I could hear the murmurs of the pack as they gathered around the makeshift arena, a tension so thick I could almost taste it. The cold air bit at my skin, but it wasn’t the chill of the wind that made my bones ache—it was the weight of the decision I was about to make. I stood, facing Axel, my former closest friend, now my greatest enemy.
His eyes were dark, calculating. There was no trace of the brotherly bond we once shared. It was gone—shattered the moment his betrayal was uncovered. My hands clenched around the hilt of my dagger, the familiar weight of it grounding me in the chaos that had erupted.
“Axel,” I breathed, trying to summon the strength to say the name without choking on it. I never wanted to be here. Not like this. But Ryker’s safety… Ryker’s life was hanging by a thread.
