Chapter 3 The Bloodline War

The silver blade in Sophia’s hand hummed with a deadly light. Silver was poison to our kind, and she was holding it like a professional killer.

"Get out, Sophia," Xavier said. His voice was no longer human. It was a low, vibrating rumble that made the windows shake in their frames.

"I won't let a human’s pup steal my throne!" Sophia screamed. She pointed the dagger at Leo, who was now wide awake and trembling on the sofa. "The pack laws are clear, Xavier. A bastard has no claim. I am doing what your father would have done."

Xavier moved faster than my eyes could follow. One second, he was standing by his desk; the next, he was shielding Leo and me with his own body. He didn't shift into a wolf not yet but his fingernails grew into black, razor-sharp claws.

"Touch him," Xavier hissed, "and I will tear your heart out before it can beat again."

The four guards behind Sophia growled. They were high-ranking wolves from her father’s pack. They weren't here to protect their Alpha; they were here to start a coup.

"Kill the boy," Sophia commanded. "The girl, too."

The guards lunged. I grabbed Leo and tucked him under the mahogany desk, covering his body with mine. I could hear the sounds of flesh hitting flesh, the cracking of bone, and the terrifying snarls of shifting wolves.

Xavier was a whirlwind of violence. He took on all four guards at once. He fought with a brutality that made my stomach turn, but I couldn't look away. Every time a guard tried to get past him to reach the desk, Xavier’s fury redoubled. He wasn't just a CEO anymore. He was a predator protecting his den.

One guard managed to swipe his claws across Xavier’s chest. Blood, dark and thick soaked through his white silk shirt.

"Xavier!" I screamed.

"Stay down!" he roared. He grabbed the guard by the throat and slammed him through a glass bookshelf. The sound of shattering glass filled the room, but Xavier didn't stop. He turned and kicked another wolf so hard that it flew across the room and through the heavy oak doors.

Sophia watched, her face pale. She realized her guards were losing. She looked at the silver dagger in her hand and then at me.

She didn't go for Xavier. She went for the weak link.

She lunged toward the desk, the silver blade aimed straight for my throat. I didn't have a wolf. I didn't have claws. I only had my arms to wrap around my son.

"No!" I cried out, closing my eyes.

THWACK.

The sound of metal hitting meat echoed in the room. I opened my eyes to see Xavier standing over me. He had caught the silver blade with his bare hand.

The silver sizzled against his palm. I could smell the scent of burning skin. His hand began to smoke as the poison entered his system, but he didn't let go. He squeezed the blade until it snapped in half.

"My... hand..." Xavier gasped, his face twisting in agony. The silver was spreading fast through his veins, turning his gold eyes into a dull, pained gray.

Sophia backed away, horrified. "You... you would take silver for her? A human?"

"She is my mate," Xavier rasped, falling to one knee. He looked at me, blood dripping from his hand onto the carpet. "Elara... run. Take him and run."

"I’m not leaving you!" I shouted. I grabbed a heavy glass paperweight from the desk and stood up, ready to fight Sophia myself.

But the danger wasn't over. The doors burst open again. This time, it wasn't more guards. It was an old man with white hair and eyes as cold as a blizzard.

Silas Moretti. Xavier’s father. The man who had forced the rejection five years ago.

"Enough!" Silas roared. His presence was so heavy it felt like the gravity in the room had doubled.

Sophia immediately bowed her head. "Father-in-law, Xavier has gone mad. He is protecting a human and her."

"Silence, girl," Silas snapped. He walked into the center of the room, stepping over the unconscious guards. He looked at Xavier, who was struggling to breathe as the silver poison worked through his heart. Then, Silas looked at the desk.

He looked at Leo.

The old Alpha’s eyes widened. He saw the gold eyes. He saw the unruly dark hair. For a moment, the coldness in his face cracked.

"The bloodline," Silas whispered. "It survived."

I stood my ground, holding the glass paperweight like a weapon. "Stay away from him."

Silas looked at me, then at his dying son. He didn't offer help. Instead, he pulled a small, black remote from his pocket and pressed a button. Iron shutters slammed down over the windows and doors. We were trapped.

"Xavier, you were weak five years ago," Silas said, his voice devoid of emotion. "You let her live, and now she has returned to ruin us. The pack will never accept a half-breed heir. Not while the Blood Oath stands."

"I’ll... kill you... First," Xavier choked out, trying to stand, but his legs gave out.

Silas turned back to me. "Elara Vance. You have two choices. You can watch your son be executed right now to preserve the Moretti name..."

He paused, a cruel smile touching his lips.

"...Or you can sign the boy over to me. You will leave this city forever. You will never see him again, and in return, I will let Xavier live and make sure the boy becomes the next Alpha. Choose. The boy’s life, or your motherhood?"

I looked at Leo’s terrified face. Then I looked at Xavier, who was turning blue from the silver.

"Mommy, don't go," Leo sobbed, clutching my waist.

I looked at Silas, the man who had destroyed my life twice. A cold, hard fire ignited in my chest. Revenge wasn't just a dream anymore. It was a necessity.

"I won't sign anything," I said, my voice as sharp as glass.

Silas raised a hand, and the shadows in the room seemed to come alive. "Then you both die tonight."

Suddenly, the floor beneath us began to vibrate. A low, haunting howl echoed through the vents of the mansion a sound that didn't come from a wolf. It sounded like something much, much older.

Leo stood up. His eyes weren't just gold anymore. They were glowing white.

"Leave... my... Mommy... alone!" Leo screamed.

The iron shutters on the windows didn't just open. They exploded outward.