Chapter 36 Chapter 36
Sable’s POV
The word echoed in my head long after he said it.
Queen.
They were not here to question but to claim.
My breath came out slow, uneven, as the man stood before us like he had every right to be there–like this moment had been waiting for him just as much as it had been waiting for me.
"We’ve come for our Queen."
The wolves behind him lowered their heads slightly, not in submission but in acknowledgment and respect.
Power recognized power.
And it sent a ripple straight through me.
"I’m not yours."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
Firm but clear.
Even though my heart was still racing. The man’s expression didn’t change.
If anything, something flickered in his eyes.
Something like interest.
"Not yet," he said calmly.
Kael let out a low, humorless laugh.
"Oh, I don’t like him already."
Leonidas stepped forward slightly, his body angling just enough to put himself between me and the stranger.
"You are not taking her anywhere."
The man’s gaze shifted to him.
Measured.
Calculating.
"And you are?"
Leonidas didn’t hesitate.
"Someone standing in your way."
A faint smile touched the man’s lips.
"Then I suggest you move."
The tension snapped instantly.
Caius stepped forward next, his voice colder than I’d ever heard it.
"She’s not going with you," he said.
The man’s eyes moved to him now.
And for the first time since he came here, there was recognition in his eyes.
"Ah," he said softly. "The Hunter."
My chest tightened.
Hunter.
That word again.
Caius didn’t react outwardly.
But I felt the shift in him.
The danger he was trying to control.
"You shouldn’t be here," Caius said.
"Neither should you," the man replied smoothly. "And yet... here we all are."
The air thickened as the wolves behind him shifted slightly, their attention sharpening, their bodies tense but still controlled.
Waiting.
They were always waiting.
"For what?" I whispered.
No one answered me.
But the man’s gaze returned to me again.
And this time—
It felt heavier.
"You don’t understand what you are yet," he said.
My jaw tightened.
"I understand enough."
"Do you?"
His voice wasn’t mocking.
Just... certain.
That annoyed me more.
"I’m not some prize for you to fight over," I snapped.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"That’s where you’re wrong."
Anger flared inside me.
Sharp and hot.
And the power—it responded instantly.
The air around me shifted, making the ground beneath my feet tremble faintly, not enough to break but enough to be felt.
Every wolf in the clearing reacted. Some stepped back.
Others lowered their heads instinctively.
Leonidas went still beside me.
Not in fear—
But recognition.
Caius’s hand brushed against my arm again.
"Careful," he murmured.
I inhaled sharply, trying to pull it back.
Trying to control it.
This time–it listened.
The power settled slightly, though it didn’t disappear.
The man noticed.
Of course he did.
His smile widened just a fraction.
"There it is."
"I said I’m not going with you," I repeated.
His head tilted slightly.
"And I haven’t forced you."
"Yet," Kael muttered under his breath.
The man ignored him.
"For now," he corrected calmly.
Leonidas growled low.
"That’s not happening."
The man’s gaze flicked to him again.
"You think you can stop all of us?"
Leonidas didn’t hesitate.
"Yes."
The confidence in his voice made something twist in my chest.
Not fear.
Something else–stronger.
The wolves behind the man shifted again.
This time, they were more restless.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Okay, this is about to turn ugly."
"Stay behind me," Leonidas said quietly.
I frowned slightly.
"I’m not hiding."
"You’re not fighting either," he shot back.
"I can–"
"No."
The word was firm.
Final.
It should have annoyed me.
And it did.
But—
He wasn’t wrong.
Not yet.
Not like this.
Caius’s voice cut in.
"She doesn’t need to fight."
The man’s brow lifted slightly.
"Interesting."
His gaze flicked between them.
"You’re both very eager to protect her."
Kael snorted softly.
"You are just noticing?"
The man ignored him again.
"But that raises a question," he continued, his tone shifting slightly.
More curious.
More dangerous.
"Which one of you does she choose?"
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
My heart skipped.
"That’s not–"
"Because that," he interrupted smoothly, "is what this comes down to."
The wolves behind him stepped forward again.
Closer.
The space between us shrinking.
"The Queen does not stand alone," he said. "She chooses an Alpha."
The words echoed.
Loud.
Final.
The dragon shifted behind us, its massive presence stirring the air again.
"The law remains," it said.
My chest tightened.
"What law?"
The dragon’s silver gaze fixed on me.
"The Queen binds herself to one Alpha."
My breath caught.
"And the others?" I asked quietly.
The dragon didn’t answer.
It didn’t need to.
I felt it.
The truth settling in my chest like a weight I couldn’t ignore.
"They fall," Kael said bluntly.
I turned sharply.
"What?"
His expression didn’t change.
"That’s how it works."
"No," I said immediately.
"No, that’s not happening."
The man watched me carefully.
"Then change the rules."
My heart pounded.
"I don’t even understand them yet!"
"Then learn quickly."
The pressure in the clearing grew heavier.
The wolves stepped closer again.
Not attacking.
But no longer waiting.
Leonidas’s stance shifted.
Ready.
Dangerous.
Caius moved slightly in front of me again.
Protective.
Controlled.
Kael rolled his shoulders.
"Alright... guess we’re doing this."
"No," I said quickly.
All three of them paused.
I stepped forward.
Ignoring the way my heart was racing.
Ignoring the way the power inside me stirred again.
"I said no."
The word echoed.
Stronger this time.
Carrying something deeper.
The wolves froze.
The man went still.
Even the air seemed to hold its breath.
"I’m not choosing anyone," I said.
My voice didn’t shake.
"I’m not letting you turn this into some kind of fight where people die because of me."
The man studied me.
Long.
Careful.
Then—
He sighed softly.
"Then you misunderstand."
My chest tightened.
"Misunderstand what?"
"This isn’t about what you want."
The words hit harder than anything else.
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
The man took another step forward.
And this time—
No one stopped him.
Because something in his presence had changed.
Something heavier.
More dangerous.
"This is about what you are," he said.
The power inside me flared again.
Unstable.
Uncertain.
"And what am I?" I demanded.
His eyes darkened slightly.
"The center of a war."
The words settled over the clearing like a storm breaking.
Behind him—
More wolves emerged from the forest.
Not just dozens now.
Hundreds.
My breath caught.
"This isn’t just one pack," Leonidas muttered.
"No," Kael said quietly. "It’s all of them."
Caius’s jaw tightened.
"This is bad."
The man spread his arms slightly.
"Welcome to reality, Queen."
My heart slammed violently.
The power inside me surged again.
Stronger.
Wilder.
Because deep down—
I felt it.
The truth.
This wasn’t going to stop.
It wasn’t going to slow down.
And I couldn’t run from it.
The wolves began moving again.
This time—
Not slowly or carefully.
They moved forward at once.
All of them.
Leonidas stepped in front of me instantly.
Caius beside him.
Kael just behind.
The dragon’s wings lifted slightly.
Tension snapped.
Completely.
And in that moment—
I realized something terrifying.
This wasn’t a standoff anymore.
It was the beginning of something much worse.
The first wolf lunged.
And everything exploded.