21

The heavens had never known rage like this.

Alec stood at the edge of the Forgotten Valley, his golden eyes burning with fury, his breath steady despite the storm raging above him.

Lightning crackled across the sky, illuminating the twisted clouds overhead. The divine presence pressed down upon him, suffocating, demanding.

But Alec didn’t kneel.

He never had.

He never would.

The gods had taken everything from him—his pack, his purpose, his Selene.

They had stripped her power, exiled her from the moon’s grace, left her to unravel before his very eyes.

And Alec would not allow it.

A voice rippled through the air, neither male nor female, neither kind nor cruel.

“You dare stand against us?”

Alec smirked, rolling his shoulders, feeling the familiar weight of his strength coil beneath his skin. “It’s not the first time.”

A pulse of energy surged toward him. Alec braced himself, feeling the crackling force of it. It wasn’t like being struck by lightning—it was worse. Like something ancient, something absolute, trying to force him to submit.

He refused.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed back, his body screaming under the weight of their power. His knees buckled, but he didn’t fall.

Because he had something they didn’t.

Something they would never understand.

Love.

He could still feel Selene’s warmth, the memory of her fingers tangled with his, the way she had looked at him as if he was the only steady thing in a world made of chaos.

He had sworn to protect her.

And a vow like that was stronger than divinity.

“Give it back,” Alec growled.

The gods remained silent.

Alec bared his teeth. “You’re afraid of her, aren’t you?”

A sharp gust of wind howled through the valley.

Alec laughed, low and dangerous. “That’s why you stripped her power instead of killing her. That’s why you took me first.” His golden eyes burned as he lifted his head. “You knew she’d fight. You knew she’d win.”

The sky trembled.

Alec pressed forward, through the divine force, through the pain curling in his bones. “And you know what? You were right.”

A deafening crack split the air.

Alec staggered as something unseen struck him, raw and merciless. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but he wiped it away with the back of his hand.

The gods had never been fair.

But neither was he.

Alec grinned, defiant. “You made a mistake, taking me.” He lifted his chin. “I heard things I shouldn’t have. I saw things I shouldn’t have.”

Silence.

Alec exhaled, feeling the raw energy humming inside him. He wasn’t like Selene—he wasn’t divine, wasn’t woven from prophecy.

But he was strong.

And he was angry.

“You want a war?” he murmured, tilting his head. “Let’s have one.”