Chapter 4 Midnight Intervention

Amelia's POV

In my last moments, my mind raced with broken thoughts. Daniel. How could I have been so blind? The boy I'd fallen for, spent nights studying with, shared dreams with—was nothing but a monster wearing a charming smile. Now that mask was gone, replaced by cold eyes watching my wolf form struggle beneath him.

Part of me wanted to fight, to claw at him until my last breath. But my transformed body wouldn't respond to my commands—too new, too foreign. I thought of Mom, how she'd never know what happened to her daughter. How she'd wait for me to come home, maybe prepare my favorite pancake for my 18th birthday tomorrow. I'd never see her again because I'd been stupid enough to trust the wrong person.

Daniel's hot breath hit my face as he leaned closer, ready to deliver the killing blow. The stench of his anticipation made my stomach turn.

His hands pressed against my throat—

A furious snarl ripped through the clearing, followed immediately by a russet blur that crashed into Daniel with devastating force. The impact sent him flying backward, slamming into a tree trunk with enough force to splinter the bark.

I gasped for air, my lungs burning. Where Daniel had stood seconds before now prowled a russet-colored wolf—larger than an ordinary wolf but smaller than Daniel's Alpha form. Even in my terrified state, I recognized those eyes. Nathan.

My brother positioned himself between Daniel and me, hackles raised, teeth bared in a warning that needed no translation. The shock of seeing Nathan jolted something inside me. My body convulsed as bones began shifting, fur receding into skin. I collapsed naked onto the forest floor, the pain of transformation momentarily overwhelming me.

Nathan glanced back at me, concern evident even in his wolf features. Then with remarkable control, he began shifting back to human form. His transformation was quick but clearly painful—bones cracking, fur receding. Within moments, my brother stood naked before me, quickly grabbing his discarded clothes that lay scattered where he must have transformed initially.

"Stay behind me," he ordered, draping his jacket over my shoulders as he pulled on his jeans and positioned himself protectively between Daniel and me.

"Touch her again and I'll rip your fucking heart out," Nathan growled, his body already trembling with barely contained rage.

Daniel recovered quickly, rolling to his feet with a snarl. "Beta Nathan. I'm surprised you'd risk everything for her."

"She's my sister," Nathan spat. "I felt her fear. Our blood bond never lies."

I tried to stand but collapsed back down, clutching Nathan's jacket around me. "Nathan, don't. He's an Alpha—"

"I don't care what he is," Nathan cut me off, not taking his eyes off Daniel. "No one hurts my family. Ever."

Daniel's lips curled into a cruel smile. "So noble. So stupid. This is why your family will never rise above your station. You don't understand how our world works."

"I understand perfectly," Nathan shot back. "I understand whatever she saw tonight made her transform for the first time. And now you're trying to kill her to silence her."

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "She violated our most sacred law. Public transformation. She was caught by countless people. As Alpha of this territory—"

"You're not the real power here," Nathan interrupted. "Alexander runs everything. And I guarantee he wouldn't approve of executing Omegas without trial."

Daniel's face contorted with rage. "As the Alpha of Shadow Kingdom, I command you to leave. NOW." His voice deepened with the supernatural weight of an Alpha command.

I watched Nathan flinch as the compulsion hit him. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he fought against his biological programming to obey.

"For her," Nathan gritted through clenched teeth, "I'll defy anyone."

With a primal scream, Nathan lunged forward. His body blurred as russet fur exploded across his skin once more. His transformation wasn't as fluid as what I'd seen from Daniel earlier—Nathan was only a Beta—but what he lacked in grace he made up for in ferocity.

Daniel shifted in response, his body morphing as white fur replaced skin. They collided in a blur of fangs and claws, rolling across the clearing in a deadly dance.

At first, Nathan's rage gave him an edge. He tore into Daniel's shoulder, drawing first blood with a vicious bite. But Daniel's Alpha strength quickly proved overwhelming. Where Nathan relied on training and technique, Daniel possessed raw, genetic power.

One powerful swipe sent Nathan crashing into a boulder. Before he could recover, Daniel pounced, pinning my brother with massive paws. Blood matted Nathan's russet fur from a deep gash across his chest. One of his legs bent at an unnatural angle.

The white wolf's muzzle pulled back, revealing glistening fangs. "You should have stayed out of this, Throne. Now you get to die before your sister instead of after," Daniel snarled, his wolf voice guttural but clear.

His jaws widened, poised above Nathan's exposed throat.

"NO!" I screamed, finding strength I didn't know I had. Clutching Nathan's jacket to my chest, I threw myself forward just as Daniel's jaws descended toward Nathan's throat. There was no plan, no strategy—just the desperate need to save my brother. I covered Nathan's body with my own, bracing for the tearing of flesh and the end of everything.

"Amelia, DON'T!" Nathan howled in despair.

I squeezed my eyes shut, waited for death.

But the killing blow never came.

The forest went completely silent—no insects, no rustling leaves, no distant owl calls. Just... nothing. The air grew thick, charged with something ancient and powerful.

I opened my eyes.

Daniel hung suspended in mid-air, massive jaws frozen inches from my neck. A single hand gripped his throat with such force that the white wolf's eyes bulged.

Alexander Westbrook stood before us, his expression carved from ice. Despite the late hour and forest setting, he wore an immaculate black suit that somehow remained untouched by the chaos around him. Nothing about his stance suggested effort, yet he held Daniel—an Alpha werewolf—as easily as one might hold a disobedient puppy.

The temperature in the clearing seemed to drop ten degrees. His presence was a physical weight, crushing and absolute, making it difficult to breathe. Where Daniel's power was showy and aggressive, Alexander's authority was cold, silent, and infinitely more terrifying.

"Enough." The single word sliced through the air.

He released Daniel, who crashed to the ground with a pained yelp. The white wolf immediately transformed back to human form, naked and suddenly looking much younger—and afraid.