Chapter 4: The Gathering of Alphas

The fortress didn’t sleep that night.

Wolves in black armor patrolled the courtyards. Dragons circled the skies, their roars splitting the silence. The torches burned blue instead of gold, a sign of war readiness, Kael had told me earlier.

And somewhere at the heart of it all, the Hybrid Alpha prepared to summon his enemies into his home.

I sat by the narrow window, watching the horizon bleed crimson. Every instinct screamed that I should run, that I didn’t belong here, that I never would. But where would I go? The other packs wanted me too. I wasn’t safe anywhere.

My reflection glowed faintly in the glass — silver veins pulsing under my skin like lightning trapped beneath flesh.

The Healer of the Eclipse.

My fate had never been my own. Not since that night under the moon.

The door opened with a low creak. Kael stepped inside, his armor half-fastened, expression sharp. “They’re here.”

I stood quickly. “Who?”

“The emissaries from the three packs. Silverclaw, Moonveil, and Nightbane.” His eyes flicked to me. “The Alphas themselves will arrive by dusk.”

My stomach twisted. “He’s serious about this, isn’t he?”

Kael nodded grimly. “Draven doesn’t bluff.”

I swallowed. “And he wants me there?”

“Yes. You’ll stand beside him when he addresses them.”

I froze. “You can’t be serious. I’m not”

“You are the reason they came,” Kael said quietly. “You don’t have a choice.”

I stared at him, words dying in my throat. He hesitated at the door before adding, “Vanessa… just stay calm. Don’t show fear. The moment they sense weakness, they’ll tear into you, not with claws, but with words.”

“Thanks for the pep talk,” I muttered, but he was already gone.

My heart hammered as I paced. I didn’t know what scared me more, the Alphas who wanted my blood, or the one who already claimed it.

By the time Kael returned, the fortress was buzzing. Drums thundered through the halls, calling the dominion to order. Banners of black and crimson hung from the ceiling. The great hall glowed with molten veins of light running through the obsidian walls.

Kael led me through towering doors into the chamber.

The moment I stepped inside, every conversation stopped.

Hundreds of eyes turned to me, wolves, warriors, emissaries. Their scents collided in the air, steel, fire, frost, and earth. Power hummed through the room like a living pulse.

And at the far end, on a throne carved from dragon bone, sat Draven Blackflame.

He looked nothing like the beast I’d met in the forest. He was dressed in black and crimson armor that shimmered faintly with heat, his long dark hair tied back, the mark of the dragon glowing faintly on his neck. His presence commanded the air itself, primal, merciless, magnetic.

When his gaze met mine, everything inside me went still.

Kael stopped beside the dais. “Alpha,” he said quietly.

Draven didn’t answer. He simply stood and the hall fell silent.

“Bring her forward,” he ordered.

Kael’s hand touched my arm, guiding me. My legs felt weak as I climbed the steps, every breath heavy with expectation.

When I reached the top, Draven turned to the gathered crowd and spoke, his voice deep and resonant, filling the hall.

“Wolves of the four realms,” he began, “for a century, our packs have lived divided. We’ve fought for territory, for blood, for dominance. But today, we face something far greater than our petty wars.”

His gaze swept across the hall. “A power reborn.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. He turned to me.

“She stands before you, the Healer of the Eclipse. The blood that can heal, or destroy.”

A wave of shock and disbelief rippled through the gathered Alphas. I caught fragments of their whispers.

“Impossible.” “She’s just a girl.” “Her kind died out ages ago”

“Silence,” Draven’s voice thundered. The word echoed, laced with dragon heat.

Every mouth closed.

“She is proof that the old blood still runs through our kind,” he continued. “And she is under my protection.”

That last word struck like lightning through the air. I could feel every stare on me, burning, measuring, judging.

Then a deep voice spoke from the crowd. “Protection?” A tall man stepped forward, his armor glinting silver. His eyes were cold and sharp as a blade. “You mean possession, Blackflame.”

Draven’s gaze darkened. “Careful, Silverclaw.”

