Chapter 23 Chapter 23
Zander’s POV
"Kael".
The moment the unknown vampire said the name, it hung in the air like a blade.
For a while, no one in the area spoke and not a single wolf moved.
Even the fire crackling in the stone hearth seemed quieter, as if it understood the weight of that one name.
I leaned back slightly against a tree, folding my arms across my chest as I studied Leonidas.
He stood near the window, his broad shoulders tense, his golden eyes fixed on the darkness outside the pack house. The moonlight show across his face, making him look even more dangerous than usual.
But there was something else there tonight.
Concern.
That alone was enough to make my stomach twist.
Because Leonidas didn’t worry easily.
"Tell me you’re joking", I finally said.
My voice sounded calmer than I felt.
Leonidas didn’t look at me.
"I’m not".
A few of the wolves in the room shifted uneasily.
One of the younger warriors actually swallowed audibly.
Yeah.
That was about the kind of reaction I was expecting.
I let out a slow breath.
"So let me get this straight", I said slowly. "You think the Alpha who just threatened to start a war over a girl... was that Kael?"
Leonidas turned his head slightly.
His eyes met mine. They were filled certainty.
"Yes".
Damn.
The room fell silent again.
Across the room, Mira–one of the pack healers–tightened her grip on the blanket she had been holding.
"Kael?" she whispered.
Her voice trembled slightly.
"You mean the one from the eastern territories?"
"The same one", I muttered.
The younger wolves looked confused. Which meant they hadn’t heard the stories yet.
Lucky them.
I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed.
"Alright", I said, looking around the room. "For those of you who apparently grew up under a rock.. Kael isn’t just some Alpha with a big ego".
Leonidas didn’t interrupt.
He already knew.
"The guy has wiped out three packs in the last five years", I continued. "Not defeated. Not taken over".
I paused.
"Destroyed".
A ripple of unease spread through the room.
One of the warriors frowned.
"Why?"
I shrugged slightly.
"Depends on which rumor you believe, some say they challenged him".
"Others say they had something he wanted".
I glanced toward Leonidas.
"And once Kael decides he wants something..."
My voice trailed off.
Everyone in the room already understood the rest of my unfinished word.
He took it. No matter the cost.
A soft sound like movement interrupted the silence.
My eyes flicked toward the girl on the other side of Leonidas'.
Sable.
She shifted slightly beside me. Her dark hair spilled across the shoulder as her eyes slowly showed fear and confusion. For a moment, she looked confused.
Then she spoke up abruptly.
"Who’s Kael?"
Every wolf in the area froze.
Great timing.
Leonidas crossed the room in two steps.
"You should still be resting", he said trying to persuade her to go back inside the room.
She ignored him.
Her silver eyes moved from face to face.
"You were talking about him".
Her voice was still weak, but there was steel beneath it.
"I heard my name earlier too".
Of course she did.
Wolves had excellent hearing.
Even unconscious ones apparently. I pushed myself away from the tree and walked closer.
"Well", I said carefully, "Kael is basically the reason everyone in this place suddenly looks like they swallowed poison".
Her brows furrowed.
"Why?"
Before I could answer—
A warrior stumbled beside Leonidas', breathing heavily.
"Alpha!"
Leonidas turned instantly.
"What is it?"
The scout’s chest rose and fell rapidly.
"The scouts just returned from the northern bridge".
Leonidas’ expression darkened.
"Report".
The wolf swallowed.
"There’s movement in the forest".
My stomach tightened.
"What kind of movement?" I asked.
The scout hesitated.
"A lot".
A murmur spread through the room.
Leonidas’ voice cut through the noise.
"How many?"
"We couldn’t get an exact count", the scout admitted. "But it’s a large group, at least they were more than twenty wolves".
Great.
Just great.
Leonidas’ jaw tightened.
"Direction?"
"Toward our territory"
Of course they were.
Sable slowly pushed herself off the way. Leonidas immediately reached for her arm.
"You’re not getting involved in this".
She shook her head slightly.
"I’m already involved".
He didn’t argue with that.
None of us could because she was right.
She glanced toward the scout.
"Do you know who they belong to?"
The scout hesitated.
Then nodded.
"We found their scent markers along the bridge".
My stomach sank.
Leonidas’ eyes narrowed.
"Whose?"
The scout looked straight at him.
"Kael’s".
Silence filled the room again.
Well.
That didn’t take long.
I dragged a hand down my face.
"He moves fast".
Leonidas’ gaze shifted toward the shadow again.
His wolf was practically radiating through him now.
Protective. Territorial.
Dangerous.
Sable took a small step forward.
"He’s coming here?"
"Yes", Leonidas said simply.
Her silver eyes darkened slightly.
"Because of me".
No one answered.
Because it was obvious.
The scout spoke again.
"There’s something else".
Leonidas didn’t look away from the window.
"Speak".
"They’re not attacking".
That made me blink.
"What?"
"They stopped at the outer forest line".
Now that was strange.
Leonidas finally turned.
"What are they doing?"
The scout shifted nervously.
"Waiting".
That was worse.
Because Kael wasn’t the type to wait.
Unless he wanted something.
Leonidas walked toward the forest.
"I’m going out there".
Sable grabbed his arm.
"No".
Every wolf in the room stared at her.
Leonidas looked down at her hand on his arm.
"Let go".
"No".
Her voice was stronger now.
"If Kael came for me, then I’m the one he wants to talk to".
My wolf nearly choked laughing.
Talk.
Right.
Leonidas’ expression hardened.
"You’re not stepping outside while he’s out there".
"He already knows I’m here".
"That doesn’t mean you need to hand yourself to him".
She stepped closer.
"I’m not handing myself to anyone".
The silver glow beneath her skin flickered faintly.
The air in the room grew heavier. Her powers were reacting again.
I raised both hands slightly.
"Okay, before the walls start cracking again–maybe we should calm down", I said trying to calm both of them down.
Leonidas didn’t take his eyes off Sable.
"You’re going inside".
She lifted her chin stubbornly.
"No".
The tension between them snapped tight.
Before the argument could explode further a sound echoed from outside.
A long, deep primal sound which everyone knows is a howl.
Every wolf in the room froze.
I also felt the vibration of it deep in my bones. The sound rolled across the territory like thunder and there was no mistaking– it was the name the stranger had said.
Kael.
Even Sable stiffened, her silver eyes widened slightly.
Leonidas’ wolf surged forward inside him.
Mine did the same.
Because that howl carried one very clear message.
'Challenge'.
'Claim'.
'And invitation'.
The silence that followed was worse than the sound itself.
Sable looked toward the front.
"He’s calling someone".
Leonidas’ expression darkened.
"Yes".
Another howl echoed across the forest. But this one was different.
A second voice.
Another Alpha.
My stomach dropped.
"Oh", I muttered quietly.
Sable looked at me.
"What?"
I exhaled slowly.
"That", I said grimly, "means Kael didn’t come alone".
Another howl answered from deeper in the mountains.
Then another.
And another.
Like each of them as already known who the bbbb
Three different Alpha voices echoed across the territory.
The sound sent a chill down my spine.
Because suddenly, Kael’s words from earlier made perfect sense.
He wasn’t starting a war.
The war had already arrived.