The ride home should’ve been quiet.

But silence never really felt silent when Ryker was next to me.

I stared out the window of the black SUV, the lights of the Red Moon Pack fading behind us like a bad dream I kept waking into. For some reason I didn't know my dress suddenly felt too tight and I couldn't wait to take it off.

My skin itched with the heat of Darius’s gaze, even though we were miles away now. He had looked at me like a man haunted by a ghost and it felt so satisfying. Let him be haunted.

“You did well tonight,” Ryker said softly, breaking the silence. “Even I wasn’t sure you’d go through with it.” he added.

“I didn’t do it for you,” I replied, not bothering to meet his gaze.

His mouth quivered into a knowing smirk. “I know. You did it for her.”

I didn’t answer.

Lena was home, sleeping, warm and safe.

And I would burn down this entire pack before I let anyone take that from her, especially Darius.

---

**Earlier at the ceremony**

The grand ballroom of the Red Moon Pack shimmered with candlelight and polished gold. High-ranking wolves circled like predators dressed in silk, each conversation a veiled threat. I stood at Ryker’s side, a vision of calm in black velvet.

The music stopped. The murmurs died.

“I don’t believe it,” Darius growled. His voice cut through the tension like a blade.

The entire room froze. Tension curled around us like smoke.

“She’s mine. My mate.” His gaze seared into Ryker’s. “This is a lie.”

Ryker stepped forward, smiling coolly. “No. It’s not a lie and she's not your mate.”

Darius snarled. His power cracked in the air like a whip. Omegas dropped to their knees. Betas stood tall but tense, caught between instinct and loyalty.

Even I felt it—the force of his heartbreak. His fury, his disbelief but I didn’t flinch. I stood tall beside Ryker,unbothered, untouchable sucking in the drama being displayed.

“She rejected you,” Ryker said evenly. “You lost her. You buried her memory. And now… she’s mine.”

“I never rejected her!” Darius shouted, fists clenched. “I would never—”

“But she rejected you, I rejected you Darius” I interrupted.

Every eye turned towards me. I met Darius's eyes without wavering.

“I jumped off a cliff to get away from you. What part of that didn’t feel like rejection?”

He flinched. My words were a slap he hadn't expected. Good.

“I still feel the bond,” he whispered, pain bleeding into his voice. “You do too. Don’t lie.”

I felt it, too. A tug deep in my chest, a thread pulling taut between us but I shoved it down, I had to because it didn't matter.

“I feel nothing, Darius.” I lied.

The room held its breath.

Ryker’s smile sharpened. “And now, as Alpha of the Blackfang Pack with my Luna Octavia, I’ve decided to claim what should’ve never been yours.”

Darius’s eyes narrowed to slits. “What are you saying?”

“I’m challenging you,” Ryker said, voice calm and deadly. “For the Alpha title of Red Moon.”

Gasps erupted.

“You can’t—”

“I can,” Ryker snapped. “You’re not the only heir to the bloodline. And under Northern law, I can challenge you for the title… if I have a mate by my side.”

All eyes shifted to me and of course, I didn’t blink. I help my head up with a smile.

Let them see what I had become. I was ready to burn this place to the ground.

---

**Now**

The trees thickened as we neared the border, headlights casting long shadows across the path.

“You know what comes next,” Ryker said, tapping his fingers against the wheel.

“Yeah,” I murmured, staring out at the dense forest. “War.”

He glanced at me, expression unreadable. “Are you sure you’re ready for that?”

I met his gaze with an unshaken voice.

“No one’s ever been more ready.”

He gave a short nod, but something flickered in his eyes. Approval? Worry? I wasn’t sure.

All I knew was that this time, I wasn’t walking into a battlefield unarmed. I was the storm.

---

**Back inside Red Moon territory**

The ballroom crackled with fury.

“I’m challenging you,” Ryker repeated, voice ringing out like a war drum. “For the Alpha title of Red Moon.”

The room broke into chaos.

Darius stepped forward, radiating fury. “You’re not serious.”

“Oh, I am,” Ryker replied smoothly. “I’ve let you rule long enough. But you’ve become careless—distracted.”

His eyes slid to me for just a second. This wasn’t just about the title.This was about us.Two brothers, one mate.

And I was the spark that would ignite them.

“I refuse,” Darius snarled. “You have no right.”

“The council will decide,” Ryker said. “And if they approve,we fight. Blood Blade combat, to the death.” The words hung like smoke.

I felt a flicker of panic, buried beneath layers of steel. I had imagined war—but not *this*. Not brother against brother.

Darius stepped closer. The crowd melted around us. It felt like we were the only ones in the room.

His voice dropped, low and raw. “Tell me this isn’t what you want.”

Memories clawed at me—his touch, his lies, the night I almost died. I stared him down, unflinching but deep down his closeness was doing more harm to my body.

“I told you,” I whispered. “I didn’t come back to forgive you...” He flinched.

“I came to destroy you.” and this time, he believed me.