CHAPTER 6: His Claim

Darius’s eyes blazed with fury as he stepped forward, his fingers twitching at his sides.

"You think you can just come into my pack’s domain and take what’s mine?"

Kane didn’t flinch. His posture remained unwavering, his expression carved from stone.

"You think you’re worthy of her?" Darius spat, his rage making his voice raw. "You can’t even control your own curse!"

The insult struck like a thunderclap, but Kane gave no outward reaction. Instead, his gaze shifted—locking onto me. His amber eyes burned with something unreadable, sending a shiver down my spine. My heart stammered in a confusing mix of relief and dread.

Darius moved first. His hand shot out, lightning fast, aiming to strike—but Kane was faster. In a blur of motion, Kane’s fist connected with Darius’s ribs. A sickening crack echoed through the grand hall as the impact sent Darius crashing into a marble pillar. The entire room seemed to inhale at once.

Kane exhaled slowly, stepping forward with the lethal grace of a predator. His eyes glowed, his voice a dark promise.

"You should have stayed in your place, Darius."

A low growl rumbled from deep within Darius’s chest as he staggered back to his feet. He wiped blood from his mouth, his jaw clenched with fury, but there was something else in his gaze—something deeper. Something personal.

Without another word, he ripped off his shirt. Muscles rippled beneath his skin as his body began to shift, bones snapping and reforming. Thick brown fur erupted across his frame, his limbs elongating, his fingers curling into deadly claws. A guttural snarl tore from his throat as his transformation completed.

The massive brown wolf that now stood in his place exuded raw power, its golden eyes gleaming with bloodlust.

The shift sent a ripple of tension through the air. I swallowed hard.

Then Kane moved.

His body expanded, clothes tearing apart as his transformation took hold. Dark, ink-black fur sprouted over his form, his figure doubling in size. His glowing amber eyes locked onto Darius like a predator sighting prey. The air around him felt charged, like a storm about to break.

The room was deathly silent for a heartbeat.

Then the wolves collided.

Kane lunged first, his enormous paws slamming into Darius’s chest, knocking him back against the marble columns. Dust and debris rained down, the impact sending shockwaves through the room. Darius retaliated instantly, twisting with startling speed as his claws slashed toward Kane’s throat.

Kane dodged.

A blur of motion. A flash of gleaming fangs.

Darius snarled as Kane’s teeth tore into his shoulder, shaking him violently before throwing him aside. But Darius was nothing if not resilient. He twisted midair, landing heavily on all fours before launching himself at Kane once more.

The fight was brutal. Primal.

Their bodies crashed into the floor, sending cracks spider-webbing through the marble. Snarls and the sickening crunch of bone filled the air. Blood splattered the pristine stone beneath them, the scent thick and coppery.

I had never seen such violence.

Each strike. Each growl. Each desperate attempt to gain the upper hand. It was a dance of destruction, savage and unrelenting.

This wasn’t just about dominance. This was something deeper. More personal.

The door burst open, and I barely registered the pack guards flooding in, their weapons half-raised, hesitation flickering in their eyes.

Darius, still in wolf form, barked sharply.

"Stay out of this!"

The guards froze, exchanging uncertain glances. His authority pinned them in place, and none dared to intervene.

The battle raged on.

Darius managed to latch onto Kane’s leg, his fangs sinking deep. Kane let out a furious growl, his muscles tensing as he twisted, yanking free before slamming his massive frame into Darius, sending them both skidding across the blood-slicked floor.

Then Kane saw his opening.

With terrifying speed, he lunged, fangs sinking into Darius’s throat.

Darius thrashed, a strangled snarl ripping from his throat, but Kane’s grip was unyielding. Blood poured from the wound, staining Kane’s muzzle, pooling beneath them.

And then—Darius’s movements slowed.

His body twitched once.

Then stilled.

For a heartbeat, there was nothing but silence.

Kane’s black wolf loomed over Darius, his hot breath searing the man's skin as he spoke in a voice that could chill the blood of any Alpha.

“This is the price of crossing me.”

Then he released him, stepping back. His hulking form loomed over the fallen brown wolf, his chest rising and falling with deep, measured breaths.

Darius lay motionless, his flank rising and falling shallowly. Alive, but defeated.

Kane shifted first. His form rippled, shrinking back into his human shape. Dark blood streaked his bare skin, muscles flexing as he straightened. He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his sweat-dampened hair.

His gaze flickered toward me.

And then he moved.

In one swift motion, he was in front of me, scooping me into his arms as if I weighed nothing. A sharp gasp escaped my lips, but I barely had time to react.

His grip was firm. Unrelenting.

The scent of blood and sweat clung to him, a reminder of what had just transpired. My mind screamed at me to resist—to struggle—but my body remained frozen in his grasp.

Kane’s tone was low, but it carried a lethal edge.

"Weak. I expected more."

His words weren’t directed at me.

His gaze remained on the fallen Darius, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. Then, without another glance back, he turned, carrying me with him as he strode through the grand hall.

The guards watched in stunned silence, none daring to stop him.

I glanced over his shoulder, my pulse hammering.

Darius—bloodied, battered, broken—remained on the ground. His chest still moved, his breathing shallow but steady.

I should have felt satisfaction. Relief.

But all I felt was dread.

As Kane carried me away, the weight of his victory pressed down on me like a chain I couldn't break. The atmosphere was thick with the scent of blood, and my pulse roared in my ears. The guards parted before him, their eyes downcast, unwilling to challenge the Alpha who had just torn through his opponent without mercy.

Darius’s ragged breaths still echoed behind us, but I dared not look back again. He had fought for me—fought with everything he had—and still, he had lost. The thought sent a sharp pang through my chest, though I couldn't decide if it was guilt, sorrow, or something else entirely.

Kane’s grip tightened around me as we passed through the towering doors of the grand hall. Outside, the night air was cold, crisp—yet it did nothing to cool the fire burning beneath his skin. His body was rigid, his jaw locked, and though his expression remained unreadable, I could feel the storm raging within him.

I swallowed hard. "What now?" My voice barely rose above a whisper, but I knew he heard me.

Kane didn’t stop walking. Didn’t falter. His amber eyes flicked down to me, unreadable yet heavy with intent.

"Now…" he murmured, his voice like distant thunder, "you learn what it means to belong to me."

A shiver coursed through me—not from the cold, but from the inevitability of what came next.

I wasn’t just a prize of war.

I was his claim.

After what I had witnessed, I knew there was no escaping him.