Chapter 4
I ran through the pack grounds, my heart pounding in time with my footsteps. The hospital wing was only minutes away, but each second felt like an eternity. Byron's blood still stained my memories—bright red against the polished floors of the Silverclaw Pack house.
"He'll be okay," I whispered to myself, though the tremor in my voice betrayed my fear. "He has to be okay."
The antiseptic smell hit me as I burst through the hospital doors. Dr. Marcus Vale stood over a bed in the intensive care unit, his hands moving with practiced precision as he worked on Byron's broken body.
"How is he?" I demanded, rushing to Byron's side.
Dr. Vale's eyes met mine, his expression grave. "Critical condition. The Silverclaw Alpha's jaws crushed three of his ribs. One punctured his lung."
I reached for Byron's hand, careful not to disturb the tubes and wires connecting him to various machines. His skin felt cold, his breathing shallow and labored.
"You need to stabilize him," I said, my voice cracking. "Whatever it takes."
"There's a problem," Dr. Vale replied, wiping blood from his hands. "We need moonshade extract to help his body heal. It's rare, but Silverclaw controls most of the supply in this region."
The hospital doors swung open before I could respond. Parker strode in, his presence filling the room. Blood still stained his shirt—Byron's blood.
"Leave us," he ordered Dr. Vale, who hesitated before nodding and stepping away.
Parker's eyes found mine, cold and calculating. "So this is the great Byron. Doesn't look so brave now, does he?"
"Where's the moonshade?" I demanded, rising to face him. "You have it. You can save him."
"I do," Parker agreed, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "But why would I waste pack resources on a traitorous Delta?"
My wolf snarled within me. *Kill him. He hurts our friend.*
"Name your price," I said through gritted teeth.
Parker stepped closer, his Alpha aura pressing against mine. "Come to the borderlands tonight. Apologize to Ariana properly. Sign the concubine contract."
"No," I whispered.
"Then watch your friend die," he replied simply. "Your choice, Sloan."
---
The borderlands were shrouded in mist as I approached the meeting point. Every instinct screamed that this was a trap, but Byron's life hung in the balance. I had no choice.
Parker and Ariana waited beneath an ancient oak tree. Ariana's face glowed with anticipation, while Parker's expression remained unreadable.
"You came," Ariana said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "How... predictable."
"I'm here for the medicine," I said flatly. "Give it to me, and I'll apologize as you want."
Ariana stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with malice. "First, you'll learn your place."
Before I could react, Parker grabbed my arms from behind, pinning me in place. "Hold her tight," Ariana instructed. "I want to make sure she feels this."
The first blow caught me across the face, snapping my head to the side. Pain exploded across my cheekbone as Ariana's hand connected again and again.
"Stop," I gasped, struggling against Parker's grip.
"Say you're sorry," Ariana demanded, her voice rising with each strike. "Say I'm better than you. Say you deserve to be rejected."
Parker's grip tightened as I fought against him. "Just do it, Sloan," he hissed in my ear. "Save your friend."
Ariana's hand cracked across my mouth, drawing blood. "Not good enough," she spat. "I want to hear you beg."
Something shifted inside me then—a final thread snapping. I thought of Byron lying broken in the hospital bed. I thought of Parker's betrayal, of Ariana's cruelty. Of my grandfather's dismissal. Of a lifetime of being underestimated.
"No," I whispered.
Ariana's hand drew back for another strike. "What did you say?"
"I said no." My voice deepened, resonating with power I'd never felt before.
Parker's grip loosened slightly as he sensed the change. "Sloan?"
Heat flooded my veins, burning away the pain, the fear, the doubt. My vision blurred, then cleared with startling clarity. I looked down at my hands to see them glowing with golden light.
"Sloan?" Parker's voice held a note of fear now.
I turned to face him, feeling something ancient awakening within me. My reflection shimmered in his eyes—my irises no longer red with Alpha power, but molten gold with something far more primal.
"I am not yours to command," I said, my voice echoing with authority that made the very air vibrate.
Ariana stumbled back, her face pale with sudden terror. "What is this? What's happening?"
I didn't answer her. Instead, I tilted my head back and released a sound that wasn't quite a howl—deeper, older, more powerful. It wasn't just a wolf's cry; it was something beyond, something that spoke to the primal fear in every shifter's soul.
The ground trembled beneath us. Birds fell silent in the trees. Even the wind stilled as my roar reverberated through the forest, carrying power and promise of retribution.
Parker dropped to his knees, his body responding to an instinct deeper than thought. Ariana collapsed beside him, her eyes wide with horror.
"What are you?" she whispered.
But I couldn't answer her. The golden energy was building inside me, demanding release, demanding justice. And for the first time in my life, I didn't try to contain it.
I let it free.
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