The Alpha Who Came to Claim
The Iron Claw Alpha did not wait for an invitation.
His presence announced itself long before he crossed the boundary of the basin. The air thickened, heavy with dominance sharp enough to scrape against my senses. Wolves in the clearing stiffened, some instinctively lowering their heads, others bracing as if preparing for impact.
Lucien stepped forward at once, silver eyes burning. "He is close."
"I know," I said.
The pull in my chest tightened, a slow, insistent drag that made it harder to breathe. It was not the bond Lucien carried. This one was rougher. Possessive. It did not ask. It demanded.
Alaric's expression darkened. "Iron Claw does not negotiate. He takes."
"Then he will learn restraint," I replied.
A laugh rolled through the forest.
Low. Confident. Mocking.
Trees parted as a tall figure emerged from the shadows, flanked by six warriors bearing the jagged crest of Iron Claw. The Alpha walked at their head, broad shouldered and scarred, his dark hair pulled back from a face carved by violence rather than time.
His golden eyes locked onto mine.
The pull snapped tight.
Several wolves gasped as the pressure spiked, forcing them back a step.
"So the rumors are true," he said, voice smooth with satisfaction. "The White Luna lives."
Lucien's dominance surged in warning. "Take one more step and you will not leave this forest."
The Iron Claw Alpha chuckled. "Still pretending you are her shield, Lucien?"
He ignored him, gaze never leaving me.
"I am Darius," he said. "Alpha of Iron Claw."
"I know who you are," I replied calmly.
His brow lifted slightly. "Then you know what I want."
"Yes," I said. "And the answer is no."
A murmur rippled through his warriors.
Darius smiled wider. "You misunderstand. I did not come to ask."
He moved.
Lucien shifted instantly, blocking his path, claws sliding free. "She is under my protection."
Darius stopped inches from him, unimpressed. "Protection is temporary. Claim is eternal."
Alaric stepped to my other side, aura flaring cold and absolute. "You stand before a Sovereign Luna. Choose your next words carefully."
Recognition flashed through Darius's eyes.
Not fear.
Interest.
"So the ghost king crawls back to the light," Darius said. "Good. This will be more entertaining."
I raised my hand.
Both Alphas stilled.
"I will speak," I said.
The forest responded.
Darius turned to me fully, head tilting. "Speak, then."
"You felt the pull," I said. "And you assumed it gave you the right to take me."
He shrugged. "Strength claims strength. That is how packs survive."
"That is how tyrants fall," I replied.
The wolves behind him shifted uneasily.
Darius's smile thinned. "Careful, Luna. You stand on the edge of a war you are not ready to fight."
I stepped forward, closing the distance between us.
The pull surged violently.
Pain lanced through my chest.
I did not stop.
"I was hunted when I was powerless," I said quietly. "Do you truly believe I will submit now."
His eyes darkened. "Submit," he repeated softly. "No."
Before anyone could react, Darius reached for me.
The world exploded.
Lucien roared, his wolf surging forward, but Alaric moved at the same time, slamming a barrier of force between us. The ground cracked as dominance collided, shockwaves tearing through the clearing.
I cried out as the bond backlash hit.
White light burst from my skin, flaring outward in a blinding arc. Wolves were thrown back, some crashing into trees, others dropping to their knees with broken cries.
Darius staggered.
Shock crossed his face for the first time.
I stood in the center of the storm, power ripping through me in uncontrolled waves.
"Do not touch me," I said.
The words were not loud.
They did not need to be.
Darius straightened slowly, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His gaze burned hotter now, not with arrogance, but with obsession.
"So it is true," he said hoarsely. "You are not just a Luna."
"No," Alaric said coldly. "She is judgment."
Lucien turned sharply toward me. "Aurelia, pull it back. You will hurt yourself."
I clenched my fists, forcing the power down through sheer will. The light dimmed, though the ground still hummed beneath my feet.
Darius laughed again, breathless. "Magnificent."
Lucien snarled. "Leave."
Darius ignored him.
"I will give you a choice," he said to me. "Come willingly, and I will kneel beside you. Refuse, and Iron Claw will not stop until you are mine."
Silence fell.
I looked at the wolves who had gathered around the basin. The Ashfall envoy. The hesitant kneelers. Those who watched with fear and hope tangled together.
Then I looked back at Darius.
"You do not kneel beside me," I said. "You kneel because you must."
His smile vanished.
"You think you can force an Alpha to submit."
"I think," I replied, stepping closer, "that you already feel it."
Darius's body betrayed him.
His knee buckled.
He growled, fighting the pressure, veins standing out in his neck as his wolf strained against something far older than dominance.
"What is this," he hissed.
"Memory," I said. "Your wolf remembers who ruled before you."
The ground pulged once, hard.
Darius dropped to one knee.
Gasps echoed through the clearing.
Lucien stared in disbelief. Alaric's gaze sharpened with fierce approval.
Darius bowed his head, teeth clenched. "This changes nothing," he said. "I will not be owned."
"Neither will I," I replied.
I turned away from him, breaking the pressure.
He gasped, collapsing forward before catching himself.
"Leave," I said. "Or stay and learn loyalty."
Darius lifted his head slowly, eyes burning with something dangerous and new.
"This is not over," he said. "You have awakened something you cannot control."
"Good," I answered without looking back. "So have you."
The Iron Claw Alpha rose, signaling his warriors to retreat. As they vanished into the forest, the pull in my chest did not fade.
Lucien was at my side instantly. "You should not have pushed him that hard."
"I had to," I said softly. "If I bend now, they will never stop."
Alaric studied me with quiet intensity. "You did not just repel him," he said. "You marked him."
I frowned. "Marked him how."
Alaric's gaze drifted to the forest where Darius disappeared. "As one who will either kneel willingly."
He paused.
"Or burn the world trying not to."
The moon slipped behind a cloud, plunging the clearing into shadow.
And somewhere deep within me, the bond stirred again.
Stronger.
Hungry.
Waiting for the next Alpha brave enough to come closer.