Chapter 136 Face to Face

Chapter 136 Face to Face

Ronan & Darius POVs

Ronan

The moment he said prepared for you, I knew. There would be no more talking.

“Stay back,” I told Elias quietly.

“I’m not leaving you,” he shot back.

“I know.” I kept my eyes on Darius. “Just… trust me.”

His pheromones brushed against me, warm, steady now instead of wild. A silent promise. A tether.

I stepped forward.

Darius watched me approach with that same calm expression, like this was all a simple conversation and not a battlefield filled with collapsed Alphas and shattered control.

“Father,” I said.

The word tasted bitter.

He inclined his head slightly. “Ronan.”

No warmth. No anger. Just acknowledgment.

“You’ve grown,” he continued. “Stronger than I expected.”

“Stop,” I said sharply. “You don’t get to stand there like this is a reunion.”

A faint smile touched his lips. “Isn’t it?”

My wolf snarled.

“You tried to break him,” I said, my voice low but shaking with fury. “You tried to turn Elias into a weapon.”

“I tried to give him purpose,” Darius corrected calmly.

“He’s not a tool!”

“Everything is a tool,” he replied. “Strength. Loyalty. Even love.”

My fists clenched.

“Then what am I?” I demanded. “Another weapon you forged?”

His gaze sharpened slightly. “You were meant to be my successor.”

“Was?”

“You chose differently.”

The words landed heavier than any blow.

Behind me, I felt Elias’ presence, steady, warm, refusing to retreat. His pheromones curled around my senses like quiet reassurance.

I drew strength from it.

“I didn’t choose differently,” I said. “I chose right.”

Darius’ eyes flicked briefly past me toward Elias. “You chose an Omega over your bloodline.”

“I chose someone worth protecting.”

Silence stretched between us.

Then Darius sighed softly, almost disappointed. “You always were sentimental.”

“And you were always heartless,” I shot back.

His expression didn’t change, but something colder settled in his eyes.

“Enough,” he said.

He moved.

I barely saw it.

One second he stood still. The next, he was in front of me.

I blocked on instinct, our arms colliding with a force that sent shockwaves through my bones. Pain shot up my shoulder as his strength crashed against mine.

“Show me,” he said quietly. “How strong you’ve become.”

I pushed back, teeth gritted. “Gladly.”

We separated, circling.

The air between us crackled, not just with Elias’ pheromones, but with Alpha dominance. Raw, ancient instinct clashing head-on.

“Ronan…” Elias’ voice came softly behind me.

“I’m okay,” I muttered without looking back.

Darius lunged again. This time I was ready.

I sidestepped and countered, driving my fist toward his ribs. He blocked easily, turning the motion into a lock that nearly twisted my arm out of place.

“Too slow,” he murmured.

I jerked free and kicked low. He stepped back just enough to avoid it, but the movement broke his balance for half a second.

Enough.

I drove forward, slamming into him with full Alpha force. The impact cracked against the floor beneath us.

For a moment, we were evenly matched. Then he smiled. And everything changed.

His strength surged, not wild like mine, but controlled. Refined through years of battle and command. He shifted his weight and threw me off with brutal efficiency.

I hit the ground hard, breath knocked from my lungs.

“Ronan!” Elias called.

I rolled instantly, barely avoiding Darius’ downward strike. The floor shattered where his fist landed.

I sprang back to my feet, chest heaving.

“You’re holding back,” Darius observed.

“I’m not trying to kill you,” I said.

“Then you’ve already lost.”

He attacked again.

This time the blows came faster, precise, relentless. I blocked, countered, dodged, but each movement pushed me closer to my limit. He fought like someone who had survived countless battles.

Because he had.

A strike clipped my jaw. Pain exploded through my skull.

I staggered.

“Your hesitation is your weakness,” Darius said coldly.

“My hesitation is what makes me human,” I shot back, wiping blood from my lip.

“Humanity is overrated.”

We clashed again.

My muscles burned. My lungs screamed. Still, I kept moving, drawing on every ounce of Alpha strength I had.

Behind me, I could feel Elias.

His pheromones pulsed in steady waves now, brushing against my senses like a guiding hand. Every time my strength faltered, that warmth pushed me forward again.

I’m here, his presence seemed to say.

It anchored me.

Darius noticed.

His gaze flicked briefly past me again, calculating. “You draw strength from him.”

I didn’t deny it. “Yes.”

“Dangerous,” he murmured. “For both of you.”

He shifted suddenly. Not toward me. Toward Elias.

“Damn it!” I lunged to intercept, but he was already moving.

Darius POV

So this was my son.

Breathing hard. Bleeding. Still standing.

Impressive.

But predictable.

His strength came not from himself,but from the Omega behind him. The tether between them pulsed through the air, unmistakable.

A weakness.

Or perhaps… an opportunity.

I let him believe he was holding me back. Let him believe this duel was equal. Then I changed direction.

Toward the true source.

The Omega stood tall despite everything. Power rolled off him in controlled waves now, no longer chaotic but refined. Beautiful.

Dangerous.

“Stay back!” Ronan shouted, rushing after me.

Too slow. I closed the distance in seconds. The Omega…Elias….didn’t run.

Interesting.

He met my gaze directly, chin lifted. Fear flickered in his eyes, but it didn’t control him.

“You won’t touch him,” Ronan snarled behind me.

I ignored him.

Up close, Elias’ pheromones were even stronger. Commanding. Ancient. Enough to make lesser Alphas kneel.

But I was not lesser.

“You’ve grown beyond expectation,” I told him calmly.

He swallowed but held my gaze. “I’m not your weapon.”

“Not yet.”

Ronan reached us and struck. I caught his blow easily, twisting his arm and throwing him aside. He hit the ground hard but rolled back to his feet immediately.

Persistent.

Annoying.

“Stay away from him!” Ronan roared.

I stepped closer to Elias instead.

His power surged defensively, pressing against me like a shield. Impressive control for someone so newly awakened.

“You feel it, don’t you?” I said quietly. “This strength. This clarity.”

He didn’t answer.

“You were never meant to live suppressed,” I continued. “You were meant to command.”

“I command myself,” he said through clenched teeth.

Ronan moved again.

This time I struck first.

A precise blow to his midsection drove the air from his lungs. He dropped to one knee, gasping. Before he could recover, I kicked him back several feet.

He crashed against the cracked floor.

“Ronan!” Elias stepped forward instinctively.

There it was. That bond again.

I moved.

In one swift motion, I closed the gap and grabbed Elias’ wrist, pulling him toward me before he could react. His eyes widened as my grip tightened, not cruel, but unbreakable.

“Let him go!” Ronan forced himself upright, fury blazing despite the pain.

Elias’ pheromones spiked sharply, reacting to my hold. The air thickened with power, but I remained steady.

Up close, I lowered my voice so only he could hear.

“You can end this,” I murmured. “Come willingly. Stand beside me. Become what you were born to be.”

He stared at me, breathing hard.

“I will never belong to you,” he said.

Ronan charged.

I tightened my hold slightly. not enough to harm, just enough to remind.

“Choose carefully,” I said softly.

And then I turned, positioning Elias directly before me, Ronan frozen several feet away, unable to strike without risking him.

The battlefield went still.

Father and son.

Weapon and protector.

And in the silence, I prepared to force the Omega into submission.