Emilia’s POV:

Chaos.

That was the only word that could describe what unfolded around me.

Claws met flesh. Teeth sank into fur. The sounds of growls and snapping bones filled the air, echoing through the forest like a storm. The Silverthorn wolves had crossed the line—literally—and now the border was painted in blood.

I ducked beneath a lunging wolf, feeling his claws rip through the sleeve of my jacket. My pulse pounded in my ears as I spun, landing a kick that sent him sprawling backward. Before he could recover, I shifted.

The world exploded into sound and scent.

My wolf burst forth, a silver blur under the moonlight, and the primal rush of the shift roared through my veins. The air smelled of pine, blood, and fury. My heart thrummed with power, but also with something deeper—fear.

I was the Alpha now. If I fell, my pack would crumble.

A Silverthorn wolf charged toward me. I met him mid-leap, teeth finding his shoulder, blood spilling across my muzzle. He yelped, retreating, and I turned just in time to see another coming from behind. Before he reached me, a massive black wolf collided with him, sending him flying into a tree.

Damian.

Even in wolf form, he radiated power—dark, merciless, controlled chaos. His wolf was enormous, larger than any I’d ever seen. Every movement was calculated, every attack precise. He wasn’t just fighting—he was commanding.

I didn’t know whether to be furious or grateful that he’d joined the fight.

Our packs were clashing in a blur of fur and fangs, but somewhere in the chaos, I realized something strange. The Silverthorn wolves weren’t attacking with killing intent. They were testing. Pushing us. Waiting.

Waiting for what?

A piercing howl split the night—a signal. The fighting stopped all at once. Wolves stepped back, panting, blood dripping into the dirt. My pack gathered around me, growls low but controlled.

And from the shadows, a figure stepped forward.

He shifted mid-stride, fur dissolving into skin, until he stood tall—broad shoulders, cold eyes, and a scar running down his cheek.

Alpha Kade.

The Silverthorn Pack’s second-in-command. Damian’s right hand.

My stomach twisted.

“Kade,” I growled, shifting back to human form, chest heaving. “You crossed the border.”

He smirked, his gaze sliding over me like I was something to dissect. “Testing your defense, Alpha.” His tone dripped with mock respect. “We needed to see if you still had any bite left after your father’s death.”

“You think this is a game?” I snapped. “You brought war to my territory!”

“Not war,” he said simply. “A message.”

I stepped closer. “Then deliver it and get out.”

Kade tilted his head, but his eyes flickered past me—to Damian.

I turned, frowning. Damian stood behind me, calm and silent, his gaze locked on Kade with a warning that even I could feel.

Kade smirked again. “She’s spirited,” he said, voice low. “No wonder you’re keeping an eye on her.”

My blood ran cold. Keeping an eye on me? What did that mean?

Damian didn’t answer him. His eyes, however, darkened in a way that made the Silverthorn wolves take an instinctive step back. The dominance rolling off him was suffocating.

“Get out of my territory,” I ordered, stepping between them. “Now.”

Kade’s grin widened. “As you wish, Alpha.” He gave me a mocking bow before turning, shifting back into his wolf, and disappearing into the trees with the rest of his pack.

Only when the last growl faded into silence did I realize I was trembling. My breath came in shallow bursts. The adrenaline, the fear, the fury—it all hit me at once.

Damian was still watching me.

“What the hell was that?” I demanded, turning on him. “Your pack just attacked mine!”

“They disobeyed my direct order,” he said coolly, though his jaw was tight. “Kade overstepped.”

“You expect me to believe that?” I snapped. “You expect me to believe this wasn’t planned?”

Damian stepped forward until he was inches from me. “If I wanted to destroy your pack, Emilia,” he said softly, dangerously, “I wouldn’t send a dozen wolves. I’d come myself.”

I hated that my pulse quickened at the way he said my name.

I hated that I believed him.

Before I could reply, Leo—the pack’s beta—approached, his face pale. “Emilia, one of ours is missing.”

“What?” I turned sharply. “Who?”

“Lara,” he said grimly. “She was on border patrol before the attack. We can’t find her anywhere.”

My stomach dropped. “Find her. Now.”

Leo nodded and rushed off. I turned back to Damian. “If she’s hurt, or if your pack had anything to do with this—”

“She’s alive,” Damian interrupted.

I froze. “What?”

His gaze flickered toward the trees. “They took her.”

