Chapter 22

Chapter 22
Clash of Alphas (Kael's POV)

The howl split the night like a blade through bone.

I didn’t move. Couldn’t. My eyes met Alice’s. Her lips trembled, barely parted from where they’d almost touched mine.Another howl came. Louder. Closer.Then another.

Hell.

I stepped back fast and crossed the room in three strides, throwing the door open. The cold hit my face like a slap. I inhaled deep—And there it was.
His scent.Darius.And he hadn’t come alone.“Stay inside,” I barked, turning to Alice.She didn’t flinch. Just shook her head slowly. “They’re here for me.”I grabbed her wrist. “Exactly. That’s why you’re not stepping out that door.”She yanked free. “And what, you’ll fight for me again while I hide like a frightened rabbit?”“This isn’t about pride, Alice.” I moved in close. “It’s about survival.”Her hand flared hot with energy. Not fire, not light—but something deeper. Ancient. It hummed through the space between us, curling against my chest like a whisper.

I swallowed. “Just… give me five minutes.”Before she could answer, the ground shook underfoot.No time.

A snarl echoed through the trees. Then—voices.I turned and launched down the steps, shifting partially mid-run, my muscles rippling as I hit the dirt.They were already in the courtyard.Six of them. Warriors in dark clothes, faces half-shadowed under the moonlight.

And at the center—Darius.

Tall. Still as a mountain. Amber eyes locked straight ahead.He hadn’t changed. Same arrogance in his stance. Same bite behind his smile.He raised his chin. “Kael.”

“Darius.”

The pack gathered around the edges. Silent. Watching. Waiting. Some with their arms crossed. Some with weapons notched. Most just scared out of their goddamn minds.

“You’ve got some nerve,” I said.

“And you’ve got something that doesn’t belong to you.”

My jaw clenched. “She’s not a possession.”

“Then let her come out and decide.”

“No.”

My voice boomed across the courtyard, slamming into the trees like thunder.

Darius smirked, stepping forward. “You always did think growling made you king.”

“I am king here,” I growled. “This is my territory. My pack. You’re trespassing.”“I’m not here for your land, Kael. I’m here for her.”

“I said no.”

Tension snapped tight between us. Sparks of energy curled between our boots, the dirt trembling underfoot like even the earth wanted to get out of the way.Darius's voice lowered, more dangerous now. “Do you even know who she is?”I didn’t blink. “Do you?”

He smiled. “I know enough. Enough to know she doesn’t belong in the hands of a glorified bodyguard.”My fist clenched. I wanted to rip his throat out right there.Then—

The cabin door creaked open.Alice stepped out.Barefoot. Pale. Glowing in the moonlight like she’d been carved from it.

Every eye turned.Even Darius fell quiet.

She walked toward us, calm and slow, though I could see the tension in her shoulders. The wind played with her hair, lifting strands as if even nature couldn’t help but bow to her.

“Alice,” I warned. “Get back inside.”She didn’t even look at me. Her eyes locked on Darius. “What do you want?”He took a step closer. “To help you.”She tilted her head. “That’s funny. You’re standing in my pack’s courtyard with armed wolves. Doesn’t feel very helpful.”

“I didn’t come to fight.”“Then why bring them?”He opened his mouth—She raised her hand.And suddenly, silence.

Complete.

No wind. No murmurs. Not even the crackle of torches.Just stillness.Like the world had stopped spinning.Even I couldn’t move. Every part of me froze in place like I was trapped under glass.Alice exhaled slowly. Her eyes glowed with a soft silver light.“I don’t know what’s happening to me,” she said, her voice steady, cold. “But I know this—”Her gaze swept over us. Darius. Me. The entire pack.“I am not a prize. And I will never belong to either of you.”

The silence shattered.

A gust of wind blew through the trees, hard enough to bend trunks and throw dust in the air. Several wolves stumbled back.Alice dropped her hand.I rushed to her, grabbing her arm, grounding her. “Enough. You don’t have to prove anything.”

She looked up at me then—and I swear I saw her. Not the broken girl I’d carried through the woods. Not the fragile creature everyone whispered about earlier.

But a goddess.

Someone fierce and untouchable.I hated it.And I loved it.Darius stepped forward. “You felt it, didn’t you?” he said to her, almost reverent. “That power—it’s not of this world.”“I don’t want it,” she whispered.“But it wants you.”

I stepped between them. “You had your say. Now get off our land.”He didn’t move.I growled, my wolf rising just under the surface. “I won’t say it again.”Darius looked at Alice one more time—then at me. “You’re making a mistake.”“She made a choice.”He nodded slowly. “For now.”

With a sharp whistle, he turned and his wolves followed, vanishing into the trees.I didn’t breathe until they were gone.Only then did I turn to Alice. “Are you alright?”She didn’t answer.

Her eyes were distant. Her hands shaking.“Hey.” I reached for her. “Alice—”“I can’t control it,” she whispered. “Whatever’s inside me… it’s getting stronger.”“We’ll figure it out. You are Selene. It's just your powers showing.”She blinked up at me. “You keep saying that.”

“Because it’s true.”She gave a broken laugh. “You’re not afraid?”“Not remotely.”A pause. Then she leaned in. “So why are you still here?”I didn’t answer. I just reached up, brushed a hand down her cheek. Her skin burned under my touch—not heat, exactly, but energy.

“I don’t leave people I promise to protect,” I murmured.She blinked, stunned. “Are you serious?”I opened my mouth—And then she collapsed.Just dropped.No warning. No sound.Her knees buckled and her body hit the dirt like a broken doll.

“ALICE!”

I caught her, barely, as her head rolled against my chest.Her skin glowed.Not like before. This wasn’t light. This was power.Raw, pulsing, alive.Her eyes fluttered, unfocused.

“Kael…”“I’m here,” I said, voice shaking. “I’m right here.”Around us, wolves shouted. Someone called for the medic. Another yelled to bring the elders.But I barely heard them.“What the hell happened to her?” I heard Darius ask from a distance but I ignored him and took her towards the infirmary.