Kaelen's POV
Thorne's claws raked across my chest.
I twisted away but not fast enough. Blood sprayed hot across the cave floor. The bear-kin was massive—stronger than me, heavier, with reach that turned every swipe deadly.
Behind me, Zara screamed. Through our bond, I felt her terror spiking.
"Stay back!" I roared at her, dodging another strike. "Don't—"
Thorne's massive paw caught me across the jaw. Stars exploded in my vision. I hit the cave wall hard enough to crack stone.
"Pathetic," Thorne rumbled. "The great Kaelen Nightfang, last of his pack. Reduced to playing bodyguard for human trash."
Rage cleared my head. I shifted fully to wolf form and lunged for his throat. My teeth found fur and flesh. He bellowed in pain and threw me off like I weighed nothing.
I crashed into three of his warriors who'd been blocking the entrance. Used the momentum to tear out one's throat, cripple another with my claws. But there were so many. For every one I dropped, two more took their place.
"Kaelen!" Zara's voice cut through the chaos. Through the bond, I felt her making a decision. A terrible one.
She was going to use her new powers. Powers she'd had for five minutes and didn't understand.
"Don't!" I tried to warn her through our connection. "You're not ready—"
Blue fire exploded from her hands.
It hit Thorne's warriors like a tidal wave—but it was wild, uncontrolled. The flames lashed out randomly, hitting friend and foe alike. One blast nearly took my head off. Another set the cave entrance on fire.
"Stop!" I shouted. "You'll bring the whole cave down!"
But she couldn't hear me. Her eyes glowed electric blue—all four bond marks blazing. She was channeling too much power too fast, drawing from bonds she hadn't learned to control.
She was going to burn herself out. Or worse.
I fought my way toward her, taking hits from all sides. A sword slashed my leg. Claws tore my shoulder. Didn't matter. Had to reach her before—
Zara screamed and collapsed.
The blue fire died instantly. Her body hit the ground like a puppet with cut strings.
"NO!" The word ripped from my throat.
Through our bond—silence. Empty, terrifying silence where her heartbeat should be.
Thorne laughed. "Stupid girl burned herself out. Save me the trouble of—"
I didn't let him finish. Something inside me snapped. The bond mark on my chest erupted with light—not blue, but silver-white. Pure pack magic, raw and ancient.
Power flooded my veins. Not Zara's power. Mine. The alpha strength I'd buried after my pack died, locked away because leading meant caring and caring meant losing.
But I'd already lost everything once. I wouldn't lose her too.
I shifted into something I'd never been before. Not full wolf. Not human. Something between—bigger, faster, stronger. My alpha form, the one I swore I'd never take again.
The warriors nearest me took one look and ran.
Smart choice.
I tore through Thorne's army like they were made of paper. Everything was sharper, clearer. I could smell their fear, hear their hearts racing, predict their moves before they made them.
Thorne met me head-on. We collided in a clash of fur and claws and rage.
"You can't win, wolf," he snarled, his massive jaws snapping for my throat. "Even in alpha form, you're—"
I caught his jaw in my hands and broke it.
He howled, stumbling back. I didn't give him time to recover. Went for his legs, his ribs, his throat—every vulnerable spot my alpha instincts screamed at me to target.
Within seconds, he was down.
I stood over him, one massive paw on his chest. "Leave. Now. Or I end you."
Through the bond, I felt a flicker. Zara's heartbeat—weak but there.
She was alive.
Relief made me dizzy. I'd gotten to her in time. We'd survived.
Thorne's remaining warriors were already fleeing. Their chief defeated, their courage broken. I let them go. Didn't matter. Only Zara mattered.
I shifted back to human form and ran to her side. "Zara. Can you hear me?"
Her eyes fluttered open—normal brown now, not glowing. "Did we win?"
"We survived. That's close enough." I pulled her into my arms, checking for injuries. Her skin was fever-hot from channeling too much power. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
"Sorry. I didn't know the fire would go crazy like that." She coughed weakly. "How did you beat them? You were amazing."
"Alpha form. Haven't used it since my pack died." I brushed hair from her sweaty forehead. "Guess you're worth breaking old promises for."
She smiled despite her exhaustion. "That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever—"
A slow clap echoed through the cave.
We both tensed. Someone had been watching the entire fight.
A man stepped out of the shadows—tall, elegant, with scales so dark they were almost black. His eyes were molten gold, ancient and amused. Power radiated from him in waves that made even my alpha form seem small.
"Impressive display," he purred. "The last alpha wolf and a baby Queen Marked One, defeating fifty warriors. My son was right—you are interesting."
