Chapter 75: Four Against One
Seren’s back was pressed against the cold rock, blood streaming from gashes across her ribs and shoulder. Her breathing came in ragged gasps, each inhale sending fire through her newly changed body. Magnus loomed over her, silver-streaked fur matted with blood, some his own blood, and most hers. His golden eyes burned with cold triumph as he circled slowly, savouring the moment.
"You fought well for a pup," he growled, voice thick with alpha power. "But this ends now. Surrender and I will spare your mates the shame of watching you die. I can hear them coming close."
Magnus stood over her, jaws open for the killing bite.
Then the ravine exploded with sound.
Kael burst through the trees like a black storm, roaring with primal fury. He slammed into Magnus’s side with the full force of his massive body, claws tearing deep furrows across the northern alpha’s ribs. Magnus staggered but recovered instantly, spinning to face the new threat.
Aeron arrived seconds after, shifting partially mid-leap, his blade flashing as he drove it toward Magnus’s flank. Theron showed from the shadows like smoke, daggers already flying toward the alpha’s vulnerable points.
The duel had become four against one.
Magnus threw back his head and laughed; a deep, mocking sound that echoed off the rocks. "Four against one? I expected nothing less from wolves who share everything... including their mate." His eyes gleamed with dark amusement. "How noble. How weak."
The fight turned vicious in an instant.
Kael charged again, all brute force and protective rage. His claws raked Magnus’s shoulder, drawing fresh blood. Magnus answered with a savage counter, slamming his bulk into Kael and nearly pinning him against the rock. Aeron moved with precision, striking at joints and tendons, trying to cripple the bigger alpha. Theron danced in the shadows, landing cuts wherever Magnus left an opening, his blades coated in fast-acting paralytics from his network.
Seren forced herself back to her feet, shifting to human form to wield her blade. She joined the fray, striking at Magnus’s legs while her mates kept him occupied. The four of them moved with the terrible harmony only the bond could create. Kael anchoring with raw power, Aeron directing with tactical brilliance, Theron disrupting with shadows, and Seren adding speed and unexpected angles.
But Magnus was terrifyingly strong.
Even against three alphas and their mate, he held his ground. He matched their combined assault with brutal efficiency, his decades of experience allowing him to predict and counter their coordinated attacks. When Kael overcommitted in rage, Magnus caught him with a vicious headbutt that nearly broke his neck. Kael staggered, blood pouring from his muzzle. Aeron took a deep gash across his side when he tried to protect Seren from a sweeping claw strike. The wound was bad, deep enough to slow him noticeably.
Theron’s tactical mind was the only thing keeping them alive. He predicted Magnus’s strikes with cold precision, calling out warnings through the bond and positioning the others to minimize damage. *Left flank, now!* *Seren, drop!* His shadows wove around them, creating brief moments of cover or distraction.
Still, they were slowly being overwhelmed.
Magnus laughed again as he backhanded Aeron, sending the calculating prince crashing into a tree. "You share her, yet you cannot even protect her properly. Pathetic."
Seren lunged at him in wolf form, teeth sinking into his foreleg. Magnus shook her off like a rag doll, flinging her against the rock. Pain flared white-hot through her body. She tasted blood again. The bond screamed with shared agony as her mates felt every wound.
Kael roared and charged once more, but Magnus met him head-on. The two alphas collided with bone-crunching force. For a terrible moment, Magnus had Kael’s neck in his jaws, teeth sinking in just enough to draw blood. Kael thrashed wildly, trying to break free.
Aeron and Theron struck simultaneously; Aeron driving his blade into Magnus’s side, Theron slashing at the alpha’s eyes with a shadowed dagger. Magnus released Kael with a snarl and spun, catching Theron with a powerful backhand that sent him flying into the underbrush.
Seren forced herself upright, vision swimming. Her body was failing. The new wolf healing was fast, but not fast enough against an alpha of Magnus’s calibre. She could feel her mates tiring as well; Kael’s neck wound bleeding heavily, Aeron’s side gashed deep, Theron’s movements slowing from accumulated damage.
Magnus stood in the centre of the clearing, breathing hard but still dominant, blood dripping from multiple wounds. His eyes locked on Seren with cold hunger.
"You cannot win this," he growled. "Not even four against one. Surrender the girl and I will let the rest of you live long enough to watch your kingdom burn."
The bond pulsed with desperate love and defiance. Kael struggled to his feet. Aeron gripped his blade tighter despite the blood running down his side. Theron emerged from the shadows, daggers ready.
Seren stepped forward, claws extended, standing shoulder to shoulder with her mates.
"We will never surrender," she said, voice hoarse but steady.
Magnus’s lips curled into a savage smile.
"Then you will all die here."
He launched himself forward with terrifying speed, targeting Seren once more; the heart of their unity.
The four of them met him as one.
Claws flashed. Blood sprayed. The ravine filled with the sounds of primal violence.
For a moment, it seemed they might overwhelm him.
But Magnus was still pushing them back, his power unmatched even against their combined strength. Kael took another brutal hit that opened his shoulder to the bone. Aeron staggered as a claw raked across his chest. Theron’s shadows flickered as he took a deep wound to the thigh.
Seren felt her own strength fading fast. The bond was a roaring inferno of pain and love, but it could not replace blood loss or exhaustion.
Magnus laughed again, eyes gleaming with victory as he prepared the final strike.
Then a new sound cut through the chaos... distant horns and the thunder of fresh paws.
