THE ENCOUNTER

 Aldrin’s POV

I entered the forest—the home of the rebels.

It was cool, cold, and eerily calm. Too calm. The trees stood tall and still, their leaves barely moving, as though holding their breath. There was no sign of the chaos my guards had described. No shocking, thunderous howls. No trembling ground. Not even the smallest rustle of life.

And that was what unsettled me.

This silence was wrong. The place was too vacant for my liking. Everything pressed against my skin, thick and heavy, like the forest itself was watching me. Like I was being trapped.

I heard my beta trying to reach me through the mind link, his presence knocking again and again. I blocked him.

Cleophaton was an annoying old ass who believed he had to be everywhere I was. I knew he meant well. He was loyal to a fault, always doing his duty. Still, this was something I needed to face alone.

I sensed no danger. I sniffed the air carefully, but still nothing. There was no rogue scent, no scent of blood at all, except just damp earth, old trees, and something else underneath it all. Something ancient.

I shifted into my human form, gripping my sword tightly. The metal felt cold and familiar in my palm. I stayed alert. Rogues were known for tricks, but even so, my senses told me none were nearby.

I began walking deeper into the forest, not caring much about direction. I wanted to see this creature the guards spoke of. It would have been fitting to slay a beast on my first day as a fully crowned Alpha.

But with every step, unease grew heavy on me. Why had none of them sensed me?

Why was the forest empty?  Why did it seem abandoned?

I moved carefully, my sword ready.

I had always hated these animals. If it were not for some stupid queen mother—Reign’s mother, who had created that cursed rule forbidding us from meddling with these creatures, I would have wiped them all out long ago. This land would have been mine. These mountains would have belonged to Silverwood.

Maybe I would have built my own pack here. My own empire.  That wouldn’t be a bad idea. The dream wasn’t invalid still. I could revoke that damn rule. I just needed a good convincing plan.

Power had always called to me. The desire to control always burned inside ardently. I had trained my whole life for it. In the pack and in the academy. I had pushed myself harder than anyone else, because I wanted not to be just some wolf to be ordered around, but an Alpha, the one who commands. The one whom every wolf in the pack bowed to.

I wanted to sit on the throne. Exactly where I stood now.

And Reign?

Reign.

Reign.

Her name echoed in my mind like a curse.

She had every quality of a true Luna. One that every Alpha would have wished to ascend the throne beside. Not just a Luna—but one who could shake a pack to its bones. She saw mistakes before they happened. She smelled danger long before it arrived. She questioned things others feared to even think about. She could sniff things happening in the darkness from miles away.

Just like she had known, the Alpha King’s death was no accident.  And she dared to follow Alpha Enzo to that place. What a daring ass!

I would never have traded her for anything. Not for anything. Not even for her soft, easily swayed sister.  Spenza had absolutely nothing on Reign.

If only she had learned to bend.  If only she had not gotten so close to…

A strange wave rolled through the air ahead of me, causing me to suddenly stop in my tracks.

I listened.

It was strong and very heavy. It carried the same weight that had hit Silverwood earlier—only this time, it came from far ahead.

Without thinking, I dropped to my knees and shifted into my wolf.

My bones cracked, fur bursting forth as my senses sharpened. I took off running toward the source, paws slamming against damp earth.

But the closer I ran, the farther it seemed to pull away. Like it was leading me.  As if it were playing with me.

I pushed deeper into the forest, passing the center, heading far north. Still, not a single rogue appeared. There were no patrols, nor guards. Not even a sign of life in the entire territory.

Then suddenly, the wind howled.

It surged around me, sharp and violent, whipping through the trees. Branches bent. Leaves flew all over. The ground trembled beneath my paws.

I slowed but did not stop, scanning my surroundings.

Then a scent hit me.

This one was so familiar.  So familiar, my chest tightened in recognition.

Impossible.

She was supposed to be dead.

Unless—

Unless she had joined the rogues.

It better not be, Reign, I snarled inwardly. You had better be dead. If not, you will be the reason I wipe these animals from this land—and take you with them.

My instincts flared. My anger burned hot.

Then everything went still.

I heard a footstep behind me. It was heavy, so heavy it took all the control I had not to bare my fangs.

The scent grew stronger. Familiar—but mixed with something else.  Something that resembled old blood with the blend of earth and power.

“You must truly wish to die,” a voice said behind me, deep and cruel, “to have dared to come this far.”

I turned and collided with his intimidating figure, just the exact way I remembered it.

Magnon.

He stood tall, as before, massive and ancient. Exile had not changed him one bit. He had not aged, and I could swear with just one look at him that he harbored the same animosity, the same cruelty, and the same evil as before. Time had not weakened him either. He looked exactly as he had the day he was cast out—strong, wild, and utterly terrifying.

And behind him was Reign, partially hiding behind him like he was her fortress, the divine shield in which she could not encounter any harm.

How in the name of the devil had he broken free from exile? How had she ended up with him?

Could the prophecy truly be real?

“The one who should be dead and turned to ash is you, cursed soul,” I spat, my wolf snarling beneath my skin.

“But I am not,” Magnon replied calmly, instantly, like he had speculated I would say that. “The goddess would not let me die before I met my mate—the one you handed to me drenched in blood.”

“She deserved it!  Just like you deserved exile!” I barked.

Reign stepped out then, standing fully beside him.

Seeing them together filled me with disgust and hatred so deep it made my stomach twist. I wanted to lash out and slaughter them in an instant.

The bitter truth was, I knew this monster wasn’t the kind to attack without being fully ready and armed. It took the wit of seven good alphas to lure him into exile. I doubted I could outweigh him, but that didn’t mean I could not fight him.

“The Silverwood Pack needs serious cleansing. Actually, the entire Northeast region.” Magnon said, his voice rolling like thunder. “And I have returned to deliver it. Along with vengeance for wrongs committed ages ago.”

Howls rose from every direction—deep, powerful, and ancient, as if nature were answering him. The ground trembled as though recognizing its lost master.

“You are still as evil as ever,” I said, opening the mind link silently to alert my beta.

Magnon moved, and in just one step, he locked the distance between us. Reign moved with him, perfectly in sync, as though bound to his side.

“You,” he growled, “your father, and the other six Alphas who betrayed me know the truth. I was never evil.  At least, not to the extreme that I was painted by some wicked, corrupt people.”

The wind roared louder, while the sound of the trees cracking echoed. The earth shifted beneath my paws. Like, really shifted.

His bones began to crack, loud and violent, as he shifted. I shifted too, meeting his challenge head-on.

“I am here,” Magnon roared, “to correct history.”

The ground split open in front of me as if warning me not challenge him.

But I wasn’t to be intimidated. I launched first—

But the only thing I remember after seeing him prepare for the combat was Reign screaming, while I floated somewhere between the air and some strange power.