Alpha Theron of Silverclaw smiled thinly. “You brought us here claiming diplomacy. Yet you flaunt a weapon the rest of us could use to save our dying packs.”

“She’s not a weapon,” I snapped before I could stop myself.

Every head turned toward me.

Theron’s lips curved. “Ah. The healer speaks.”

I swallowed hard but held his gaze. “I didn’t ask for this power. I didn’t ask to be anyone’s prize.”

A murmur rippled through the hall. Draven didn’t move, but I could feel his aura spike — protective, dangerous. “Watch your tone, Theron,” he said, voice low.

“Oh, I’m watching plenty,” Theron replied, stepping closer. “Tell me Hybrid, will you share her blood with the other packs? Or do you plan to keep it all for yourself?”

Draven’s eyes flashed gold. The heat in the room spiked, torches flaring brighter.

“She’s not yours to demand,” Draven said.

“Then she’s yours to keep?” Theron shot back. “You always were greedy, weren’t you?”

In a blur of motion, Draven’s wings flared half-shifted, his claws slicing through the air. The temperature soared. The crowd fell silent as molten cracks spread across the floor.

I stepped forward, heart pounding. “Stop.”

Draven’s head snapped toward me. His pupils were slitted, glowing like molten suns. For a moment, he didn’t see me he saw prey, enemy, chaos.

But then something in him shifted. He inhaled sharply, his claws retracting. The air cooled slightly.

He turned away. “The council is adjourned.”

Theron smirked. “Running from diplomacy again?”

“Leaving before I forget mercy,” Draven replied, voice flat.

Without another word, he strode from the hall, wings folding behind him.

Kael quickly gestured for me to follow, but I hesitated, feeling every eye burn into my back as I left.

I found Draven on the balcony overlooking the burning horizon. He was leaning against the railing, his expression unreadable.

“You shouldn’t have spoken,” he said without turning.

“Someone had to.”

He exhaled, slow and rough. “You don’t understand what they are. They would’ve torn you apart with words if I hadn’t stopped them.”

“I’m not a child.”

“No,” he said, turning to face me. “You’re a storm.”

The way he said it made my pulse jump. His eyes softened just slightly, tracing the faint glow beneath my skin.

“Do you know what happens when the Healer’s blood awakens fully?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“It binds,” he said quietly. “To the one whose life it saves.”

My breath caught. “What?”

“You healed me, Vanessa.”

My heart stopped. “When?”

“The night I found you,” he said, stepping closer. “You were bleeding silver. It touched me. Burned me. But when I woke… the dragon was silent for the first time in years.”

My lips parted. “You think my blood”

“I don’t think,” he murmured, eyes locking on mine. “I feel it.”

The space between us crackled, thick with something that wasn’t just power. His voice dropped, deep and dangerous. “That’s why you can’t leave. You’ve already bound yourself to me.”

My chest tightened. “That’s not possible.”

“Then explain why your blood hums when I’m near.”

I opened my mouth and froze. The faint silver light under my skin pulsed faster, syncing with the rhythm of his heartbeat. I could feel it, his energy, his fire, merging with mine.

I stumbled back, gasping. “No…”

Draven didn’t move. He just watched, eyes glowing gold in the firelight. “You can fight it, but it won’t change the truth.”

“I’m not yours.”

His smirk was faint, but it carried an ache that felt ancient. “We’ll see.”

He turned, wings spreading wide. “The council reconvenes at dusk. Rest while you can.”

“Draven” I began, but he was already gone, vanishing into the blaze of dawn.

Hours later, I stood again at my window, staring out at the gathering storm. Beyond the fortress walls, the banners of three kingdoms fluttered — Silverclaw’s silver, Nightbane’s black, Moonveil’s blue.

War was inevitable now.

And I was the spark.

My hands glowed faintly as I clenched them into fists. Maybe fate had chosen me. Maybe I was bound to the Hybrid Alpha.

But one thing was certain.

If I was going to be a weapon in this war, I’d make damn sure I was the one who decided where to aim.