The tension became suffocating.
Kaiden stepped fully into the clearing, his warriors behind him. Lucien didn't move. Darius looked entertained.
Three Alphas.
Three monsters in their own way.
And me… standing between them.
"Well," Darius said casually. "This is rare. Three dominant bloodlines in one place."
Kaiden ignored him. His eyes were only on me.
"Come back," he said quietly.
Lucien scoffed. "You rejected her."
Kaiden's jaw tightened. "And I intend to correct that mistake."
Darius chuckled.
"Oh this is interesting."
My heart pounded.
"I'm not going anywhere," I said.
All three men looked at me.
Power shifted instantly.
Lucien smiled slightly.
Kaiden looked frustrated.
Darius looked… impressed.
"Good," Darius said. "I was hoping she had a spine."
"I'm not part of your competition," I snapped.
"Oh," Darius replied calmly. "You are the competition."
Silence fell.
Kaiden stepped closer.
"You don't understand the danger you're in."
Lucien added quietly:
"They will fight over you."
Darius corrected:
"They already are."
My mark suddenly burned.
Not painfully.
Responding.
Reacting to the pressure of three Alphas.
Energy burst outward.
All three men went still.
Not kneeling.
But affected.
That had never happened before.
Lucien's eyes widened slightly.
Kaiden's wolf pushed forward.
Darius stopped smiling.
Interesting…
Very interesting.
"You affect us even without trying," Darius said quietly.
Fear mixed with realization.
"What am I becoming?" I whispered.
Lucien answered softly:
"Someone the old world feared."
Kaiden added:
"Someone the new world will fight to control."
Darius finished:
"Or someone who might control us instead."
That thought terrified me most.
Because part of me…
Believed it.