Chapter 4: The Alpha's Claim

(Sierra's POV)

"L-Luna?" Beta Brandon stuttered, his face draining of all color.

He looked back and forth between Cassian and me like he had just seen a ghost.

"Alpha Cassian, you must be mistaken!" Brandon spat, taking a nervous step back. "She's a scentless omega! Alpha Logan rejected her less than two hours ago. She’s damaged goods, an exile!"

A sharp, dangerous aura rippled through the clearing. The temperature seemed to drop instantly.

Before Brandon could finish his sentence, Cassian moved.

He didn't even shift into his wolf. He simply blurred forward with terrifying speed.

In a split second, Cassian’s large hand was clamped tightly around Brandon’s throat. He lifted the heavy Beta two feet off the ground with one arm.

Brandon’s legs kicked frantically in the air as he clawed at Cassian’s iron grip. His eyes bulged with sudden horror.

Behind him, the two Bloodmoon guards backed away. They were trembling so violently they dropped their spears into the mud.

"I do not care what Logan did," Cassian said, his voice terrifyingly quiet.

His silver eyes glowed with lethal intent in the darkness.

"And if you speak about my mate with that filthy tongue again," Cassian growled, "I will rip it out of your throat."

Brandon made a wet, gagging sound. His face turned purple.

Cassian tightened his grip for one agonizing second, letting the Beta choke. Then, he casually tossed him backward into the mud like a piece of garbage.

Brandon hit the wet ground hard, coughing and gasping for air.

"You have five seconds to clear out of my forest," Cassian commanded, turning his back on them.

His massive frame towered over the clearing. "If I see any of you on this side of the stone pillars again, my vanguard will skin you alive."

"Retreat! Fall back!" Brandon wheezed out, scrambling frantically onto all fours.

He didn't dare look back. He and his guards sprinted deeper into the darkness, fleeing toward the Bloodmoon side of the border.

The silence that followed was heavy and thick.

Beta Eli stepped forward, his sharp eyes lowering as he approached us carefully.

"Are you injured?" Eli asked, his voice smooth, calm, and professional.

Liana shook her head quickly, her hand still resting over her heart. "We're... we're fine."

Eli reached out, offering her a hand to help her over the slippery, mud-slicked rocks. As his fingers touched hers, his gaze met her eyes.

I saw the subtle flare of surprise in Eli’s posture.

Liana’s minor magic flared softly—a warm, faint golden aura reacting to the proximity of the Syndicate’s Beta.

Eli’s eyes softened instantly. A faint, intrigued smirk played at the corner of his lips before he quickly composed himself.

"I’ve got you," Eli murmured, helping Liana steady her footing.

Liana blushed deeply, pulling her hand back shyly. But through our bond, I felt her empathic sense send a wave of sudden, fluttery relief across her face.

My own body, however, had reached its absolute limit.

The sudden shock of the True Mate bond was overwhelming. Combined with the freezing rain and the physical exhaustion from using my blood magic earlier, my strength vanished completely.

My vision blurred around the edges. Black spots danced across my eyes.

My legs gave out beneath me, feeling like soft lead.

"Sierra!" Liana gasped, turning toward me in panic.

Before I could hit the cold mud, two heavy, warm arms caught me.

Cassian pulled me against his broad chest.

The moment my skin made contact with his heat, a wave of profound, soothing peace washed over my soul.

The raw, open wound where Logan had broken our bond seemed to seal shut instantly under Cassian's overwhelming presence.

"I've got you," Cassian whispered softly.

He unclasped his heavy, fur-lined cloak with one hand. He wrapped it completely around my shiver-wracked body, lifting me into his arms like I weighed nothing at all.

The cold, lethal Alpha who had almost crushed Brandon's throat seconds ago was now holding me with astonishing gentleness.

"Alpha," Eli said, stepping closer to inspect my pale face. "Should I prepare the frontline medics?"

"No," Cassian replied, his silver eyes flashing in the dark. "Get the carriages ready. We are returning straight to the Midnight Citadel."

"What about the border patrols?" Eli asked.

"Put out an immediate order to all border posts," Cassian commanded darkly. "No one from the Bloodmoon Pack crosses without my personal written mark. Kill anyone who tries."

"Understood," Eli bowed, turning quickly to give orders to the waiting tactical vanguard.

I rested my heavy head against Cassian’s chest.

I listened to the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat. His scent swept over me like a shield—dark oak, winter rain, and a faint hint of old parchment.

It was intoxicating and suffocatingly comforting.

As he carried me down the dark path toward the sleek, black carriages, my weak hand fell against his chest. My fingers accidentally brushed against something hard beneath his linen tunic.

I forced my eyes open, looking up through heavy eyelashes.

Hanging from a dark leather strap around Cassian's neck was an ancient, intricate silver locket.

It was bound tight with fine iron wires. The seal was forged so heavily that it looked completely impossible to open.

As my fingers lightly brushed the cool metal, a subtle, dark chill ran through my blood.

It wasn't cold from the rain. It was a strange, distant echo of ancient magic—magic that didn't belong to the werewolf packs or the Syndicate.

Cassian caught my wrist gently. He moved my hand away from the locket.

For a fraction of a second, his expression darkened, his jaw tightening with a hidden secret. But then he softened again, looking down at me.

"Rest, Sierra," he murmured, his voice low, smooth, and soothing.

He tucked me gently into the plush leather seat of the carriage, wrapping the fur cloak tight around my shoulders.

"You're safe now," he whispered. "No one will ever hurt you again."

I let my eyes close, sinking into the dark warmth of his cloak.

I knew the nightmare of my past with Alpha Logan was finally over. But as the carriage wheels began to turn toward the Midnight Citadel, I knew a whole new world of secrets was just beginning.