Chapter 9: The Alpha’s Fury
1539 Words
“Stay behind me.”
His voice wasn’t just a command this time.
It was a line.
A boundary.
One I wasn’t allowed to cross.
I didn’t argue.
Didn’t move.
Because whatever stood in front of us—
Wasn’t something I could fight.
Wasn’t something I could even understand.
The air felt… wrong.
Like it didn’t belong in this world.
Like it had forced its way in.
And now—
It wasn’t leaving.
“…Mine…”
That voice again.
Cold.
Empty.
Hungry.
It echoed through my head, not just my ears.
Like it was trying to get inside me.
Claim me.
My body trembled.
“No…” I whispered.
Not to it.
To myself.
Arsen stepped forward.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Every movement controlled.
Every step filled with power.
“You don’t get to touch her,” he said.
The thing didn’t respond.
Didn’t react.
It just stood there.
Watching.
Waiting.
And somehow—
That made it worse.
Because it wasn’t rushing.
Wasn’t attacking blindly.
It was choosing.
Calculating.
Hunting.
“Arsen…” I said quietly.
He didn’t look back.
But I felt it—
That connection.
That bond.
Strong.
Unbreakable.
“I’m here,” he said.
Simple.
Certain.
And for a second—
That was enough.
The thing moved again.
Closer.
The shadows around it twisted unnaturally, like they were alive.
My chest tightened.
The mark burned.
Not like before.
This was different.
Deeper.
Like something was trying to pull it out of me.
Rip it away.
I gasped, dropping to one knee.
“Arsen—!”
“I know,” he said sharply.
His hand shot back, grabbing mine.
Grounding me.
Holding me in place.
“You’re not going anywhere.”
The words weren’t just for me.
They were a warning.
A threat.
A promise.
The thing stopped.
Just a few steps away now.
And for the first time—
I saw something.
Not clearly.
But enough.
Its shape wasn’t stable.
It flickered.
Like it couldn’t decide what it was.
Human.
Wolf.
Something else entirely.
“What are you…?” I whispered.
Its head tilted.
Slow.
Unnatural.
“…Bond…”
My breath hitched.
Arsen’s grip tightened painfully.
“That’s not an answer,” he growled.
Silence.
Then—
It moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
One second it was standing there—
The next—
It was right in front of us.
I didn’t even have time to scream.
Arsen reacted instantly.
His arm shot out, shoving me behind him as he collided with the thing head-on.
The impact shook the entire hallway.
Walls cracked.
Wood splintered.
The sound—
Deafening.
I hit the floor hard, my vision spinning.
“Arsen!” I cried out.
He didn’t answer.
Because he was already fighting.
And this—
This wasn’t like the rogues.
This wasn’t physical.
Not entirely.
Every time he struck it—
His hand passed through part of it.
Like it wasn’t fully there.
But when it hit him—
It landed.
Hard.
I heard the impact.
Felt it.
Even from where I was.
“Stay back!” he shouted.
Like I was going anywhere.
I struggled to sit up, my chest still burning.
My eyes locked onto them.
On him.
On the way he moved.
Fast.
Precise.
Deadly.
He wasn’t holding back.
Not even a little.
And still—
It wasn’t enough.
The thing didn’t bleed.
Didn’t slow down.
Didn’t react like anything normal.
It just kept coming.
Relentless.
Hungry.
Focused.
On me.
Every movement it made—
Every shift—
Was angled toward me.
Even while fighting him.
“No…” I whispered.
It didn’t care about him.
Not really.
He was just in the way.
A barrier.
And barriers—
Could be broken.
“Arsen… it wants me…” I said, panic rising in my voice.
“I know.”
His tone didn’t change.
Didn’t waver.
But I felt it—
That tension.
That urgency.
That fear.
“You need to leave,” he said suddenly.
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“Go.”
“I’m not leaving you!”
“You’re not leaving me,” he snapped. “You’re getting out of its reach.”
“I’m not running again!”
“This isn’t a debate!”
The thing lunged again.
Faster.
Stronger.
Arsen blocked it, but the force pushed him back this time.
Just slightly.
But enough.
Enough to scare me.
Because he hadn’t moved like that before.
Not once.
“Arsen—!”
“GO!” he roared.
The command slammed into me.
Through the bond.
Through my body.
Through everything.
My muscles locked.
Then moved.
Against my will.
