C3

“Kairo Vale is going to lead this pack one day, I just know it,” I whispered to myself, watching my eldest pup stand tall against the heavy iron transit gates.

He did not bark or growl like the other young wolves, but the pure emotional intelligence in his amber eyes was deep. He carried himself with the heavy, quiet dignity of a natural-born Alpha, completely calm while the world raged around him.

Malek Thorncrest, on the other hand, was our little firecracker — all claws, teeth, and untamed energy. His only desire since his claws first sprouted was to challenge the biggest executioners in the neutral zones. His wildest dream was to become the undefeated champion of the Great Northern Arena.

Leori was the absolute soul of our small family. He was a bit quiet, and his wolf shift was slower than his brothers, but he could heal any broken spirit. At just six winters old, he already knew how to brew the most delicious stews from wild roots, putting the pack house chefs to absolute shame.

Even the masking scent I rubbed into our furs to hide our rogue status was Leori’s own secret blend. He would crush wild berries and mountain flowers between his small fingers, creating a one-of-a-kind, completely natural aroma that blocked our trail without a drop of artificial human chemicals.

He was a creative genius too, tracing complex designs for pack armor and silver-plated jewelry into the dirt as easily as other pups drew lines. I often thought how blessed the true mate who claimed my Leori would be.

I looked down at Leori, my heart swelling with absolute tenderness.

“Come here, sweetie, I will take you to the watering area. Kairo, Malek, do your beasts need to relieve themselves before we enter the city?”

Kairo and Malek shook their heads at the exact same time, their voices overlapping perfectly. “No, Mother, our wolves are steady!”

“Then keep your paws planted right here while I take your brother. Do not wander into the main territory; the guards are hostile.”

“Yes, Mother.”

I took Leori’s small hand and walked toward the stone washrooms. At the archway, I knelt down to check his collar. “Leori, you go to the male wolves' side, and I will be right across the hall. If your beast finishes first, wait right on this stone step.”

“I will, Mother,” Leori nodded, scurrying through the wooden door.

I watched his little tail disappear with a smile, then slipped into the opposite side to wash the travel dust from my face.

It took only a minute, and Leori stepped back out onto the stone floor, standing exactly where I told him to wait.

Suddenly, a heavy wall of elite omegas and delta guards marched down the hall, surrounding a female wolf draped in expensive velvet pelts. Dark glass lenses hid her eyes, her lips were painted a fierce blood-red, and her inner beast was giving off waves of pure irritation.

“I am sick of these low-ranking border assignments!” Sade Wintermere barked, her voice echoing off the stone walls and making the local omegas flinch. “Trekking into the frozen wastes of Frostfang Hollow just to inspect a silver mine, then riding a dirty cargo transport back because there is no flight path? Does this suit a high-ranking wolf of my status? Look at the rabble on these transports — no lineage, no power, absolutely disgusting!”

Her pack agent nodded frantically to quiet her fury, while the heavy guards roughly shoved travelers out of the corridor. “Clear the path! Move for the Luna’s bloodline!”

Leori, frozen by the sudden noise, was hit hard by a guard’s iron shoulder piece and crashed heavily onto the stone floor. The impact bruised his small knee, and tears welled in his large eyes, but he kept his mouth clamped shut to hide his whimpers.

“Whose stray pup is this? Clear the track!” Sade snarled, her heels clicking sharply as she stopped right in front of him.

Leori sat in the dirt, covering his mouth with both hands while his eyes pooled with moisture, too terrified of her dominant pressure to crawl away.

Sade’s face contorted with disgust as she glared down at him, her own bitter failures flashing through her mind. “If you know you are blocking a dominant wolf, move your paws! How did your sire train you? You have absolutely no pack manners!”

She dug the sharp tip of her leather boot directly into Leori’s shin, kicking him aside before strutting toward the exit.

Leori finally broke, bursting into loud, frantic tears. “Mother! Brothers! It hurts so much!”

I was still trapped behind the heavy washroom doors, but Kairo and Malek heard the high-pitched distress cry of their pack brother and charged down the hall. Seeing Leori sobbing in the dirt, Malek’s inner wolf bared its teeth in an instant.

“What happened, Leori? Who bit you?”

Leori gripped Malek’s tunic, his small body shaking violently as he pointed down the tunnel. “That… that mean female kicked my leg… it hurts…”

Malek’s eyes flashed with pure rogue fire. No one touched his little brother and lived to tell the tale.

“Kairo, guard Leori. I am going to make her blood spill!”

With a low growl, Malek bolted into the thick crowd, tracking her heavy, expensive scent trail. Kairo couldn’t grab his collar in time, so he knelt down with a deeply worried expression to help Leori up from the cold stone.

“Show me the wound, buddy,” Kairo murmured, checking his brother's vitals.

“Here… and my back,” Leori sobbed, pointing to his leg.

