Chapter 58: Their other side
Their gold eyes flashed like molten coins in the darkness, burning with raw territorial fury. The triplets’ wolves had seized complete control over their mind. There was no strategy or second thoughts. Only the deafening roar of ’ protect mate’ thundered through their veins.
They lunged as one.
Kaden exploded forward first, his massive midnight black wolf was a blur of explosive power. He slammed into the fleeing wolf carrying Yuki with bone-crushing force, tackling it sideways. His jaws clamped around the attacker’s throat like a steel trap. A sickening crunch echoed through the trees as fangs tore through fur and flesh. Hot blood spurted in a wide arc, splattering across the forest floor and across Yuki’s limp form. The carrier collapsed with a gurgling howl, and Yuki tumbled from its back.
Kieran shifted mid-leap and turned human once more. He caught her before she could hit the ground. The moment his skin touched hers, electric sparks raced up his arms and straight into his chest. It was so strong he couldn’t deny them.
His breath caught. Even covered in dirt and blood, she felt right. She felt like home. Her back wounds had closed during the shift, but angry red lash marks still marred her pale skin like fresh brands. He pulled her tight against his chest, one hand cradling the back of her head, refusing to let go.
"Easy," he whispered roughly, his voice hoarse from the shift. "I’ve got you."
Behind him, chaos erupted.
Killian and Kaden showed no mercy.
The two wolves tore into the remaining attackers with savage precision. Killian’s black wolf ripped into a grey wolf’s flank, claws shredding muscle and tendon in a spray of blood. The enemy screamed, a high, piercing sound that cut off abruptly as Killian’s jaws found its spine. Kaden barreled through another two, using sheer explosive strength to slam them into tree trunks before finishing them with brutal efficiency. Painful howls tore through the night, one after another, until the metallic tang of blood saturated the air and the ground grew slick beneath their paws.
Eight wolves fell in a matter of minutes. Broken bodies lay strewn across the clearing, some still twitching, others silent forever. The forest had gone unnaturally quiet except for the heavy panting of the brothers’ wolves.
Kaden’s chest was heaving, and his black fur was dripping with blood. He turned toward Kieran as his golden eyes locked on Yuki’s unconscious form cradled in his brother’s arms. He took a slow, deliberate step forward.
Kieran’s eyes flashed gold. He backed up until his shoulders hit a thick tree trunk, lips pulling back in a silent snarl even in human form. "Don’t." The single word came out more as a growl than speech. Pure alpha instinct flooded him. ’ Mine, mine, mine.’ Sharing has always been difficult for alphas. Right now, it felt impossible.
Kaden’s wolf bared bloody teeth, a deep growl rumbling from his chest. Killian’s eyes darkened dangerously as he prowled closer, his muscles coiled. For one terrifying heartbeat, it looked like the brothers were about to turn on each other. The mate bond had twisted their protective instincts into something volatile and ugly.
The tension thickened, thick enough to choke on.
Then a heavy, commanding aura slammed into them like a physical wall. A deafening howl ripped through the forest, shaking leaves from the branches.
Instantly, Kaden and Killian’s wolves pivoted. They positioned themselves shoulder-to-shoulder in front of Kieran, forming a protective wall. Their heads lowered, hackles raised, ready to die before letting anyone near their mate.
From the shadows surged a jet-black wolf, larger than any of the brothers, with the same burning gold eyes. Alexander. His presence alone seemed to compress the air around them.
His gaze swept over the carnage. Eight mangled bodies. Blood soaking into the earth. No hostages taken. Understanding flickered in his eyes. He knew that protective frenzy all too well.
Other wolves melted from the trees behind him. Among them, a smaller brown wolf, Eloise, stepped forward hesitantly. Her eyes widened at the slaughter, ears flattening against her skull. She instinctively pressed closer to her father’s massive form, trembling.
’What is going on?’ Her voice trembled through the pack mind-link, high-pitched with disbelief. ’ This... this can’t be.’ Even if she understood, she didn’t want to accept it.
Alexander tried to peer past his sons toward the girl in Kieran’s arms, but the brothers shifted to block his view completely. ’ Who is she?’ he demanded, voice booming with alpha authority. The blood masked most scents. Even he could not pick up the girls clearly.
Before anyone could answer, Aevia slid off Alexander’s back, her legs nearly buckling as she landed. She staggered forward, face ashen. She had ridden on top of Alexander’s wolf because her wolf was too slow to catch up
Even through the thick stench of blood and death, she knew that familiar scent thanks to the family blood bond.
"Is that Yuki?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet it sliced through the night like a blade. She took another shaky step.
Kaden’s wolf snapped toward her with a vicious growl. ’ Don’t come any closer.’
The words thundered through the pack link. Aevia stumbled back into Alexander’s side. Her body shook violently. Alexander gently rubbed his snout against her shoulder, a low, soothing rumble vibrating from his chest as if to say he was there and everything would be alright.
Aevia looked like she had stepped into a nightmare. Eloise’s wolf stared at the scene, a bitter taste flooding her mouth. She tried to push forward anyway, but Alexander fixed her with a deadly glare that pinned her in place.
’ They aren’t the boys you know right now,’ Alexander warned through the link, his mental voice grave. ’ That’s their other half. Their wolves. Stay back.’
He took one careful step forward, lowering his head slightly. ’She needs medical help,’ he told his sons. ’ That’s the only thing that matters right now.’
The words cut through the red haze. He knew it was the only thing that could get through their stubborn wolves..Kieran’s shoulders loosened. His protective fury warred with reason, but concern for Yuki won. Her body was still weak from the forced shift and earlier injuries. He could feel her faint breath against his neck.
"Killian," he said, voice low and strained. "Take her."
He carefully placed Yuki onto his brother’s broad back. Killian’s wolf crouched low, golden eyes softening as her weight settled against him. His fur stood up tingling with the sparks as soon as her body touched his. Kieran shifted into his wolf form a black wolf similar in size to Kaden’s.
Without another word, they sprinted toward the Obsidian Palace in a streak of black and gold cutting through the night. Alexander followed with Aevia clinging to his back once more.
Eloise remained frozen for a long moment, staring after them in disbelief. Her jaw clenched tight enough to ache. Until her father nudged her.
Aevia’s eyes were locked on Yuki’s. Unconscious body. A bitter thought formed in her mind. ’ If Yuki becomes Luna...’ The thought twisted like a knife in her gut. Everything she had planned, her future with Alexander, her place in the pack, suddenly felt like it was crumbling.
The forest, still reeking of blood and violence. This was just the beginning of chaos.