My heart stuttered. “They what?”

Damian’s voice was low, almost too calm. “Kade doesn’t act without reason. Taking one of yours means they’re after something—or someone.”

My blood turned to ice. “Me.”

He didn’t deny it.

An hour later, we stood inside the war room—a dim, stone-walled chamber beneath the main house, filled with maps and strategy boards. The pack was restless, on edge, whispering among themselves as they awaited orders.

I tried to steady my breathing, but my hands wouldn’t stop trembling. Lara was one of my most loyal guards. If Kade had her… I didn’t even want to think about what that meant.

Damian leaned against the table, silent, watching me. He hadn’t left my side since the fight ended, and that unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.

“You can glare all you want,” he said finally, “but glaring doesn’t bring her back.”

I turned on him. “You seem awfully calm for someone whose pack just kidnapped one of my wolves.”

“Because panic gets you killed,” he replied evenly. “And because I know Kade. He wouldn’t touch her unless he wanted to draw you out.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Draw me out for what?”

“That’s what we need to find out,” he said.

I hated that he was right. Hated that his voice had that commanding calm that made everyone in the room pause to listen. Even my own pack members looked at him like he was the one giving orders.

I stepped forward, slamming my hands on the table. “Enough. This is my pack. My territory. My fight.”

Damian’s eyes flickered with something—amusement, maybe. “Then act like it.”

The room fell silent.

I stared at him, fury bubbling in my chest. “You think you can walk in here and talk to me like that?”

He pushed off the table and moved closer, slow and deliberate, until his breath was hot against my ear. “I think,” he murmured, “you’re scared. And if you can’t admit that, you’ll get everyone here killed.”

My heart raced, a mix of anger and something I didn’t want to name. His proximity burned. His words burned worse.

“I’m not scared of you,” I whispered.

He smirked. “You should be.”

Before I could react, Leo burst back into the room, panting. “We found her!”

I spun around. “Where?”

He hesitated. “She’s… not here. But she sent a signal. She’s in the abandoned mine on the north ridge.”

I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door. Damian caught my wrist. “You’re not going alone.”

I glared up at him. “Try and stop me.”

His eyes darkened. “You have no idea what you’re walking into.”

“Then you’d better keep up,” I snapped, pulling free.

He growled low under his breath but followed.

The night swallowed us as we reached the ridge. The old mines were deep, half-collapsed tunnels that had been abandoned decades ago after a cave-in. Now they reeked of rust and danger. The scent of blood was faint but unmistakable.

I shifted to my wolf form, padding silently beside Damian as we moved through the darkness. His black fur brushed against mine once, briefly, and something electric sparked between us. The bond. The one I didn’t want to acknowledge.

Then I heard it—faint breathing. A whimper.

Lara.

We moved faster. The tunnel widened, and there she was—chained to a post, bruised but alive. Relief washed through me, but before I could move closer, Damian’s growl rumbled through the air.

“Trap,” he snarled.

Too late.

The blast hit before I could even blink.

An explosion ripped through the mine, sending rocks crashing from the ceiling. The shockwave threw me back against the wall, my vision blurring from the impact. Dust filled the air, choking me as I tried to stand.

Damian shifted back to human form, dragging me behind a rock just as another blast echoed deeper inside. The entire tunnel was collapsing.

“Move!” he barked.

I tried to push him away. “Lara—”

“She’s gone!” he shouted. “We have to go!”

I froze, pain slicing through me like a blade. No. No, she can’t be.

But the ceiling caved in before I could think. Damian grabbed me, yanking me into a side tunnel as the world turned to fire and dust. The sound of the collapse was deafening. I could feel my wolf screaming inside me.

When the dust settled, everything was silent.

We were trapped.

I turned to Damian, my voice trembling. “She’s dead.”

His hand cupped my face, forcing me to look at him. “She died protecting you,” he said softly. “Don’t make it for nothing.”

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “They’ll pay for this.”

His gaze darkened. “Oh, they will.”

A faint sound echoed down the tunnel—footsteps.

We weren’t alone.

Damian’s hand dropped from my face, his expression shifting instantly. His eyes met mine, cold and focused. “They’re hunting us.”

I straightened, heart hammering. “Then let’s make them regret it.”

He grinned—a dark, wolfish grin that sent a shiver down my spine. “Now that’s the Alpha I was waiting for.”