The Pack Comes knocking

CHAPTER 5 – “The Pack Comes Knocking”

“We’re not leaving without him.”

The voice rang across the property. Sharp. Urgent. Familiar.

Eryx pressed his back to the cold stone outside Kael’s room. His heart pounded in his throat. He had been walking downstairs when the noise hit,boots on stone, a door slammed, and then Kael’s voice, low and dangerous.

He stopped where he was. Listened.

“You have no authority here.” Kael’s tone was ice. “This is my land. My home. And he is under my protection.”

“Protection?” A woman laughed. Elder Mara. Eryx knew that voice too well. “You bought him at an auction like a farm animal. Don’t act like this is about honor.”

“What I paid doesn’t matter. The contract is legal. He belongs to me now.”

*Belongs.* The word twisted Eryx’s stomach.

“The Moonfall Pack has first claim.” A third voice. Elder Thane. “The omega was born in our pack. Raised by us. His rejection doesn’t erase our rights.”

“Your rights?” Kael’s voice turned to a growl. “You threw him away. Sold him. You have no rights.”

“We have every right.” Elder Mara’s tone cut sharp. “Especially now that the timeline has moved up.”

Silence.

Eryx’s hands curled into fists. *Timeline? What timeline?*

“What are you talking about?” Kael asked, slow and cold.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know.” Elder Thane said. “You know what he is. What he’s turning into. The blood moon omega is more than a prophecy. He is a weapon.”

Weapon.

The word hit Eryx like a fist. He flinched back, shoulder hitting the wall. The thud was soft,but in the quiet, it sounded loud.

The door flew open.

Kael turned at once. His eyes found Eryx. Something flashed there,anger, fear, and something like regret.

“Inside.” Kael’s tone left no room to argue.

Eryx didn’t even choose to move. His body just went. He stepped into the study.

Near the fire, the two elders waited. Heavy cloaks. Cold eyes. They stared at him like he was an object they were checking for cracks.

“Eryx.” Elder Mara smiled, thin and false. “Good to see you alive. We were so worried after your little trouble at the market.”

“Unfortunate.” Eryx’s voice shook with anger. “You sent me there. You planned all of it.”

“We did what we had to.” Elder Thane stepped closer. “To protect you. To protect the pack.”

“By breaking me?”

“By cutting you off from a bond that would have killed you.” Elder Mara’s face hardened. “True pairs are unstable. Dangerous. That bond would have destroyed you both before the awakening.”

“What awakening?” Eryx snapped. “Stop talking in circles. What do you want from me?”

The elders shared a look. Quiet. Sure.

“You were born under a blood moon.” Elder Thane began. “First omega like that in three generations. The old prophecy says a blood moon omega holds sleeping power. It wakes when they complete the mate bond.”

“But my bond was rejected,” Eryx said. “Severed.”

“Redirected,” Elder Mara said. “The bond still exists. That means the awakening is still possible. Still coming.”

“And you want to control it.” Kael’s voice was soft and deadly. He stepped to Eryx’s side. Close, but not touching. “This isn’t about safety. You want his power for the pack.”

“For all packs,” Elder Thane said. “The blood moon omega doesn’t just hold power. He can share it. Make his pack stronger. Faster. Untouchable.”

Eryx’s thoughts spun. Not once had they cared about him. Only about what he could do. What he could become.

A tool. A weapon. A blade in someone else’s hand.

“You knew before the ritual.” Eryx’s voice was flat. Empty. “You knew what I was. What I could turn into. And you still rejected me.”

“We rejected the bond, not you,” Elder Mara said. “The aim was to keep you in the pack. Close by. Where we could watch the awakening. Guide it.”

“Until I landed on a stage in chains,” Eryx said. His hands shook. “Until Kael bought me.”

“An unfortunate twist,” Elder Thane said, jaw tight. “But one we are here to fix.”

“No.”

The word came out stronger than he expected. But he meant it. All of it.

“This is not a choice,” Elder Mara snapped. “We need the omega for the second phase. The awakening has already started. We’ve seen the energy spikes. In a few days, your power will fully rise. When it does, you must be with your birth pack. Where you belong.”

“He stays here.” Kael’s power rolled through the room. Heavy. Thick. “He isn’t going anywhere.”

