Chapter 12 Chapter 12
Leonidas' POV
Immediately Sable blacked out I put my arms around her body as she collapsed on me the second time today.
I was feeling was not good as one second she was there standing, trembling u der the weight of a power none of us could understand and the next her body limped out.
"Sable–"
For a moment, fear gripped my chest. A strange, unfamiliar fear. The kind I hadn’t felt in years.
"Is she alive?" Zander asked quickly, appearing beside me.
I pressed two fingers against Sable’s neck.
Her pulse was there.
It was fast but strong.
"She’s alive",I said quietly.
The relief that flickered across Zander’s face disappeared almost immediately as he glanced around the courtyard. The battle had ended sometimes ago. While most of the hunters lay unconscious or injured on the ground, their weapons scattered across the pavement, the wolves stood around us in a wide circle.
Silent. Watching. Waiting.
Not one of them had left.
Even the rogue wolf from earlier remained nearby, its golden eyes fixed on Sable’s unconscious form.
"They’re still here", Zander muttered.
I noticed it too. Normally wolves would retreat after a fight. Return to their territory. But these ones didn’t move.
They stayed exactly where they were. Guarding her.
The stranger who had appeared earlier stepped closer, observing the scene with calm curiosity.
"She pushed herself too far",he said.
My gaze snapped toward him.
"You knew that would happen".
He shrugged slightly.
"The awakening of an Omega Queen is never gentle".
My patience snapped.
I stood slowly, still holding Sable in my arms.
"Explain".
The stranger tilted his head slightly, as if deciding how much to say.
"You’ve heard the legends".
"I don’t care about legends".
"You should",he replied calmly. "Because your little Omega just proved one of them is real".
I clenched my jaw.
"She forced an Alpha to kneel".
The words burned in my mind.
No Omega should have that kind of power.No wolf should.
Zander folded his arms beside me.
"I hate to interrupt this fascinating conversation", he said dryly, "but we still have a courtyard full of hunters".
One of the injured hunters groaned somewhere behind us.
I turned slightly, scanning the battlefield. A few hunters were starting to stir. They wouldn’t stay down long.
"Gather the survivors", I ordered coldly.
Zander nodded.
"With pleasure".
He moved across the courtyard quickly, disarming the remaining hunters with efficient precision.
The stranger watched him for a moment before turning back to me.
"You’re handling this
surprisingly well",he said.
"I’m not".
My eye dropped to Sable’s pale face. Even unconscious, her body seemed tense, as if the power inside her was still restless.
Her fingers twitched slightly.
"What exactly did you mean earlier?" I asked.
The stranger sighed.
"You truly don’t know".
"That’s why I’m asking".
He studied me carefully.
Then his gaze shifted to Sable again.
"The Omega Queen isn’t just
another wolf".
"That much is obvious".
"She’s the center of the pack bond".
My brow furrowed.
"Explain".
The stranger crossed his arms.
"All wolves are connected through the pack bond", he said. "Even those from different packs share fragments of that connection"
I already knew that much.
It was instinct. Nature.
"But the Omega Queen", he continued, "is the heart of that bond".
Zander returned at that moment, dragging a disarmed hunter across the pavement.
He dropped the man beside the others.
"So basically", Zander said, brushing his hands off, "she’s the boss of all wolves".
The stranger smiled faintly.
"In simple terms, yes".
I frowned.
"That’s impossible".
"Is it?",he gestured toward the wolves surrounding the courtyard. "They obeyed her".
They had. Every single one.
Even the rogues.
The thought unsettled me more than I cared to admit.
"Why now?" I asked. "Why did her power suddenly awaken?"
The stranger shrugged.
"Sometimes it happens during extreme stress".
My jaw tightened.
"So this is my fault".
“Not entirely,” he replied calmly. "But you certainly helped".
Zander smirked slightly.
"Well, that’s comforting".
A low rumble suddenly echoed
from the surrounding forest.
My head snapped up instantly.
The wolves reacted too.
Several lifted their heads, their ears twitching toward the distant sound.
Then—
A howl sound echoed through the night. It came from far beyond the trees.
Deep. Powerful. And it wasn’t alone. Another howl answered.
Then another.
And another.
Zander’s expression shifted.
"That doesn’t sound good".
I stared toward the forest, my instincts immediately on edge.Those howls carried power.
Alpha power.
The stranger nodded slowly.
"They’ve felt it".
My stomach tightened.
"Felt what?"
He looked directly at me.
"Her awakening".
Another distant howl echoed
through the night.
Then several more howl answered it. The forest seemed alive with them now.
Zander rubbed the back of his neck.
"How far away are those wolves?"
"Some are close", the stranger said.
"Others..."
His voice lowered slightly.
"Very far away".
I tightened my grip around Sable slightly.
"What does that mean?"
"It means every Alpha connected to the bond just felt a new presence appear".
Another howl echoed.
Closer this time. My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin.
"They’re coming", Zander muttered.
"Not yet",the stranger replied. "But they will".
I glared at him.
"You seem awfully calm about this".
He shrugged like it meant nothing.
"I’ve been expecting it for years".
That caught my attention.
"What do you mean?"
Before he could answer—
Sable suddenly stirred in my arms. My gaze snapped back to her instantly. Her breathing quickened.
Her fingers curled weakly against my shirt.
"Sable?"
Her eyes didn’t open, but her body trembled slightly.
The wolves reacted immediately.Several of them dropped lower to the ground again.
Another powerful pulse of energy rippled through the air. And we all felt it.
Zander stiffened.
"She’s still doing that while unconscious?"
The stranger’s eyes gleamed.
"Yes".
The pressure in the air grew heavier.
More wolves in the courtyard bowed their heads.
Even the rogue wolf lowered itself slightly.
I stared down at Sable.
"What are you doing?"
Another distant howl echoed across the forest.
But this one was different.
It sounded deeper. Stronger.
More powerful than the others.Even the wolves in the courtyard reacted to it.
Several lifted their heads nervously.
The stranger’s expression changed. For the first time since arriving....
He looked concerned.
"Well", he murmured quietly.
"That was fast".
I looked at him sharply.
"What was fast?"
His eyes turned toward the dark forest beyond the courtyard.
"That Alpha".
My stomach dropped.
"What Alpha?" I asked.
The stranger’s voice became serious.
"The one who just felt her power".
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Then—
Another howl echoed through the night. Closer now. Much closer.
The wolves surrounding us shifted uneasily.
Even my own wolf reacted to the sound.
A deep instinct warned me.
Danger.
Zander exhaled slowly.
"I’m guessing that’s bad".
The stranger nodded once.
"Yes".
I tightened my hold on Sable.
"Explain".
The stranger looked directly at me.
"That howl belongs to one of the strongest Alphas alive".
My chest tightened.
"And he just realized the Omega Queen exists", he said.
Another howl echoed again.
This time it sounded much closer to the pack territory.
The stranger’s voice dropped to a quiet whisper.
"And he’s coming for her".
'Coming for my mate?' I thought.