Chapter 170: Clash of Claws

Kairn’s paws hit the ground with a force that sent dirt scattering, his massive frame sliding between Willow and the far tree line just as the first shapes burst through it.

Levi’s rogue wolves, right on our tails.

They fanned out in a rough semicircle, teeth bared, their growls vibrating through the clearing like distant thunder. Their eyes gleamed with the kind of hunger that had nothing to do with food. This was their moment. Everything Levi had promised them was nearly within reach.

Willow and I skidded to a stop behind Kairn, breathless, trembling, adrenaline still screaming through our veins. Kairn leaned in, nuzzling me gently as he checked for damage. I could feel his relief tremble through the bond when he was sure I was unharmed—exhausted, but safe.

For a heartbeat, everything held still. A standoff. A breath before the storm.

Then Skye emerged from the side of the clearing, his dark coat catching the light, his presence a sharp, electric jolt through the air. More of our pack followed—shadows slipping from between the trees, forming a wall behind him as they stepped into the clearing

Skye... I wanted to sprint across the space and launch myself at him, but there was no time for an intimate reunion.

Levi stepped forward, his wolf towering, his gaze locked on us with a fury that felt like heat on my skin. His pack mirrored him, muscles coiled, ready to spring.

Kairn’s growl deepened, low and steady, a defensive warning that vibrated through the ground beneath my feet.

Skye’s voice brushed my mind again, steady and fierce. “Stay behind us.”

But I wouldn’t cower behind my husbands. This was as much of my fight as it was theirs.

Levi’s lips curled as he assessed our pack. I could practically hear him tallying our numbers in his head.

His wolves shifted their weight, waiting impatiently. Then Clove appeared, and then the tension snapped.

The first lunge came from Levi’s right flank—a dark blur launching toward Kairn. Kairn met it head‑on, the impact sending both wolves tumbling across the grass in a violent tangle of fur and force.

The clearing erupted like lightning cracking through the darkness of a stormy night.

Wolves collided in a chaotic rush—snarls, yelps, the thud of bodies hitting the ground. The air filled with the raw sound of struggle, paws tearing at the earth, the sharp crack of jaws snapping shut inches from flesh.

Skye barreled into a wolf, knocking it sideways before it could reach Willow. Willow darted back, narrowly avoiding another attacker as two of our packmates intercepted it, driving it away from us.

I stumbled as a rogue wolf lunged in my direction, but before it reached me, a blur of black and silver—Kairn—slammed into it, forcing it back into the fray.

The fight was everywhere at once—movement and sound and instinct. It was hard to find a single point of focus in the chaos—hard to discern friend from foe.

Wolves clashed and broke apart, regrouped, lunged again. The grass tore beneath their paws, the air thick with the scent of sweat and earth.

Levi pushed through the mess, his gaze locked on me with a single-minded determination that made my stomach twist. He stalked forward, each step deliberate, ignoring the battle raging around him.

I stood my ground, knowing it would always have come to this. But I wasn’t alone.

Skye intercepted him, planting himself firmly between us with a threatening snarl that cut through the noise like a blade, the rest of the sounds fading away to nothing in my head. Levi hesitated, his eye narrowing.

Kairn appeared at his side a heartbeat later, his chest heaving, his fur bristling. My husbands—my Alphas—were at my side.

Levi’s gaze flicked between them—Skye, Kairn, the rest of our pack closing in around him. And then a familiar scent hit me. Warm and safe and familiar.

Luna Vera appeared from the edge of the clearing, followed by the warriors of the Silverstone pack. And for the first time, uncertainty flickered in Levi’s good eye.

My entire body shuddered with relief. The only mother I’d ever really known. She was there, honoring our alliance as she always promised she would.

Levi was outnumbered, and he knew it.

But he didn’t back down. Instead, he lunged for me.

Skye and Kairn met him at the same time, the three wolves colliding with a force that shook the ground and echoed through the trees. The impact sent a shockwave through the clearing, the rest of the wolves momentarily pausing before the chaos swallowed them again.

I watched, breath caught in my throat, as the three of them fought—fast, brutal, a blur of movement and instinct.

Willow pressed against my side; her eyes locked on Clove as she rounded the clearing. She was avoiding the fight. Not like a warrior--like a coward. Like someone caught between what they wanted and what they had to do. I wouldn't be Clove. I refused to stand on the sidelines and wait for the battle to end.

I gave Willow one single look. While I'd never wanted to lead with cruelty, it was inevitable. Threatened or coerced, it didn't matter. Clove's betrayal couldn't go unanswered. Not when she'd put our entire pack in danger. “I want her dead.” I didn’t have to say it. Willow was already charging forward; her eyes fixed on the auburn wolf at the edge of the clearing.

I threw myself into the fight, relying solely on my animal instinct to guide me. When I focused, the scent of foe was easy to determine from friend.

A set of claws, ragged and sharp, swiped at my face. I recoiled just in time to avoid being lacerated. My counter was immediate, whipping about and lunging, sinking my teeth into fur and muscle. The wolf let out a yelp, kicking and snarling as it battled to break free of my grip.

Our wolves were holding the line. Pushing Levi’s pack back. Turning the tide.

But Levi… Levi fought like a storm refusing to break.

And the outcome was far from certain.

Then, I did something I’d never planned to, never even considered. I opened the barrier in my mind and spoke directly to the wolf my teeth were clamped into.

“Is this what you want? Is your Alpha worth dying for?”

The response wasn’t entirely immediate. It happened like a chain reaction as my temples throbbed. The wolf stiffened, ears twitching, and then their body went slack, sinking into the grass, legs slowly giving way.

“Stay down,” I commanded, softening my tone, “and we won’t harm you. Our fight is with your Alpha alone.”

I didn’t receive a response, but I didn’t need one. The wolf remained tucked against the ground and did not rise again.

It was the smallest of victories, but enough to give me hope.