Chapter 6 – The Challenge
373 Words
The howl echoed through the cabin like a warning bell.
Rylan was already moving before I could speak, pulling on a black shirt and strapping a leather band around his forearm. His golden eyes burned with something fierce — not fear, but anticipation.
“What is it?” I asked, my voice tight.
“An Alpha challenge,” he said, not looking at me. “Someone wants my position. And my mate.”
I froze. “Mate? I never agreed—”
“You don’t get a choice,” he cut in, his tone sharp enough to slice. “Not in this.”
Before I could argue, the door slammed open and Kai entered. His grey eyes flicked to me briefly, then back to Rylan. “Darius Kane is at the border. He’s brought rogues.”
Rylan’s jaw flexed. “Of course he has.”
Kai hesitated before adding, “He’s demanding to see her.”
“Over my dead body,” Rylan growled.
The air between the two men was tense, thick with unspoken history. Kai finally glanced at me, his voice gentler. “Stay inside. No matter what you hear.”
But of course, I didn’t listen.
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Through the cabin window, I saw them — two groups facing each other in the snowy clearing. Rylan stood tall, his dark hair ruffled by the wind, his posture radiating dominance. Across from him, Darius Kane — tall, lean, with sharp cheekbones and ice-pale eyes. Even from here, his smirk was venom.
“This your mate?” Darius called, his voice carrying easily. “Or just another pretty thing to break?”
A low growl rumbled from Rylan’s chest. “Leave, Darius. Now.”
“Not without her,” Darius said. “The prophecy doesn’t belong to you alone.”
Something shifted in the air. In an instant, Rylan was no longer standing — he was shifting, fur ripping through skin, muscles twisting until his massive wolf form stood ready for war.
The fight exploded before I could blink. Claws, teeth, snow and blood.
When it was over, Darius was gone, retreating into the woods with a promise tossed over his shoulder.
“This isn’t finished, Blackthorn. The moon hasn’t chosen yet.”
- Writer
