Chapter 10 : Fangs pack

Alpha! Come in! Do you copy? The compound is under a second wave of attack!”

Razor’s voice burst through the tactical radio headset with frantic urgency, cutting sharply through the lingering noise of the burning wreckage at the northern gorge. Jax Kane stopped dead in his tracks, his glowing amber eyes widening in sudden, chilling realization. The high-pitched electronic pulse echoing from the overturned truck wasn’t a distress beacon—it had been a decoy all along.

Beside him, Ava Sinclair dropped her hands as the golden defensive barrier faded away. Her heart skipped a beat, and the color drained completely from her face. “The compound,” she gasped, her voice trembling. “They didn't just want to ambush us here... they sent a strike team straight for our home while we were away.”

Jax didn’t hesitate for a single second. His jaw clenched so hard a muscle ticked in his cheek, and his inner wolf roared with feral panic and pure, unadulterated fury. He grabbed Ava by the waist, lifting her effortlessly onto the back of his massive custom motorcycle before vaulting into the driver’s seat.

“Hold on to me with everything you’ve got, little bird!” Jax growled, his voice vibrating with lethal promise. “Nobody touches our home. Nobody touches you!”

With a savage twist of the throttle, Jax spun the bike around, kicking up a storm of gravel and dust as he tore back down the winding mountain road at breakneck speed. Behind them, the rest of the Iron Fangs pack scrambled onto their vehicles, engines screaming in unison as they raced back toward the compound to defend their territory.

The night air whipped past them like ice, but Ava felt only the scorching heat of Jax’s body pressing against hers. She wrapped her arms tightly around his broad chest, burying her face into his leather jacket, silently praying to the Moon Goddess that they weren't too late. The shadow syndicate was smarter and more ruthless than they had ever imagined, willing to use every dirty trick in the book to capture her royal bloodline.

Within ten minutes, they crested the final ridge overlooking the Iron Fangs compound—and the horrifying sight below made Ava gasp out loud.

Thick plumes of black smoke billowed into the night sky from the western residential quarters. Gunfire echoed sharply across the valley, and bright flashes of silver-coated explosives lit up the dark courtyard. A secondary elite squad of syndicate commandos, clad in high-tech stealth gear, had breached the main gates and were actively fighting their way toward the central master lodge.

“Razor, status report!” Jax shouted into his comms unit as he sped down the mountain slope like a falling meteor.

“They blew open the western gate using heavy plasma charges!” Razor’s voice yelled back over the sound of automatic gunfire in the background. “They’re looking for the subterranean vault beneath the lodge! They know about your mother’s secret journals, Alpha!”

Jax’s face hardened into a mask of pure stone. “Hold the inner courtyard! Do not let them reach the basement doors! I’m coming in hot!”

With a deafening roar, Jax drove his motorcycle straight through the shattered remains of the compound's wooden security gate, launching the heavy bike off the stone steps and crashing right into the middle of the courtyard. Before the bike even came to a complete stop, Jax leaped off, drawing his twin hunting blades with blinding speed.

Ava hit the ground right beside him, her hands glowing faintly with the awakening power of her royal bloodline. The fear that had tried to creep into her heart was completely gone now, replaced by the fierce, protective instinct of an Alpha’s true mate.

Three syndicate mercenaries dressed in black tactical armor rushed toward them, raising their weapons. Jax moved like a dark shadow, his blades flashing in the moonlight as he disarmed the first two guards with lightning-fast strikes, sending them crashing unconscious to the asphalt. The third guard swung a heavy rifle butt, but before he could connect, a wave of pure golden energy erupted from Ava’s hands, picking the mercenary up off his feet and throwing him hard against a brick wall.

Jax glanced sideways at her, a fierce, approving grin crossing his face even in the heat of battle. “That’s my fierce Luna!” he yelled over the gunfire.

“Focus on the mission, Alpha!” Ava shouted back with a playful, breathless smile, ducking as a stray bullet whizzed past her ear.

They fought their way shoulder-to-shoulder through the chaotic courtyard, cutting through the enemy lines with unstoppable synergy. Every time a mercenary aimed a weapon at Ava, Jax was there to tear them away. Every time an enemy flanked Jax from behind, Ava’s magic struck them down with blinding speed. They were an unbreakable force, two halves of a single soul bound by fate and fire.

By the time Razor and the rest of the pack reinforcements arrived from the gorge, the courtyard had been cleared of the syndicate invaders. The remaining commandos, realizing they were completely outnumbered and outmatched, scrambled backward, attempting to retreat toward the treeline.

“Don’t let them escape!” Jax roared, pointing a bloodstained blade at the retreating enemy. “Capture their commander alive! I want to know who gave them the security blueprints!”

Razor and a dozen pack enforcers surged forward, tackling the fleeing syndicate leader into the dirt and pinning him instantly. Jax walked over slowly, his heavy boots crunching against the gravel, his amber eyes burning with terrifying intensity as he towered over the captured man.

The commander spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, looking up at Jax with a defiant sneer even though his nose was broken. “You... you can’t stop what’s coming, Kane. The high syndicate command... they’ve already activated Phase Two. The human government... they’re sending a full military battalion tomorrow morning to wipe this entire pack off the map.”

Jax didn't flinch. He leaned down, grabbing the commander by the collar of his tactical vest and lifting him an inch off the ground with pure, intimidating strength. “Let them come,” Jax whispered, his voice dangerously low and steady. “Every single soldier they send will find their grave in these woods.”

He tossed the bruised commander back into the dirt, gesturing for Razor to lock him in the reinforced holding cells beneath the clubhouse. As Razor hauled the prisoner away, the courtyard slowly fell quiet, save for the crackling of lingering fires and the heavy breathing of the exhausted pack warriors.

Ava walked up beside Jax, placing a soft, steady hand on his tense forearm. The adrenaline was finally beginning to wear off, leaving a deep, quiet exhaustion in its wake. She looked up at him, her dark eyes filled with both worry and profound love.

“A full military battalion tomorrow, Jax...” Ava murmured softly, her thumb gently stroking his scarred wrist. “Can our pack really survive an entire army?”

Jax turned to her, his fierce expression melting away into an expression of infinite tenderness. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her flush against his chest and resting his chin gently on top of her head. He breathed in her sweet scent, letting her presence calm the restless, angry wolf pacing inside his mind.

“We survived everything they threw at us so far, little bird,” Jax whispered, pressing a warm, lingering kiss into her dark hair. “As long as I have you by my side, I would fight the entire world and burn it down to ashes before I ever let anyone take you from me.”

Ava closed her eyes, letting out a soft sigh as she melted into his embrace, finding complete and total safety inside his arms—completely unaware that deep within the dark forest shadows, a new and unexpected figure was quietly watching their every move, waiting for the perfect moment to strike...