heartbreak.
With obsession.
"You think you can just leave?" His voice was low, almost calm, but the edge beneath it was sharp enough to cut. "You think I’ll let you walk away from me like I’m nothing?"
Selene’s heart pounded in her chest. Xander had warned her this might happen. These Alpha wolves didn’t take rejection well—especially not ones like Killian. Possessive. Ruthless. Proud. But even with that warning, she hadn’t been prepared for this. For him.
She straightened her spine. “You rejected me first, Killian. You broke the bond, you broke me. I didn’t leave, you pushed me away.”
His jaw flexed. A flicker of something—pain? shame?—crossed his face.
“I was a fool. I see that now, a blind, arrogant fool," he took a step toward her, his presence suffocating, thick like smoke. “But that doesn’t mean you belong to him.”
“You don’t get to decide that,” she said, her voice shaking but firm. “Not anymore.”
His eyes darkened, the amber of his irises glowing faintly in the moonlight. His wolf was close to the surface. “You were mine first, Selene.”
She flinched. The words hit her like a blow, sharp and cruel. The mate bond still trembled inside her, like a thread that refused to snap. But she refused to let it dictate her future.
“No, Killian. I was yours until you treated me like I was disposable, until you let me bleed for you, suffer for you, and you did nothing.”
Something inside him cracked.
In the blink of an eye, he surged forward, closing the distance between them with terrifying speed. His hand shot out, wrapping it around her wrist with bruising force.
“You think he can protect you?” he growled, his breath hot and bitter against her face. “You think Xander is any better than me?”
“I know he is,” she snapped.
A low snarl tore from his throat. “Then he’ll die for you.”
Before she could cry out, the forest seemed to shift—the trees groaning, the wind stilling.
And then Xander was there.
He didn’t make a sound. He didn’t need to. His presence was a storm made flesh, crashing into the moment like a wrathful god. He ripped Killian away from her with a force that shook the ground, throwing the other Alpha back several feet. Killian hit the earth hard; dirt and leaves scattered around him.
Selene gasped, stumbling back, her hand still tingling from Killian’s grip. Xander stepped forward, placing himself firmly between them. His silver eyes were glowing, his body vibrating with power barely held in check.
“You made a mistake coming here,” he said, his voice low and lethal.
Killian staggered to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. “You think I’m afraid of you?”
Xander didn’t respond. He didn’t need to. His silence was more threatening than any roar. The energy radiating from him was suffocating, undeniable.
Selene had seen him fight. She had seen what he was capable of. But this was different. This wasn’t just defense—this was fury. This was war.
“I’ll tear your pack apart,” Killian spat. “I’ll make you watch everything you built burn.”
“No, you won’t,” Xander said, taking another step forward.
“Because this time, I’m not fighting for dominance. I’m fighting for her.”
Selene’s breath caught. The words landed deep inside her, anchoring something that had been drifting. She looked between them—two Alphas, two storms on the verge of colliding—and she knew the cost of this moment.
Killian lunged again, but this time Xander was ready. He met him halfway, their bodies slamming together with the sound of cracking bones and shattering earth. Claws slashed, teeth snapped. The clearing erupted into chaos.
Selene backed away, her heart hammering against her ribs. She wanted to scream, to beg them to stop, but she knew better. This wasn’t her fight. Not anymore.
She had made her choice.
The moon watched in silence as the two most powerful Alphas she had ever known tore into each other, not for territory. Not for rank.
But for her.
And somewhere deep inside her, Selene realized this fight would not end in submission.
It would end in blood.
- Writer
