Rejected and Claimed by his Best Friend, Book 1

Chapter 30: Teeth Bared (Remi's POV)

The moment I stepped outside, I could feel it—the shift in the air, the tension crawling along my skin. The Crescent Moon warriors were already gathering, each of them alert and ready, the way they should be.

Theo was at my side, his jaw tight, his posture rigid. His wolf, always close to the surface, was practically pacing under his skin. Mine—Black—was just as restless. He hated the idea of lycans anywhere near our borders, and honestly, so did I.

“They’re stationed at the eastern line,” Theo said, keeping pace with me as we made our way through the trees. “Six enforcers. Four lycans.”

I growled low in my throat. Silvermoon wasn’t wasting time. They wanted to provoke us, and test our response. See how strong we really were.

“They won’t cross,” I said coldly. “Not tonight.”

Theo smirked, sharp and wolfish. “And if they do?”

I bared my teeth in a grin that had no humor in it. “Then we remind them who they're dealing with.”

As we reached the edge of the territory, I slowed, raising a hand to signal the others to hold position. I could see them now—dark shapes moving just beyond the border. Their scents, thick and musky, carried on the wind, making my wolf bristle.

Silvermoon enforcers. Lycans.

One of them—a tall figure with a scar slicing down his face—stepped forward. He was clearly the leader of their little group. He stood just inches from the line, close enough that one wrong move would be an act of war.

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down.

“What do you want?” I called out, my voice carrying easily across the distance.

The scarred lycan smirked, his teeth flashing white in the darkness. “Just stretching our legs, Alpha Remi. Thought we’d come to see the famous Crescent Moon territory for ourselves.”

I felt Theo tense beside me, but I didn’t move.

“You’ve seen it,” I said coolly. “Now turn around and leave before you regret it.”

The lycan laughed—a deep, ugly sound that made Black snarl in my head.

“We’re not here to fight, Alpha. Just observing. No need to get territorial.”

“Funny,” I said, my voice low. “Because that’s exactly what you’re doing.”

The Lycan’s eyes gleamed with malice. “We heard you’ve been harboring a traitor. One of ours. Thought we’d come to say hello.”

My fists clenched at my sides. They were talking about Alice. They wanted her back. Over my dead body.

“She’s under my protection now,” I said, voice dangerously soft. “She’s none of your business.”

The Lycan’s grin widened. “We’ll see about that.”

Without another word, he turned and stalked back toward his pack, the others following him with lingering, hostile glances.

Theo let out a low growl. “They’ll be back.”

“I know,” I said, my gaze locked on their retreating forms. “But next time, we won’t just talk.”

I stayed there for a long moment, watching the darkness swallow them up. Only when I was sure they were gone did I turn back toward the pack house.

Theo matched my pace, his expression grim.

“They’re going to come for her,” he said. “Sooner or later.”

“I’m counting on it,” I replied, my voice like steel.

Because when they came for Alice, they would learn what it meant to threaten someone I cared about. They would learn the true strength of Crescent Moon—and the fury of a wolf who had everything to lose.

By the time we reached the pack house again, the warriors had begun to disperse, the tension easing just slightly.

I caught a glimpse of movement by the window—Alice, her silhouette framed in the soft glow of light. She was watching, waiting. For me.

My heart squeezed painfully tight in my chest.

She didn’t know it yet. Maybe she wouldn’t for a long time. But she wasn’t just a responsibility to me anymore. She was something more. Something precious.

And I would kill anyone who tried to take her from me.

Theo clapped me on the back before heading off toward the patrol shed.

“You coming?” he asked.

“In a minute,” I said, not taking my eyes off the window.

I needed a moment. Needed to make sure my wolf was fully caged again before I faced her. Black was too close to the surface, his protective rage barely contained.

I breathed in deeply, centering myself.

Alice was safe.

For now.

But this was only the beginning.

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