Leonardo's POV (continued)
The Battle for the Pack
The night was chaos — wolves tearing into each other, the ground soaked in blood and ashes. The moon hung above us, red like fire.
I could hear the pack soldiers crying out through the mind link, some injured, some gone already. My claws were stained crimson, my body covered in wounds, but I couldn't stop.
Every breath I took reminded me of what was at stake — my family, my pack, everything we built.
At least the kids were safe.
They were far away in Lake Como, staying with my father. That thought gave me strength. I had sent them there days ago, after my instincts started screaming that something was wrong. Aria had protested, but I insisted.
Now I knew I'd made the right decision.
The rogues were relentless. Their numbers kept growing — no matter how many we killed, more appeared, like shadows crawling out of the darkness.
"Delta Leonardo, the east flank is falling!" one of the soldiers shouted through the link.
"Fall back to the training ground — hold the line there!" I commanded.
I turned, searching for Beta Ricci. He was fighting not far from me, his wolf tearing through two rogues at once. He was bleeding badly, but he didn't stop.
"Ricci!" I called out. "We can't keep this up! We need the Alpha's signal!"
"He's rallying the healers and elders to safety!" Ricci replied. "If we lose this border, we lose everything!"
I knew he was right.
I shifted back into my wolf form, sprinting through the fire and chaos. I saw bodies — friends, brothers, soldiers who had fought beside me for years — lying lifeless on the ground.
The sight burned through me.
I launched at a rogue trying to reach the healing tents, biting down on its throat and tearing it apart. My lungs burned, my paws ached, but I couldn't stop.
Then I saw her — Aria — in her wolf form, fighting near the inner gate. Her silver fur shimmered in the moonlight, her movements graceful yet deadly. But she was surrounded by three rogues.
"ARIA!" I shouted through the mind link, sprinting toward her.
She turned, her eyes meeting mine — filled with determination, not fear.
"Leonardo, I'm fine!" she said, leaping and slashing one rogue across the face. But another tackled her from the side.
"No!" I howled, slamming into the rogue and throwing it off her. It hit the wall hard, whimpering. I turned and ripped its throat out.
Aria stumbled to her feet, breathing heavily. "They're too many, Leo. We can't hold them!"
"The Alpha's still inside. We can't retreat until he's safe!" I growled.
"If we don't move now, none of us will make it!"
I hated that she might be right. The flames were spreading fast, and I could see more rogues pouring in from the northern hills.
Suddenly, a deep, rumbling howl echoed through the night — the Alpha's command.
The signal to fall back.
"Everyone! Fall back to the central ground!" I roared.
Aria and I turned, running toward the last defensive line. The air was filled with smoke and the cries of our fallen. I felt something heavy hit my side — a rogue jumped on me, biting deep into my shoulder. I yelped and rolled, crushing it beneath me, then tore it apart.
Blood dripped from my fur. My strength was fading, but I had to keep going.
We finally reached the central ground, where the Alpha stood with the last of the soldiers. He looked furious — his wolf towering, his eyes burning with silver fire.
"Leonardo! Aria! Over here!" he barked.
We rushed to join him.
"The rogues have breached the border," I reported. "They're being controlled — dark magic."
"I know," the Alpha said grimly. "They're not after our land. They're after something else — someone else."
"Who?" I asked.
He hesitated, then looked me straight in the eyes. "You."
For a moment, the world went silent — even the battle noise faded in my ears.
"Me?" I repeated.
"They want the Delta — they want your bloodline, Leonardo."
A chill ran through me. My thoughts went immediately to Aria and the kids.
"Then they'll have to kill me first," I growled.
The Alpha nodded. "Then fight, Delta. Tonight, we fight for our pack."
With one final roar, I lunged back into battle, determined to end this — no matter what it cost me.