The courtyard rang with the sound of the war-horn.

Aria stood in the shadows of the keep, her heart pounding as the pack gathered, wolves in their hundreds filling the stone yard. The air buzzed with tension—anticipation laced with fear.

Rylan’s voice carried over the crowd. “Alpha Kael of Ironfang has issued challenge.”

The words fell heavy. A murmur rippled through the wolves—some growling in approval, others shifting uneasily.

Aria’s fingers tightened in her cloak. She knew enough of wolf law to understand: a challenge wasn’t a skirmish. It was a trial of blood. One Alpha against another. The winner claimed not just dominance, but the right to whatever terms had been demanded.

And Kael had made his terms clear.

Damian stepped forward. The murmurs fell into silence at the sheer weight of his presence. He looked carved from stone and fire, golden eyes glowing like embers.

“I accept,” he said, voice deep, carrying across the courtyard.

The crowd roared, but Aria could only hear her own heartbeat. If Damian fell, Kael wouldn’t just take Shadowpine’s land. He’d take her.

Her stomach twisted. She wanted to run to him, to beg him not to risk everything—but she saw the set of his shoulders, the steel in his gaze. This wasn’t just duty. This was survival.

Later, in the quiet of his chamber, she found him lacing his leathers. His movements were sharp, efficient, but she could see the storm raging under his skin.

“You don’t have to do this,” she blurted.

His head snapped up, golden eyes locking on hers. “I do.”

She crossed the room, her hands trembling. “Kael wants me, Damian. This isn’t about territory—it’s about us. If you fight him, you’re admitting it. You’re making me the prize in a blood war.”

His jaw clenched. “You think I don’t know that?”

“Then why?”

“Because he’ll come for you whether I fight or not,” he said harshly. “Better to end it now, with my claws at his throat, than to wait until he takes more than he already has.”

Her chest tightened. His words were brutal, but beneath them was something else—fear. Not for himself. For her.

She swallowed hard. “Then let me stand with you.”

He froze. “No.”

“Damian—”

He was on her in a heartbeat, his hands gripping her shoulders, his gaze fierce. “If Kael even touches you, I’ll tear him apart. But I can’t fight him if I’m watching you bleed. Do you understand? The bond—” His voice cracked. “The bond would break me.”

Her heart splintered. Slowly, she lifted her hands to his chest, feeling the frantic beat of his heart. “Then let me be your strength, not your weakness. Please.”

For a moment, silence. His forehead pressed to hers, his breath harsh, his body taut with restraint. She thought he might kiss her again—she wanted him to.

Instead, he whispered, raw and broken, “Stay alive for me.”

Her throat ached, but she nodded.

The clearing chosen for the duel was a place of ancient law—a circle of stone at the forest’s edge, where countless Alphas had spilled blood before.

The Shadowpine wolves lined one side, Ironfang the other. The air was thick with the scent of earth and tension, the moon hanging pale above.

Aria stood at the edge of her pack, her fists clenched, her heart in her throat. Every instinct screamed to run to Damian, to stand by his side—but law held her in place.

Kael entered first, his silver eyes glinting, his smirk cruel. He looked at her before he looked at Damian. “You’ll look good in Ironfang colors,” he taunted.

A growl tore from Damian’s chest, deep and feral. He stepped into the circle, every inch Alpha, his golden gaze locked on his rival.

“This ends tonight,” Damian said.

Kael bared his teeth. “Agreed.”

The elders stepped forward, chanting the old words, binding the challenge in law. No interference. No retreat. Fight until submission—or death.

Aria’s pulse raced. She gripped the stone at her side, whispering a prayer to gods she didn’t even believe in.

The horn sounded.

Kael shifted first, his body exploding into a massive silver wolf, eyes cold and hungry. Damian followed, his form breaking, reshaping into shadow and gold, larger, darker, his growl shaking the ground itself.

The duel began.

They clashed in a storm of fur and fang, muscle and blood. The sound of impact echoed through the clearing—teeth snapping, claws raking, snarls that shook Aria to her bones.

Every blow Damian landed, she felt in her chest. Every wound Kael struck, her mark burned hotter, as though the bond itself bled with him.

“Come on,” she whispered desperately. “Fight, Damian. Fight for us.”

And in the circle, as Kael lunged, Damian’s golden eyes flicked once—just once—toward her.

It was enough.

He struck with renewed fury, his jaws clamping around Kael’s throat, driving him to the ground.

The clearing erupted in roars.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Because Kael, bloodied and pinned, began to laugh.