Savage Call

**Elara's POV**

Chaos exploded across the courtyard.

Darius's black wolf was massive, hackles raised, fangs bared as he roared through the pack link. Wolves shifted all around me, fur rippling under the moonlight. Seraphina stumbled backward, clutching her belly, her face pale.

"Find the intruder!" Darius snarled, voice booming in my head. His golden wolf eyes snapped back to me, burning with accusation. "Elara. What the fuck did you do?"

I pressed my back against the cold stone wall, heart hammering. That new scent, dark pine, blood, and raw power, still coiled around my core like a living chain. It pulled at something deep inside me, awakening heat I hadn't felt in years.

"I didn't—"

Darius shifted back in a blur of cracking bones and stormed toward me, naked, blood-streaked, and furious. His hand clamped around my throat before I could finish, slamming me harder against the wall. The pack watched in stunned silence.

"Don't lie to me," he growled, breath hot against my face. His body pinned mine completely, hard muscle and raging alpha dominance. I could feel him against my thigh again, thick, half-hard, violence feeding his lust. "That scent on you. Foreign. Potent. You've been hiding something, wife."

His fingers tightened. Stars danced in my vision, but my traitorous body arched into him, nipples hardening against his chest. He noticed. A cruel smirk twisted his lips.

"Even now?" he mocked, sliding his free hand up my thigh, shoving my dress higher. Rough fingers brushed the edge of my panties. "My barren little whore still gets wet when I'm angry."

"Get off me," I hissed, but my voice cracked.

Seraphina's sharp voice cut through the tension. "Darius, the pack is watching. Handle your defective Luna later. Our pup—"

"Shut up," he snapped at her without looking away from me. His thumb pressed against my pulse point. "You think you can bring another male onto my territory? After everything I've given you?"

He leaned in, dragging his fangs along my jaw, scraping hard enough to draw blood. The metallic scent mixed with his own, making my head spin. That new bond screamed louder in response, clashing violently with the broken one I shared with him.

"I should fuck you right here," he whispered darkly, grinding against me so everyone could see. "Remind you who you belong to before I rip this intruder apart."

A low, dangerous growl rumbled from the forest edge, closer now. The entire pack tensed.

Darius's head whipped toward the trees. "Come out, coward!"

The scent intensified, flooding my senses. My knees weakened. It felt like fire in my veins, demanding I run toward it. Claim. Submit. Burn.

I bit my tongue hard to stay grounded.

Suddenly, several of Darius's warriors howled and charged into the tree line. Sounds of snapping branches and snarls erupted. Then a single, powerful roar shook the ground. Not one of ours.

A massive silver-black wolf burst from the shadows, moving like death itself. It tore through two of Darius's wolves in seconds, blood spraying across the grass. Powerful. Merciless.

Darius released me and shifted instantly, launching himself toward the intruder with a savage howl.

I slid down the wall, gasping, one hand pressed between my legs where unwanted heat was building. The new wolf's eyes, piercing ice-blue, locked on me for a split second across the battlefield. Recognition. Hunger. Possession.

Mine.

The word echoed in my mind, not from Darius's bond. This one was sharper. Darker.

Darius collided with the intruder in a clash of fangs and fury. They rolled, tearing at each other viciously. Blood flew. The pack surged forward to help their alpha.

Seraphina grabbed my arm, nails digging in. "You stupid bitch. What have you done?"

I shoved her off, harder than I should have. She stumbled, eyes wide with fear and rage.

More wolves poured from the trees, rogues, unmarked, following the silver-black beast. The fight turned brutal fast. Darius was winning through sheer rage, but the intruder fought like he had nothing to lose.

I couldn't look away from him.

Then Darius pinned the big wolf down, jaws clamped around its throat. Victory flashed in his eyes.

But the intruder twisted impossibly, slashing Darius's side deep before breaking free. Instead of retreating, he charged, not at Darius, but straight toward me.

The pack screamed warnings.

Darius roared in fury, "Elara!"

Claws dug into the dirt as the massive wolf closed the distance in terrifying leaps. His scent drowned everything else. My body reacted violently, heat flaring low, core clenching, power flickering under my skin.

He skidded to a stop right in front of me, towering, blood dripping from his jaws. Those ice-blue eyes bored into mine, stripping me bare.

Shift.

Bones cracked. In seconds, a man stood before me, tall, brutally built, dark hair wild, body covered in fresh wounds and old scars. A jagged tattoo of a broken moon marked his chest. Pure dominance rolled off him in waves.

"Elara Voss," he said, voice low and rough like gravel and sin. A wicked, feral smile curved his lips. "Been looking for you."

Behind him, Darius shifted back, charging forward with murder in his eyes. "Get your fucking hands off my Luna!"

Kael didn't even glance back. He reached out, claws still extended, and brushed a strand of hair from my face with surprising gentleness, right before his hand locked around my wrist like steel.

"You're coming with me, little queen."

Darius's roar split the night as he lunged.

And the world erupted into war.