The horn kept sounding.
Long. Urgent. Relentless.
Aria didn't wait for instructions. Her instincts were already pushing her forward, feet moving before her thoughts could catch up. Wolves rushed past her toward the eastern boundary, some shifting mid-run, others grabbing weapons from racks along the training grounds.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"Stay behind me," Kael said.
She almost argued out of habit. Kingston wolves did not take orders from Blackwells.
But the sharp edge in his voice made her pause.
This wasn't about pride.
This was about survival.
They reached the ridge overlooking the lower forest just as the first clash erupted. Growls tore through the morning air. Bodies collided. The metallic scent of blood spread quickly, carried by the wind.
Not Blackwells.
Not Kingstons either.
Rogues.
A large group of them.
Aria's stomach tightened. Rogues rarely attacked in such numbers unless they were desperate… or hired.
She didn't have time to think about what that meant.
One of them broke through the front line and lunged straight toward her.
She shifted without hesitation.
The transformation came easier this time — still painful, still overwhelming, but no longer terrifying. Her wolf hit the ground running, instincts guiding every movement.
She dodged the rogue's first strike, teeth snapping in warning.
Another wolf came at her from the side.
Too fast.
Too close.
Before she could react, a dark shape slammed into the attacker, sending both wolves tumbling across the dirt.
Kael.
His growl was low and vicious as he pinned the rogue beneath him.
Aria stared for a heartbeat longer than she should have.
He hadn't even thought about it.
He had simply moved.
Protected her.
The realization stirred something warm and dangerous inside her chest.
More rogues poured into the clearing. The fight became chaos — fur, claws, flashing teeth. Kingston warriors formed a defensive ring, forcing the intruders back step by step.
Then a new presence cut through the noise.
Alpha Kingston.
He shifted mid-stride, his massive wolf radiating pure authority. With a single roar, he threw himself into the battle, scattering rogues like leaves in a storm.
Within minutes, the attackers began to retreat.
The survivors disappeared into the forest as suddenly as they had come.
Silence followed.
Heavy. Uneasy.
Aria shifted back, breathing hard. Dirt clung to her skin. A shallow cut burned along her arm, but she barely noticed it.
Her father was walking toward her.
Not toward the warriors.
Not toward the wounded.
Toward her.
And toward Kael.
The look in his eyes made her pulse stutter.
"You," Alpha Kingston said, his voice dangerously calm, "will leave my territory before sunset."
Kael didn't flinch.
"My pack did not start this attack," he replied evenly.
"I don't care."
The words fell like stones.
"This bond is already causing weakness. Distraction. Division." Alpha Kingston's gaze shifted to Aria, sharp with something she had rarely seen directed at her before.
Disappointment.
"You will prepare for rejection tonight," he continued.
"And this time… you will not fail."
Aria's throat went dry.
Across from her, Kael's expression hardened, but his eyes flicked to the cut on her arm before returning to Alpha Kingston.
"I will go," he said.
"But this isn't finished."
"No," Alpha Kingston agreed coldly.
"It isn't."
As Kael turned to leave, the bond between them pulled tight — painful and undeniable.
Aria watched him walk away, a strange emptiness settling inside her.
For the first time since their meeting, fear crept in.
Not fear of war.
Not fear of rogues.
Fear that distance might hurt more than any battle.
And somewhere deep within her, her wolf stirred restlessly.
As if already sensing that the next time they met… everything would change.