“No—!” I gasped, fighting it. “Stop—!”
Too late.
My body turned.
Started moving.
Step by step.
Away from him.
Away from the fight.
Tears burned in my eyes.
“I hate you for this…” I whispered.
But he didn’t respond.
Couldn’t.
He was too busy—
Surviving.
I stumbled down the hallway, my chest aching, my mind screaming to go back.
To help.
To do something.
Anything.
But I was useless.
Completely.
And I hated it.
Another crash echoed behind me.
Louder than before.
Followed by something else.
A sound I didn’t want to recognize.
Pain.
His pain.
I stopped.
My entire body froze.
“No…”
The bond pulsed violently.
I could feel him.
Stronger than ever before.
His anger.
His strength.
His—
Pain.
I turned.
I couldn’t help it.
Didn’t care about his command anymore.
Didn’t care about anything except—
Him.
“Arsen…”
And then—
I saw it.
At the end of the hallway.
Through the broken walls.
Through the chaos.
He was on one knee.
Breathing hard.
Blood dripping from his side.
And the thing—
Standing over him.
Unharmed.
Untouched.
Waiting.
My heart shattered.
“No…”
My feet moved before I could think.
Before I could stop myself.
Before I could be smart.
I ran back.
Straight toward them.
“Hey!”
My voice echoed through the broken hallway.
The thing turned.
Slowly.
Its attention shifting.
From him—
To me.
Good.
That’s what I wanted.
Right?
“Leave him alone!” I shouted, my hands shaking.
My entire body trembling.
But I didn’t stop.
Didn’t slow down.
Because if it wanted me—
Then it would have to go through me.
Arsen’s head snapped up.
“What are you doing?!” he growled.
“Saving your life!” I shot back.
“Get out of here!”
“No!”
The thing tilted its head again.
Watching me.
Interested.
Curious.
Hungry.
“…Mine…”
My chest burned violently.
I gasped, but forced myself to stay standing.
“You want me?” I said, my voice shaking but loud.
“Then come get me.”
Silence.
A heartbeat.
Two.
Then—
It moved.
Straight toward me.
Fast.
Terrifying.
Unstoppable.
My heart pounded.
This was it.
This was—
“Enough!”
The roar shook everything.
Arsen.
I didn’t even see him move.
One second he was behind me—
The next—
He was in front of me.
Again.
Always.
Between me and danger.
His energy exploded outward.
Wild.
Uncontrolled.
Furious.
This wasn’t the calm Alpha from before.
This was something else.
Something primal.
Something deadly.
“You don’t get to take what’s mine,” he growled.
The air cracked.
Literally cracked.
Like something invisible had just broken.
The thing paused.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
Arsen stepped forward.
His eyes glowing brighter than ever before.
His entire presence overwhelming.
Dominant.
Absolute.
“Get out,” he said.
Not loud.
Not shouted.
But it carried.
Power.
Authority.
Command.
The thing flickered.
Unstable.
“…Alpha…”
“Yes,” he said coldly.
“And you’re in my territory.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Tense.
Then slowly—
The thing began to fade.
Not retreating.
Not running.
Just…
Disappearing.
Like it was never fully here to begin with.
But before it vanished completely—
Its voice echoed one last time.
“…Soon…”
Then—
Nothing.
Gone.
The hallway fell silent.
Broken.
Destroyed.
But empty.
I couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t move.
Couldn’t think.
Until—
Arsen turned.
And looked at me.
Anger.
Relief.
Fear.
All mixed together.
“What did you just do?” he demanded.
My throat tightened.
“I… I couldn’t just leave you…”
“You could have died!”
“So could you!”
Silence.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Then suddenly—
He grabbed me.
Pulled me into him.
Hard.
Tight.
Like he was making sure I was real.
Alive.
Here.
“You don’t do that again,” he said roughly.
My heart pounded against his chest.
“Then don’t almost die,” I shot back weakly.
For a second—
Nothing.
Then—
A breath.
A shift.
His hold tightened slightly.
“You’re impossible,” he muttered.
“And you’re not?” I whispered back.
A pause.
Then—
Something unexpected.
A quiet, almost invisible exhale.
“No,” he admitted.
And somehow—
That made everything feel even more dangerous.
Because this—
This wasn’t just survival anymore.
This wasn’t just a bond.
This was something deeper.
Stronger.
And if that thing came back—
I wasn’t sure either of us would survive it.
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