Blood on the Border
771 Words
My wolf howled inside me.
Two warriors dead. My old pack under siege. And the man responsible for half my nightmares was standing inches away, still holding my face like I was something precious he refused to lose again.
“Give me back my phone,” I demanded, voice shaking with fury.
Damien didn’t move. His glowing eyes bored into mine, alpha power rolling off him in waves. “You’re not handling this alone anymore.”
“That’s my pack—”
“Our pack now,” he corrected, voice a low growl. “And I protect what’s mine.”
He released me only to grab his own phone from the nightstand. In seconds he was barking orders like the Alpha King he was. “Send three elite units to the eastern border. Tell Beta Kane I want the Crimson Fang’s alpha alive if possible. No — I want him on his knees by sunrise.”
I stood there, arms wrapped around myself, watching the most powerful man in our world move like a storm. Shirtless. Tattoos flexing. Every inch the ruthless billionaire alpha who had rejected me so easily three years ago.
Yet now he was mobilizing an army… for me.
When he hung up, the room fell into heavy silence. The mate bond thrummed between us, stronger than ever under the full moon.
“You don’t get to play hero,” I said bitterly. “Not after what you did.”
Damien crossed the room in three strides and backed me against the tall bedpost. His body caged mine without touching. Heat radiated from his bare chest.
“I’m not playing anything,” he said, voice rough. “I made a mistake. A f*****g colossal one. And I’ve spent every day since paying for it in ways you’ll never understand.”
I laughed — a sharp, broken sound. “Poor little Alpha King. Did rejecting your mate give you insomnia?”
His hand slammed against the wood above my head. “It gave me hell.”
Our eyes locked. The air crackled. For a moment I thought he would kiss me again — harder this time, punishing. Instead, he stepped back, jaw tight.
“Get changed,” he ordered. “We’re going to the border.”
“Now? It’s the middle of the night.”
“You think I’d let you lie here worrying while your people bleed?” He opened the walk-in closet and pulled out black combat gear for both of us. “We leave in ten minutes.”
I changed in the bathroom, hands trembling as I zipped up the tight tactical suit. When I came out, Damien was fully dressed — black shirt, combat pants, looking every bit the deadly warrior king.
He scanned me from head to toe, eyes darkening. “You look too good in that.”
“Focus,” I snapped.
A ghost of a smirk. “Hard when my mate is standing right there.”
We took a helicopter this time. The ride was tense and silent except for the roar of the blades. I stared out at the dark forest below, heart in my throat. Damien’s hand found mine on the seat between us. I didn’t pull away.
When we landed near the eastern border, chaos greeted us.
Smoke rose from burned trees. Two bodies lay covered on the ground. My old Alpha — my uncle — rushed forward, face pale.
“Damien,” he greeted with a deep bow. Then his eyes found me. “Elara… thank the Moon Goddess.”
I stepped forward, but Damien’s arm shot out, keeping me behind him protectively.
“Report,” he commanded.
While the warriors gave details, I slipped away toward the injured. One young wolf I used to train with was bleeding badly. I dropped to my knees and pressed my hands to his wound, letting what little healing energy I had flow into him.
That was when I felt it.
A sharp sting in my neck.
I gasped, hand flying up. A dart.
“Elara!” Damien’s roar shook the trees.
The world tilted. Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground. Damien’s face swam above me, furious and terrified.
“Poison…” I whispered. “Crimson Fang… silver-laced…”
His eyes blazed pure gold. “Stay with me, little mate. Don’t you dare leave me again.”
I tried to speak, but darkness swallowed me.
The last thing I felt was Damien’s lips pressed to my forehead and his voice, raw and broken, whispering against my skin:
“I won’t lose you. Not like this. Never again.”
- Writer