“You can’t keep him.” Elder Thane held his ground. “The laws are clear. Any wolf with a major change must return to their pack for testing and training.”

“He isn’t your pack member.” Kael’s words cut like knives. “You threw him in a cell. Let them drug him. Sold him like trash. You lost him then.”

“Legal details,” Elder Mara said, waving a hand. “The Moonfall Pack still holds authority over”

“Over nothing.” Kael cut in. “The second you sold him, your claim was gone. He’s mine. On paper. In full. I won’t hand him over.”

“Even if that means war?” Elder Thane asked, voice low.

The word hung there. Heavy. Cold.

Eryx looked at Kael. At his jaw, tight with control. At his eyes, burning. He was ready to fight everyone. Risk his rank. His land. His life.

All for an omega who had been thrown away.

Maybe Kael had lied. Maybe he hadn’t. Maybe he truly had no choice that night at the Moon Binding. Maybe this was his way of making it right.

“Why do you care?” Eryx asked quietly. “If I’m just a weapon. If the bond was only moved, not gone. Why does it matter where I go?”

Kael looked at him. Fire in his gaze.

“Because you’re not a weapon,” Kael said, voice raw. “You’re my mate. My equal. And I won’t let them use you.”

“How sweet,” Elder Mara said, words dripping with poison. “But useless. The omega leaves with us tonight. Or we come back with every enforcer in the Moonfall Pack and drag him out.”

“You can try.” Kael’s smile turned sharp and deadly. “You won’t walk out of here alive.”

“You dare threaten elders?” Elder Thane’s face drained of color. “That’s treason.”

“That’s survival.” Kael stepped forward. His eyes flashed gold. Power flared around him, thick and wild. “I’m done holding back.”

The air turned cold. Heavy. Eryx felt it at once.

His wolf stirred. Not weak this time. Awake. It leaned toward Kael’s power instead of hiding.

Then something else woke in his chest. Right where the bond had once burned.

A presence rose.

Soft at first. Then bigger. Spreading like wings.

Power.

Old. Deep. Terrifying.

The elders felt it too. Their eyes widened. Elder Mara took a step back.

“It’s starting,” she whispered. “The awakening. Now.”

Pain hit Eryx—but not like before. Not ripping. Rising. His skin felt too tight. Bones hummed. Light buzzed under his veins like live wire.

“Eryx.” Kael grabbed his arm, firm. “Look at me. Stay with me.”

“What’s happening?” Eryx gasped. “It’s too much. It’s too big,I can’t hold it”

“Let it come.” Kael’s voice was steady, calm against the storm. “Don’t fight it. Let it come.”

The blast tore out of him.

Light exploded from Eryx’s skin. White fire filled the room. Windows shattered, glass spraying out. The elders flew back, cloaks snapping like torn wings.

Kael didn’t move.

He held on. Fingers locked on Eryx’s arm. Refused to let go.

Then, as fast as it started, it stopped.

Silence.

Eryx stood in the center of the room. Chest heaving. Body shaking. But the sharp pain was gone. The weight inside had settled.

Something in him felt… solid. Grounded. Whole.

His wolf stood tall now. Not crouched. Eyes bright. Ready.

Equal.

The elders slowly pushed themselves up. Cloaks ripped, hair messy. Blood ran from one of Thane’s nostrils.

“Impossible,” Elder Mara whispered, staring at Eryx. “The awakening shouldn’t trigger without the full mate bond. Without”

She cut off. Her eyes darted to Kael. Then to Eryx. Then back.

Realization hit her like a slap. Fear followed.

“You completed it,” she breathed. “You completed the bond before we arrived. That’s why it happened early. That’s why he’s already”

“No.” Elder Thane shook his head, pale. “The bond was broken. We saw it. We”

“You broke nothing,” Kael said. His eyes still glowed faintly. His power wrapped around Eryx like a cloak. The bond hummed between them, alive and bright. “The bond never died. It only slept. Now it’s awake.”

He stepped forward. Placed himself fully between Eryx and the elders.

Like a shield.

“You will not take what is mine.”

The words rang through the room. Sharp. Final.

The elders flinched.

Beside Kael, Eryx felt it too,the steady buzz of the bond. Strong. Unshakable.

His equal.

His mate.

His.