Zara's grip on my arm tightened. "Who are you?"
"I am Ember Emberclaw. Dragon King of the Southern Realms." His smile showed perfect white teeth. "And you, little human, are coming with me."
Behind him, twenty warriors filed into the cave. Not regular soldiers. These wore black armor that shimmered with magic, carried weapons that hummed with power. The Royal Dragon Guard.
Each one was worth ten normal fighters. I'd just exhausted myself beating fifty. I couldn't fight twenty elite guards and their king.
We were done.
"You can't have her," I growled anyway, putting myself between them and Zara.
"Can't I?" The Dragon King's amusement grew. "You're wounded, depleted, protecting a girl who can barely stand. What exactly do you think you can do to stop me?"
"Die trying."
"How noble. How pointless." He gestured and his guards moved forward. "Take the girl. Kill the wolf if he resists."
The guards advanced in perfect formation—trained, coordinated, deadly.
Through the bond, I felt Zara trying to gather power again but she had nothing left. We both had nothing left.
This was it. The end.
Then the cave entrance exploded inward.
Not with fire. With wind so powerful it sent half the Dragon Guard flying backward.
Talon dove through the opening in full hawk form, screeching a battle cry. Behind him came a dozen more hawk warriors, their talons gleaming.
"Nobody touches my bond-sister!" Talon roared, shifting mid-flight to slash at the Dragon King's face.
The king blocked with a casual hand, flames erupting. "The traitor hawk returns. How touching."
"Not just hawks," a smooth voice called.
Soren slithered up from a crack in the cave floor, followed by twenty serpent-kin warriors. His silver eyes gleamed with malice. "You really thought you could take her without the Serpent Clans hearing about it?"
The Dragon King's expression darkened. "This doesn't concern you, snake."
"Everything about the Queen Marked One concerns her bonded." Soren's smile was poisonous. "And you're outnumbered now. Twenty guards against thirty of ours, plus a very angry alpha wolf? I like our odds."
"Fools." The Dragon King's power flared, flames dancing across his scales. "You think numbers matter against me? I've been killing since before your grandparents were born."
"Then it's lucky I brought reinforcements." Draven stepped out of the shadows, and he wasn't alone. Behind him marched thirty dragon-kin in rebel colors. "Hello, Father. Surprised to see me?"
The Dragon King's eyes narrowed dangerously. "My traitorous son. I should have killed you years ago."
"You should have." Draven moved to stand with us, his rebels forming a protective line. "But you didn't. And now you're facing four clans united by bond to a Queen Marked One. Stand down, Father. You can't win this."
Silence fell across the cave. Both sides ready to attack, waiting for the first move.
The Dragon King studied us all carefully. Then he laughed—cold and calculating.
"You're right. I can't win. Not today." His gaze fixed on Zara with disturbing intensity. "But this isn't over, little Queen. You've made yourself too valuable, too dangerous. Every clan will be hunting you now—some to use you, some to kill you, all of them willing to burn the world to possess you."
He gestured to his guards. They retreated smoothly, professionally.
"Enjoy your allies while they last," the Dragon King said as he reached the entrance. "Because the moment they think you're more useful dead than alive, they'll turn on you. That's how power works in our world."
He vanished in a blast of flame, his guards disappearing with him.
The cave fell quiet except for heavy breathing and the sound of Zara's heart beating weakly through our bond.
She looked up at me, her face pale. "Is he right? Will they turn on me?"
I wanted to lie. To tell her everything would be fine.
But I'd never lied to my pack.
"Maybe," I admitted quietly. "Power makes people do terrible things."
"Great." She laughed weakly. "Just what I needed to hear."
Draven approached, his expression serious. "We need to leave. My father will be back with a full army. And next time, we might not be so lucky."
"Where do we go?" Talon asked. "Every territory will be watching for her now."
Soren's silver eyes gleamed. "I know a place. Hidden. Protected by ancient magic that even the Dragon King fears." His smile was sharp. "But getting there won't be easy. And the price of sanctuary..." He looked at Zara meaningfully. "That might be higher than you're willing to pay."
Zara straightened despite her exhaustion, meeting each of our eyes. "I don't care about the price. I'm tired of running, tired of being prey." Her voice grew stronger. "If I'm going to be hunted by every clan in this world, then I'll become strong enough to hunt them back."
Through the bond, I felt her determination blazing bright.
My broken, brilliant, impossible human had just declared war on the entire Beastworld.
And somehow, looking at her fierce expression, I believed she could actually win.