Kairo pulled back the thick wool of Leori’s trousers and hissed through his teeth. “By the Moon!”

A large, ugly bruise was already turning purple against Leori’s pale skin, a clear mark of a warrior’s heavy boot.

Kairo clenched his small fists, his quiet Alpha aura flaring with dangerous intent. He usually kept Malek from causing trouble with the local packs, but seeing the deep purple mark, he was ready to let his brother tear the city apart.

Someone thought they could hunt an Ashbourne pup and walk away? They had an entire litter to answer to.

“I have you, Leori. Let me tend to the heat, the pain will fade soon,” Kairo promised, blowing gently on the skin.

Leori sniffled, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “…Okay.”

Meanwhile, Malek had tracked Sade Wintermere all the way to the outer courtyard of Myhill CrestHALL.

As she tried to climb into the back of a massive armored transport, Malek lunged forward, planting his feet right in front of her door like a fierce little lone wolf protecting his kill.

“Hey, old witch! Who gave your pathetic wolf the right to strike my little brother?”

Witch?

Sade’s manicured brows snapped together, her claws shifting out in absolute rage as she glared down at the masked pup. She wanted to snap his neck right there in the courtyard!

But Gali Blackmoor was already sitting in the shadowed depths of the transport, and she needed to project the image of a gentle, perfect mate for the pack. She forced a fake, strained smile while shooting Malek a look of pure death. “Whose wild pup are you calling a witch?!”

“You! You are wrinkly, your scent is foul, and your beast is completely rotten!” Malek barked back.

Before the guards could grab him, he whipped out a small bone-handled hunting knife and began circling the armored vehicle, slicing deep, jagged marks right through the Blackmoor pack crest painted on the metal.

Sade’s eyes nearly bulged out of her skull as she saw the fresh scratches on the Alpha’s personal transport.

“Stop him! Grab that little rogue! Do you have any idea whose territory you are defacing? You are calling down an execution!” she screamed, lunging forward to catch him.

Malek danced back with ease, leading Sade and her heavily armored guards on a wild, embarrassing chase around the wheels like a frantic forest hunt.

Gali Blackmoor had been waiting inside to receive Sade’s report, but the commotion made his wolf growl in irritation. He looked through the darkened glass, his brow furrowing as he looked at Kairo Vale’s second-in-command. “Go deal with that mess.”

“Right away, Alpha.”

Kairo Vale reached for the door handle, but before his fingers could touch the latch...

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Four deafening pops echoed through the square as the massive reinforced tires burst into shreds, the heavy steel frame crashing down onto the stone tiles with a brutal thud.

“Ahhhhh!” Sade shrieked, covering her ears as the dust cleared.

Gali’s face went entirely dark as he pushed the damaged door open and stepped out into the courtyard, his massive presence instantly silencing the square.

All four heavy-duty tires were completely ruined, smoking rubber melting onto the stone. The proud Alpha transport sat uselessly in the dirt like a wounded beast.

A tiny boy, barely reaching Gali’s waist and hiding behind a thick cloth mask, stood directly in front of Sade with his chest puffed out. “We just arrived in Myhill CrestHALL today, so my wolf is being merciful. But if you ever lay a claw on my pack brother again, I will not be this nice! You are old! You are ugly! Hmph!”

Gali froze, staring down at the tiny creature. Who was this pup to speak with the authority of a high commander? And he called this mercy? What kind of bloodbath would he cause if his wolf actually got angry? Whose bloodline produced such a wild, untamed little beast?

Completely unaware of the absolute predator standing right behind him, Malek turned on his heel to sprint back to the gates.

Suddenly, a massive, scarred hand clamped tightly around the collar of his wool coat, lifting his feet completely off the ground.

“Who is touching me?! Let go of my fur right now!” Malek thrashed and twisted, trying to bare his small fangs against the grip.

Gali’s expression was thunderous as he held the squirming pup up to his eye level, his golden Alpha gaze locking onto the boy.

“Are you issuing commands to an Alpha?” Gali asked, his voice a low, terrifying rumble that caused every warrior in the courtyard to drop to their knees.

“I…” Malek froze mid-growl, his small body suddenly going completely still behind his mask.

He stared into Gali’s eyes, his mind spinning. This male… his scent, his jawline, the sharp amber of his gaze — he looked exactly like an adult version of Kairo and himself!

Was this the useless, dead sire their mother always spoke about?

But Sandra had told them their father's wolf had perished in the great sickness years ago.

It had to be a freak coincidence.

Thinking this, Malek blinked his long eyelashes, his fierce pride returning as he glared back at the Alpha.

“I will let you slide this time because your face looks a bit like my sire's ghost. Now put me back on the dirt, or else! I am warning you, my beast is terrifying when I am pushed!”

He let out a tiny, sharp snap of his teeth, making a vicious little face right into Gali’s eyes to back up his threat.