Lydia has already shifted, her wolf form sleek and menacing. The surrounding Alphas and their packs form a tight circle, their attention fixed on the impending fight.
“Let’s get this over with,” I mutter under my breath, stepping into the circle that’s about to kick my ass.
Before I can brace myself for her attack, Zayn is beside me, his presence a wall against the chaos. Our eyes lock, a tumultuous storm of emotions swirling between us.
He’s close enough I can feel the heat radiating from his body, smell the vanilla and sandalwood scent that is uniquely his.
Zayn leans down. “I warned you,” Zayn whispers, his lips so close that they brush against mine with every word. “This is on you. I warned you not to get in this ring.”
“Zayn, don’t— what—” I start, but he cuts me off with a searing kiss, pushing me out of the ring with a force that leaves me breathless. He steps in front of me, facing both Lydia and the other Alphas and my father whose glaring daggers at him for kissing me and so is Alpha Dane.
Zayn strides into the circle, his presence commanding the immediate attention of all.
“Under the Protector’s Right, I, Zayn Holt, head of the council and Alpha of the Black River Pack, invoke my right to stand in this challenge on behalf of Cleo,” he declares, his voice echoing with a power that sends a shiver down my spine.
I’m stunned, my mind racing. This isn’t what I wanted, nor have I heard of this before. The murmurs around us grow louder as Alpha Samuel steps forward, his disbelief mirrored inhis tone, “This is ridiculous. You aren’t even in the same pack. You can’t possibly mean to— Can he do that?” Samuel turns to look at Alpha Dane and my father.
Before he can finish, Alpha Dane interjects, his own frustration clear. “This is unheard of, Zayn. The challenge was meant to settle a dispute, not create a spectacle.”
However Zayn, unflinching, meets their protests calmly, “The law exists for this very reason—to protect those who hold the future of our packs in their hands. I will not stand by while Cleo’s safety and leadership are undermined.”
As if on cue, Alpha Greyson steps up beside Zayn, solidifying the gravity of Zayn’s claim. “I stand with Zayn. This isn’t about spectacle; it’s about upholding the very foundations of our society. He has every right to stand in on her behalf whether she is pack or not.”
“You want to challenge my daughter?” Samuel scoffs.
“Yet it’s okay for you to toss your daughter into a fight with an unshifted Alpha, by all means, Samuel take her place.”
The silence that follows is heavy, charged with Zayn’s challenge.
Panic sets in and I try to intervene, realizing the spiraling consequences of Zayn’s actions. “Zayn, no, please. This isn’t what I—”
“Are you really willing to risk your council title for her?” Dane scoffs from across the makeshift arena.
“Step into the ring and find out,” Zayn challenges, a dangerous glint in his eye.
Dane, fueled by ego and the backing of my father, steps forward, ready to escalate the challenge into a full-blown conflict.
“Dad!” I yell seeing him step in next to Dane but he glares at me. “I told you to end things with him.” my father snarls.
The air is thick with the tension of impending violence.
“Zayn, this is stupid,” I protest, reaching for him, he brushes my hands away.
“No, what’s stupid is you thought I would let you get in this ring,” he counters, his voice low, a storm brewing in his gaze.
“Samuel backs out, too chicken to fight Zayn,” someone murmurs from the crowd, and I feel a surge of hope—maybe this madness will end without bloodshed.
But it’s short-lived. Alpha Dane’s voice cuts through the murmurs like a knife.
“You can’t be stupid enough to challenge two Alphas,” Dane counters, removing his jacket and tossing it to his son. The audacity of his move draws gasps from the onlookers, Zayn just chuckles—a dangerous, thrilling sound.
“Zayn, please, for me, don’t do this.”
Before I can argue further, he grabs me, his lips crash onto mine, a searing kiss that leaves me breathless and disoriented. It’s raw and demanding, a claim, a promise.
“You are exactly why I’m doing this,” he whispers. And then I’m stumbling back, pushed out of the ring by his strong hands.
“Stay out of this, Cleo,” Zayn commands, his silver gaze locking onto mine one last time before he glances at Alpha Greyson. “Grab her, she doesn’t step a foot in this ring,” he tells Greyson and before I can even move, Vance and Greyson grab each of my arms.
