Chapter 25 THE WOLF AT THE GATE

Chapter 25 THE WOLF AT THE GATE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Warriors surged toward the outer border while terrified pack members pulled children deeper into the territory. The air vibrated with snarls, panic, and the sharp scent of adrenaline.

Anna couldn’t move, her eyes remained locked on the enormous black wolf standing beyond the gates.

Its crimson eyes twinkled in the moonlight and that smile… Wolves weren’t supposed to smile.

Chris stepped in front of her instantly, his body shielding hers as a deep growl rumbled through his chest.

“Get everyone out of here,” he ordered sharply.

Steve was already shouting commands across the clearing. “Move to the inner territory now! Warriors to the gate!”

The black wolf didn’t attack, it simply watched. It stood watching them panic. Like this was entertainment.

Anna felt nausea twist violently in her stomach. “That’s him,” she whispered.

Chris’s shoulders stiffened.

Draven.

Even from a distance, the rogue Alpha radiated something deeply wrong. Not just power, something darker and twisted. Predatory in a way that made Anna’s instincts recoil violently.

The black wolf tilted its massive head slightly toward her. Then it stepped forward.

Every Blood Moon warrior immediately shifted into defensive stances.

Chris’s voice thundered across the territory. “Nobody moves.”

The authority in it froze everyone instantly.

Draven stopped several feet beyond the border line, moonlight glinting against black fur so dark it almost swallowed the firelight around him.

Then slowly bones cracked. The massive wolf shifted immediately.

Anna had never witnessed a transformation before. It was horrifyingly beautiful.

Within seconds, a man stood where the beast had been. Tall, broad-shouldered and terrifyingly calm.

Dark tattoos curled across his throat and chest like living shadows while scars marked nearly every inch of exposed skin. His black hair hung damp around a face that might’ve been handsome if not for the cruelty carved into every expression.

His eyes remained crimson. Still inhuman.

The entire territory fell dead silent.

Draven smiled lazily. “Well…,” he drawled, voice smooth as poison, “the famous Blood Moon Alpha finally comes out to greet me.”

Chris didn’t move an inch. “You’re trespassing.”

“And you’re young.” Draven glanced around the territory casually. “Younger than I expected.”

Anna noticed several warriors struggling not to flinch under his gaze. Fear spread quickly through the pack bond.

Draven felt it too. His smile widened.

“Oh, I like this pack,” he murmured. “Strong territory. Loyal wolves. Pretty little Luna.”

Chris growled low and dangerous. The sound only amused Draven further.

“There it is,” he said softly. “That temper.”

Steve stepped beside Chris. “State your business and leave.”

Draven’s crimson eyes flicked toward him briefly. “You must be the Beta.” He smirked faintly. “You look exhausted.”

Steve looked seconds away from attacking him. Chris lifted a warning hand slightly. Draven noticed that too.

Anna could practically see him studying them. Learning their weaknesses and testing their reactions. Just as a predator does before attacking his prey.

“You killed one of my wolves,” Chris said coldly.

Draven sighed dramatically. “Ah... The scout?” He shrugged carelessly. “He was spying.”

“He was on Blood Moon land.”

“And now he’s dead.” Draven tilted his head. “A shame really. He fought harder than the others.”

A low snarl ripped through several nearby warriors. Anna felt fury slam through the bond now, hot and unstable.

Draven inhaled deeply like he enjoyed it. “You know,” he mused, “fear smells different in every pack.”

Chris took one deliberate step forward. “Leave… Now!”

The single command carried Alpha force behind it hard enough to shake the air.

Several younger wolves straightened proudly. That was their Alpha but Draven only smiled wider.

“You do have power,” he admitted. “I wondered.”

Anna felt something cold crawl down her spine at those words. As if Draven had specifically come to evaluate Chris himself.

“You’ve been watching us,” she realized aloud.

Draven’s gaze snapped toward her instantly. For the first time since arriving his expression changed. Interest in the young woman flashed in his eyes.

“Well…,” he murmured softly, “there she is.”

Chris immediately moved further in front of her. “Don’t you look at her.”

