The forest had never felt this silent. Even the wind seemed to pause between the trees as two Alphas stood facing each other across the border stones.
Kael Blackthorn.
Rowan.
Power rolled through the clearing like an invisible current.
I could feel it in my bones.
My wolf stirred uneasily, reacting to the presence of two dominant Alphas in the same space.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them looked away.
Behind Rowan, his pack stood in a loose defensive line.
Behind Kael, the Blackthorn wolves waited with quiet discipline.
No one crossed the stones.
Yet.
Kael's gaze remained fixed on me.
Not Rowan.
Me.
"I believe," he said slowly, "one of my wolves is standing on your territory."
His voice carried the calm authority I remembered.
The voice that had commanded the Blackthorn pack for years.
The voice that had once felt like safety.
The voice that had rejected me in front of everyone.
Rowan didn't look at me. His attention remained on Kael.
