Chapter 48

Chapter 48
Damian’s POV

The howl ripped through the night, sharp enough to set every nerve in my body on edge. It wasn’t Kael’s. It was one of ours. An alarm. A warning.

By the time I hit the stairs, wolves were already filling the lower floor, voices tangled in panic and confusion. Some shifted halfway, their claws dragging against the wood, eyes glowing in the half-dark.

“What is it?” I barked.

A young scout stumbled forward, blood smeared across his chest. “Alpha— intruders. South perimeter. They killed the guards.”

My vision narrowed. Kael. It had to be him.

I shoved through the packhouse doors and into the night air. Wolves clustered in the yard, snapping and restless, the energy of fear rolling like a storm. I didn’t have the luxury of hesitation.

“Form ranks!” I shouted. My voice cut through the chaos, commanding. “Betas to the front, healers inside with the wounded. No one breaks formation until my signal.”

Thomas was already there, standing with a group of his loyalists. His expression was sharp, too sharp, like he was waiting for this moment. “You can’t hold them back forever, Damian. We should consider…”

“Not now,” I snapped. “Unless you want to hand the pack to Kael before he even sets foot here.”

His jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue. For now.

I shifted, the change ripping through my body until my wolf stood where I had been. My paws struck the ground hard as I bounded forward, the warriors falling in behind me.

The south perimeter was a mess. Bodies of guards lay in the dirt, blood soaking the earth. The scent was heavy, metallic. My wolf snarled, rage boiling in my chest.

From the shadows, figures emerged. Not Kael, rogues. At least a dozen. Their eyes glowed with hunger and hate, their teeth bared.

Behind me, my wolves growled in unison, the sound rolling like thunder.

“Hold,” I commanded through the bond. My voice in their minds steadied them, pulled them together. Fear was thick, but unity was stronger.

The rogues advanced, circling. I could feel their intent they weren’t here to test us. They were here to break us.

Then the leader stepped forward. A massive wolf, scars slashed across his muzzle. His growl rumbled low, and I knew this wasn’t random. This was a message.

Kael had sent them.

Rage threatened to blind me, but I forced it down. Strategy first. If I lost my head, I’d lose the pack.

I lunged, teeth sinking into the rogue leader’s shoulder. The clash erupted instantly, a storm of fur and blood. My pack surged with me, meeting the rogues head-on.

Claws raked my flank, the pain sharp but ignored. I tore the wolf free and slammed him into the ground, bones snapping beneath my weight. Around me, the fight roared, snarls, yelps, the crash of bodies.

But through the chaos, I saw Thomas. He hung back, his wolves holding the line but not pressing forward. His hesitation wasn’t weakness, it was deliberate. He wanted me to bleed, to look weaker when this was done.

I shoved the thought aside. Survival first, politics later.

The rogue leader came at me again, jaws wide. I twisted, slamming him down, my teeth closing around his throat. One snap, and it was over. His body went limp.

The remaining rogues faltered. My wolves pressed harder, driving them back. One by one, they broke and fled into the trees.

Breath tore in and out of my chest as I shifted back, sweat and blood slick on my skin. My wolves gathered around me, some limping, others bleeding, but alive. For now.

“Take the wounded to the healers,” I ordered, voice hoarse but firm. “No one rests until the borders are reinforced.”

Thomas stepped forward, his tone smooth, practiced. “You fought well. But you see now, Kael is not playing games. He will send more, and stronger. How many more wolves will you throw into the dirt before you admit…”

“Admit what?” I cut him off, stepping closer. “That you’d rather hand him the pack than fight for it?”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some of the younger wolves glanced between us, uneasy.

Thomas’s eyes glittered, cold. “I’d rather ensure the survival of our people, Damian. You let your emotions cloud your judgment. And the more you cling to Elara, the more danger you drag into these walls.”

At her name, my chest tightened. Every eye turned toward me, waiting. Testing.

I wanted to tear his throat out. But that was what he wanted to make me look reckless. So instead, I straightened, my voice hard. “Anyone who questions my judgment is free to challenge me. Here. Now.”

The air stilled. Wolves shifted uneasily. No one moved.

Thomas’s lips thinned, but he stepped back. He wasn’t ready. Not yet.

I turned to the pack, raising my voice. “Kael sent these rogues to break us. He failed. He will keep failing, because we are stronger together. Doubt if you want, fear if you must, but when the next fight comes, you will stand with me or you will be swept aside.”

The crowd growled in answer, low but unified. For now, they were mine.

But as I looked at their faces, bruised and bloodied, I knew the truth.

Kael was only beginning. And Thomas was waiting for the moment I slipped.