Draven laughed quietly. “Possessive. I respect that.”

Every instinct inside Anna screamed danger now. This man wasn’t normal not even by Alpha standards. There was something deeply broken inside him.

“You dream loudly, little Luna,” Draven said suddenly.

Anna’s blood froze instantly. Chris’s head whipped toward her immediately.

Draven’s crimson eyes never left Anna’s face. “Did you really think bonds like yours go unnoticed?”

The nightmares. He knew about the nightmares. Anna’s pulse began hammering violently against her ribs.

“How do you know that?” Chris demanded.

Draven ignored him completely. “She’s stronger than I expected,” he continued thoughtfully, studying Anna like a puzzle. “The old blood runs deep.”

Chris’s control finally snapped slightly. Power burst outward from him violently enough to rattle nearby windows.

“You will not speak to her again.”

Several Blood Moon wolves lowered their heads instantly beneath the Alpha force. Even Anna felt it press against her skin.

But Draven… He remained perfectly still. With the mischievous grin.

“Oh,” he said softly, “this is going to be fun.”

Chris shifted partially without warning, claws extending dangerously.

Steve stepped forward instantly. “Chris…”

They all knew, one wrong move could trigger a massacre.

Draven glanced around the territory lazily again. “You know what your problem is, Blood Moon Alpha?”

Chris said nothing.

“You still think mercy keeps people loyal.” Draven’s smile faded slightly. “It doesn’t. Fear does.”

“That’s the difference between us,” Chris replied coldly. “My wolves would die for me willingly.”

Draven’s eyes darkened. “And mine would kill for me without hesitation.”

Anna suddenly understood why entire packs were falling, not because Draven was simply strong. He knew exactly how to infect fear into people until they forgot who they were.

That terrified her more than brute strength ever could.

Draven finally stepped backward toward the tree line.

“I didn’t come tonight for war,” he said calmly.

“Then why are you here?” Anna asked before anyone could stop her.

Draven looked directly at her again. That awful smile returned slowly. “To meet the future.”

Then his gaze shifted toward Chris. “And to warn you.”

The air seemed to tighten around the entire territory.

Draven’s voice dropped lower now. “Your pack is already beginning to fracture. Your younger wolves question you. Your Beta fears you’re underestimating me.” His smile sharpened cruelly. “And your Luna…” His crimson eyes flicked back toward Anna. “Your Luna already sees how this story ends.”

Chris’s breathing turned dangerous. Anna felt something worse, Draven wasn’t guessing.

Somehow… He knew what exactly was going to happen.

“You should’ve killed me tonight,” Draven said softly. “Mercy becomes regret eventually.” he moved back a little and disappeared.

One blink and he was simply gone back into the darkness between the trees.

The entire territory remained frozen for several seconds afterward. No one moved an inch.

Warriors voices shouted orders to the scouts as they ran for the borders. Tyler cursed violently nearby.

Steve barked orders immediately. “Triple patrols! Nobody leaves the inner territory alone!”

Chris remained staring into the darkness where Draven vanished, utterly motionless. Anna approached him carefully. “Chris…”

He turned toward her slowly, the look in his eyes terrified her. Pure, shaking rage barely held together by control.

“He knew about your dreams,” Chris said quietly.

Anna swallowed hard. “I know.”

“That means he’s been closer than we realized.”

Steve approached them grimly. “or someone’s feeding him information.”

Chris’s jaw tightened instantly.

A spy.

Tyler suddenly stepped forward from the crowd of warriors. “We can’t keep waiting anymore.” Several younger wolves immediately agreed.

“He walked into our territory like we were weak!”

“He threatened the Luna!”

“He murdered Eli!”

Chris voiced on them sharply. “Enough.”

The authority in his voice silenced everyone instantly.

Anna felt it through the bond. Fear was spreading faster and doubt grew by each minute.

Draven had accomplished exactly what he wanted tonight. He’d shaken the Blood Moon Pack without spilling a single drop of blood.

Anna feared that was only the beginning as she heard faint howls deep in the woods