The air tasted of blood and destiny, thick with the metallic tang of shifting pheromones as Alpha power clashed in the space between them.
The crowd erupted.
Not in protest. In excitement. In anticipation.
Because this wasn't just a fight between two Alphas. This was tradition. Sacred. Binding.
A mate challenge.
"Did he just issue a formal challenge?"
"For her? For Elara Bennett?"
"This is insane!"
"When's the last time we had a mate duel?"
Students pressed closer, forming a tighter circle around Darius and Gideon. The ancient cobblestones beneath their feet had witnessed challenges like this before—the grooves worn smooth by generations of wolves who'd fought for their mates on this very ground. Phones were already out, recording, posting. By tomorrow morning, every pack in the territory would know about this.
