The pack grounds had never felt so divided.
Tension simmered through the ranks like heat lightning before a summer storm. Whispers traveled faster than howls about the rogues, about Aria's power, and most dangerously… about Kael. His authority, once absolute, now cracked under the weight of uncertainty. All it took was fear and a few carefully sown seeds of doubt.
And someone had begun planting them.
Kael stood in the center of the clearing before the Great Stone, the sacred meeting place of Alphas. His shoulders were squared, his jaw locked tight. Around him, ranked warriors and elders watched in silence as Alpha Thorne of the Hollow Ash Pack stepped forward, his expression full of calculated calm.
Thorne had always been a predator in disguise charming in public, ruthless behind closed doors. Today, he wore no charm.
"You've brought chaos to our lands, Kael," Thorne said, voice loud enough for all to hear. "You claim to act for your pack, but you've endangered us all by bonding with a female who's clearly not just wolf."
Aria stood at the edge of the clearing, fists clenched at her sides. Her presence was like a live wire; some looked at her with awe, others with suspicion. Even her supporters didn't know what to make of her power. The mark glowed faintly beneath her skin, as if responding to the hostility in the air.
"She is mine," Kael said, every word a thunderclap. "She is of my blood now. My mate. That bond is sacred and it is law."
Thorne sneered. "Then the law must be rewritten. Because what's sacred shouldn't burn down half a forest and send enemy packs running like cowards. You've made us a target."
"I didn't start the fire," Aria snapped. "But I'll finish what your fear keeps feeding."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Aria didn't care. She wouldn't be silent not anymore.
Thorne's eyes narrowed. "You dare threaten a sitting Alpha?"
"No," she said coldly. "I'm warning you not to underestimate me."
A growl rose from the back of the gathering. Another Alpha Brigg of the Iron Claw Pack stepped forward, eyes flickering gold.
"Enough posturing," he growled. "This isn't about power. This is about control. Kael's bond has upset the balance. The Council must decide if he's fit to rule."
The ancient words hung heavy in the air.
Kael's chest tightened.
This was it.
A challenge.
Under the old laws, when an Alpha's leadership was questioned, there was only one way to answer: war. Not between packs, but among Alphas. A brutal, primal contest of strength, strategy, and dominance. No rules. No mercy.
"I accept the challenge," Kael said without hesitation.
Aria stepped forward in alarm. "Kael "
He raised a hand. "I have to. If I don't, they'll take you from me."
Thorne smirked. "The Alpha War will commence at dawn. Three trials. One victor. The loser steps down. Permanently."
With that, the council disbanded, leaving Kael and Aria alone in the center of the clearing, surrounded by whispers and wary glances.
Back at the den, the firelight flickered across Kael's face. Aria watched him silently, struggling to calm the storm building inside her.
"You didn't have to do this," she said quietly.
"I did. They'll never accept you if they don't accept me first."
"You don't have to fight for me."
"I'm not fighting for you," he said, stepping closer. "I'm fighting because without you, I don't recognize myself anymore."
She looked away, her voice cracking. "You could die, Kael."
"Then I'll die with your name on my lips and your scent in my lungs."
She couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe.
He touched her cheek gently. "But I won't die. I've fought for this pack my whole life. Now I fight for you too."
Aria swallowed hard. "Then let me help."
"No. The Alpha War must be fought alone."
She stared into his eyes, feeling the pull of the bond like a current between them.
"Then I'll be waiting," she whispered. "But if you fall"
"I won't."
When dawn broke, the first trial began.
The Circle of Stone was lined with warriors from every pack. The air was thick with smoke and power. Kael stood in the center with his shirt stripped, the mark of his rank painted in ash across his chest. His opponent Thorne grinned like a wolf before the kill.
Trial One: Endurance.
Each Alpha would face a gauntlet of pain, silver lashings, bone-breaking weight, a test of willpower and resolve. Aria watched in horror as Kael was strapped to the trial pole, silver blades pressed to his flesh. But he didn't scream. Not once.
He locked eyes with her across the ring, and she saw it.
Not pain.
Fury.
Love.
Resolve.
He would endure anything.
For her.
By nightfall, two more trials would follow—one of combat, and one of loyalty. But as the first ended and Kael was released, bloodied but unbroken, Aria felt something shift in the air.
Something darker than Thorne's ambition.
She turned slowly, her senses prickling.
And saw him.
A man with eyes like molten bronze, standing at the edge of the gathering.
Not part of any pack.
Not part of the council.
But watching her.
As their eyes met, he smiled.
And Aria's blood ran cold.
Who is the stranger with the bronze eyes and why does Aria feel like he's been watching her long before the bond ever began?