The night came with a roar.
Not the quiet kind that blankets the forest, but a scream of metal and teeth. The compound alarms tore through the air, shattering the fragile calm we'd fought so hard to maintain. Wolves and guards scrambled, the bond flaring like a living thing beneath my skin, thrumming with urgency.
Kael surged forward instinctively, gray eyes bright with fear and focus. "They're attacking!"
Riven's hands glowed faintly as he released a pulse of energy, clearing the nearest wave of assailants. "Not just outsiders," he growled. "Some are wolves from within the pack!"
Solen moved with precise calm, positioning himself at the heart of the compound, calculating trajectories and weak points. "Internal betrayal," he said simply. "They've aligned with the outsiders."
The bond tightened around me, sharp and insistent. Astraea whispered urgently, This is what we trained for. This is where the bond proves its worth.
I glanced at all three of them. "Together. Now."
Kael nodded, lungs flaring as he drew on the bond. Riven's energy pulsed with controlled force, eyes narrowing. Solen's shadowed calm anchored the chaos.
We moved as one.
The first wave crashed against us, teeth, claws, and steel meeting the combined defenses of the heirs. Kael lunged, wolf and human instincts merging, tackling an attacker who had tried to flank us. The bond hummed as I funneled strength into him, steadying his movements, sharpening his reflexes.
Riven struck next, green eyes blazing as he sent two wolves hurtling backward with a controlled wave of force. "Keep moving!" he shouted.
Solen intercepted an intruder attempting to strike from above, catching the man mid-leap, flipping him with precise motion. His calm was terrifying—everything calculated to minimize risk while maximizing control.
I focused on the bond, letting it pulse through the chaos, connecting us, guiding us, merging our instincts. Fear, anger, frustration—all became fuel for our coordination. Every attack, every defense, every maneuver synchronized like a dance we didn't know we could perform.
Then Julen appeared. Betrayal manifest. His movements were fast, practiced, deadly—but hesitant. He lunged at Kael, eyes flashing with defiance.
Kael froze for a split second—and the bond flared violently, tugging at Julen, warning him, holding him back.
I met Julen's gaze. "This is your last chance," I shouted. "Stop, or we fight. And I will not hold back."
He faltered, uncertainty flashing in his eyes, but the outsiders pressed. The choice was forced.
The battle intensified. Wolves from both inside and outside the pack moved with lethal precision, but the four of us, bound together, began to dominate. Kael's wolf reacted before instinct could betray him, Riven's force cleared lanes for us, Solen anticipated each strike before it came, and I anchored the threads of the bond, letting energy flow where needed.
One particularly large intruder broke through, aiming for me. I ducked instinctively, feeling the bond pulse sharp warning. Kael lunged, intercepting the man mid-strike, twisting him to the ground. The impact reverberated through the bond, but instead of faltering, it strengthened us.
Astraea whispered, They see you fight as one. That is the power you hold.
Blood was spilled—first from the intruders, then minor scrapes and cuts on Kael and Riven. Solen remained eerily untouched, moving with a predator's grace.
The attackers hesitated as our coordination became clear. Even the traitorous wolves faltered, unsure whether to continue.
Riven roared, sending a controlled shockwave that sent half the intruders tumbling backward. "Enough!" he shouted.
The bond pulsed, and the remaining attackers froze, as if the unified force of the four heirs held them in place. Even Julen stepped back, uncertainty etched across his face.
Silence fell, broken only by heavy breathing and the distant hum of retreating enemies. The bond steadied, thrumming with satisfaction and exhaustion.
I looked at all three of them—Kael's gray eyes bright with adrenaline, Riven's green gaze fierce, Solen's calm, steady, and terrifyingly precise.
"We survived," I whispered.
"No," Kael corrected, a small, exhausted smile forming. "We proved something. To them… and to ourselves."
Riven's lips quirked. "Next time, they won't hesitate."
I nodded, feeling the bond thrum stronger than ever. "Then we make sure we're ready. Always."
Solen's dark gaze scanned the perimeter. "They've seen what unity looks like. Now they'll plan differently."
And deep inside, I knew it too. This wasn't the last fight. Not by far.
But for the first time, we were no longer just heirs, or mates, or pawns in someone else's game.
We were a force.
Bound. Strong. And unbreakable.