The blood moon rose, painting the forest in crimson. Its light bled across the clearing where the duel would take place, a circle of ancient stones worn smooth by generations of battles.
Every wolf in Damien's pack stood on edge. The air vibrated with anticipation, thick with the smell of fear and adrenaline. Across the field, Viktor's wolves gathered, a sea of dark pelts and hard eyes.
Aria stood at the edge of the circle, her hands clenched so tightly her nails bit into her palms. She had begged Damien not to do this. She had whispered every plea, every fear, but his resolve had not wavered. He had kissed her once, long and deep, before stepping into the circle, leaving her heart pounding and her soul aching.
Now, under the blood moon, the duel began.
Viktor stepped forward first, shirt stripped away, muscles rippling under the red light. His scars gleamed like brands of past victories. He raised his chin, lips curving into a smirk.
"Last chance to surrender, Damien," he taunted. "Give me the girl, and I might let you live."
Damien answered with a growl that seemed to shake the stones themselves. His golden eyes blazed as he shed his shirt, revealing the markings of his lineage across his chest and arms. "She's mine. My mate. You'll never have her."
The declaration rang like thunder through the clearing. Gasps rippled through both packs. Mate. He had spoken the word aloud.
Aria's breath caught in her throat, her heart swelling even in the face of terror. He had claimed her before them all.
Viktor sneered. "Then I'll rip her from your corpse."
With a snarl, he shifted. Bones cracked, fur burst, and in an instant, the massive black wolf stood where Viktor had been, his eyes cold steel, his teeth bared.
Damien followed, his own shift swift and brutal, golden fur gleaming under the moonlight. He was magnificent, a living embodiment of power and grace.
The circle erupted with howls as the duel began.
They clashed in the center, two forces of nature colliding with bone-shattering ferocity. Teeth snapped, claws tore through flesh, blood spattered the stones. The ground shook beneath the weight of their battle.
Viktor was brutal strength, his attacks relentless, a storm of muscle and fury. Damien was precision and speed, every movement guided by instinct honed into mastery. Blow for blow, they matched, neither giving an inch.
Aria's heart pounded with every strike, every roar of pain. She could feel it the bond between her and Damien flaring with his every wound, every surge of power. She whispered under her breath, desperate prayers to gods she wasn't sure existed.
Then Viktor gained the upper hand.
With a vicious lunge, he drove Damien into the ground, his jaws closing around his rival's throat. The clearing erupted with howls of horror and triumph Damien's wolves frozen in despair, Viktor's pack howling their victory.
"No!" Aria's scream tore through the night.
Her voice clear, raw, desperate cut through the chaos. Damien's golden eyes flicked to her, meeting hers across the circle. And in that instant, something surged through him through them. The bond.
With a roar that shook the blood moon itself, Damien exploded upward, throwing Viktor off him. Power rippled from him in waves, golden light flaring around his form. He was more than wolf, more than Alpha, he was something greater.
Aria's hands trembled as she felt it their connection blazing like fire in her chest. She was his anchor, his strength, and in that moment, their souls moved as one.
Damien struck.
He tore into Viktor with a ferocity that left no doubt who the true Alpha was. Bite after bite, slash after slash, until Viktor staggered, bleeding and broken. Finally, with one last savage strike, Damien pinned him, his jaws poised at his throat.
The clearing fell silent. Not a breath stirred.
Viktor wheezed, blood staining the stones. "Do it. Finish it."
But Damien hesitated. His golden eyes burned, but not with cruelty with judgment. With choice. He could end it now, claim total victory, or he could spare Viktor, breaking the cycle of blood that had haunted their kind for centuries.
Slowly, Damien shifted back, his chest heaving, his body slick with blood. He stood over Viktor, not as a wolf, but as a man dominant, victorious, unbroken.
"You'll never touch her," Damien growled, his voice carrying across the clearing. "You'll never touch any of mine again. Live with your defeat, Viktor. Live knowing you are nothing."
The shame in Viktor's eyes was worse than death. He shifted back, staggering to his feet, and his wolves silent, defeated dragged him away into the forest.
For a moment, there was only silence. Then, like a storm breaking, Damien's pack erupted into howls of triumph. The sound shook the earth, the forest, the very moon above.
Aria rushed forward, tears blurring her vision. She threw herself into Damien's arms, heedless of his blood, his wounds. He caught her, holding her tight, his forehead pressed to hers.
"I told you I'd win," he whispered, his voice hoarse.
And under the blood moon, surrounded by wolves and destiny, Aria believed him.