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Chapter 16 - Chapter 16

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Arc 1 – Omegaverse: The Hunter and the Omega Prince

Day 6, Night – The Wolf at the Door

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The First Breach

The silence snapped.

A low, vibrating thump hit the cabin wall, making the wooden beams shudder. Snow fell from the thatched eaves in a muffled cascade.

Kyle jolted, his breath catching. The heat of his fever turned icy in his chest. His fingers clutched at the quilt as if it could anchor him.

Torren was already on his feet, blade in hand. "It's testing the walls."

"No." Aldric's tone was sharp. "It's not testing — it's claiming."

From outside came the scrape of claws on wood, slow and deliberate. The wolf's shadow passed across the frosted window, its outline huge in the flickering firelight.

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Kyle's Fear

His vision swam. Every sound felt too loud, every shadow too deep. His body felt too heavy to run, too weak to even cry out properly.

Why won't it go away?

Why does it look at me like that?

He wanted to curl into himself, vanish beneath the covers, but the air felt thick, suffocating. He hated that his chest hurt, hated the way his heart fluttered like a trapped bird.

Eira pressed the damp cloth to his forehead again, trying to soothe him. "Breathe, Kyle. Look at me."

He did — but over her shoulder, those golden eyes burned through the night.

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The Wolf's POV – Close Enough to Touch

It could smell the fear — sharp, thin, almost sweet under the fever's heat.

It didn't like that fear was directed at it, but the trembling scent was intoxicating. The human looked even smaller now, his face pale except for the flush of heat across his cheeks.

The wolf didn't care about the others in the cabin. The blades, the shouting, the firelight — all irrelevant. Its mind locked on the fragile figure under the quilt.

Mine. Always mine. No one will touch him. No one will take him.

The wolf stepped closer, pressing its weight into the cabin wall. The wood groaned.

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The Attack

Torren cursed and shoved a table against the door. "If it gets in—"

The door shook violently, rattling on its hinges. Snow and splinters sprayed from the frame.

Kyle's breath hitched; the sound of the wood straining seemed to vibrate in his bones. His fingers clutched the quilt so tightly his knuckles whitened. His head spun with fever, but his gaze never left the door.

Another slam. The latch cracked.

Aldric moved without hesitation, pushing Kyle back into the bed's corner and bracing himself between him and the door. His voice was a low growl, not unlike the wolf's. "Over my dead body."

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Collapse

The noise and heat were too much. Kyle's vision narrowed until only the wolf's eyes and Aldric's tense shoulders were in focus. His breathing sped into shallow gasps, then faltered.

"Kyle!" Eira's voice rose sharply. She caught him as he slumped sideways, the quilt tangling around him.

His lashes fluttered once, then his body went limp — the fever pulling him under completely.

The room went still for one breath.

Then the wolf outside howled — a sound that was not victory, but raw, furious longing.

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