The wolves lunged.

Killian shoved me backward so hard I hit the ground. His body blurred in front of me, one heartbeat a man, the next something else.

Bones cracked. Flesh tore. A snarl ripped from his throat so deep it shook the air.

And then he wasn’t human anymore.

The wolf that landed where Killian had stood was enormous black as midnight, fur bristling, eyes glowing silver like shards of the moon. His size dwarfed the others, his snarl a weapon all its own.

The pack froze for half a breath. Then chaos detonated.

Two wolves lunged at Killian. He met them head-on, slamming one into a tree so hard bark exploded, sinking his teeth into the other’s neck. Blood sprayed.

I scrambled to my feet, heart trying to punch out of my chest. The world was a blur of teeth and fur and snapping jaws. I had no weapon, no chance, nothing but raw panic.

Luka didn’t move. He stood at the edge of the clearing, golden eyes fixed on me. His wolves fought and bled, but he just smiled, calm, patient, like the chaos meant nothing.

“Run,” he said softly.

It wasn’t a threat. It was an invitation.

My pulse stuttered.

Killian tore through another wolf, his silver eyes flashing to me. Stay put. His gaze pinned me even through the frenzy, but the bond tugged at me in two directions. Killian’s command rooted me. Luka’s voice pulled like gravity.

Two alphas. One bite. One claim.

The ground shook as another wolf slammed into Killian’s side. He staggered, snapping back, jaws crunching bone. The forest reeked of blood and fur.

Luka finally moved. Slow. Deliberate. He stepped toward me, each stride smooth, predatory.

“You feel it, don’t you?” His voice threaded through the air, honey and venom. “The bond. The hunger. You’re not like them. You’re not like him. You’re mine.”

I stumbled back. “Stay away.”

But my body betrayed me. The bite on my neck burned hot, pulsing in rhythm with his words.

Killian roared, ripping free of another wolf and hurling it aside. He lunged for Luka but one of Luka’s pack intercepted, dragging him down.

“Killian!” My scream ripped out before I could stop it.

Luka’s smile sharpened. “See? You call for me even as you bleed for him.”

“I wasn’t calling for you,” I spat.

He only grinned wider. “Not yet.”

Another wolf lunged at me. I threw up my arms in useless defense

and Killian was there. A black blur, silver eyes blazing, jaws crushing down on the wolf’s throat. Blood sprayed my face, hot and metallic.

He stood over me, chest heaving, fur bristling, his body a wall between me and Luka. His snarl ripped through the night, promising death to anyone who came closer.

For a second, Luka’s smile faltered. Just a second. Then it was back.

“Enjoy your little protector, Raine,” Luka said, voice smooth as silk. “But remember this every bond breaks eventually. And when his does, I’ll be waiting.”

He whistled low. The remaining wolves peeled back instantly, melting into the forest shadows. In seconds, only Luka remained, golden eyes burning into mine.

“Sweet dreams, little half-blood,” he murmured. “I’ll see you soon.”

Then he was gone.

The clearing reeked of blood and death. My ears rang. My knees buckled, but Killian caught me before I hit the ground.

Except it wasn’t his hands anymore it was claws. His massive wolf body loomed over me, his fur matted with blood. His silver eyes locked on mine, wild and unhinged.

And for the first time, I realized he wasn’t fully in control.

Killian’s silver eyes pinned me to the ground.

“Killian…” My voice cracked. “It’s me.”

He didn’t move. His chest heaved, huge ribcage expanding and collapsing. Blood dripped from his jaws, steaming in the cold night.

“Shift back,” I whispered, even though I had no idea if he could hear me like this. “Please. I know you’re in there.”

A low growl rolled out of him, vibrating the earth beneath me. His head lowered until his snout was inches from my throat. I froze. The heat of his breath seared my skin.

My mind screamed run. My body couldn’t move.

Then his nose brushed the bite Luka had left on me. My entire body jolted like lightning shot through my veins.

I gasped. “Don’t ”

The growl cut deeper, not threatening but furious. His eyes locked on the mark. He knew.

“You think I wanted this?” My voice rose, desperate. “He forced it on me! I didn’t Killian, I didn’t ask for it!”

Something flickered in his silver eyes. For half a breath, the fury ebbed.

Then he snarled so loud the trees shook.

My hands flew up. “Stop! You’re scaring me!”

He froze. Chest heaving. Eyes burning.

That pause that hesitation was all I had. Slowly, trembling, I reached up and pressed my palm to the side of his face. His fur was coarse, hot, damp with blood.

“Don’t let him win,” I whispered. “Don’t let Luka own me. Don’t let him take you from me, too.”

The sound that ripped from Killian’s throat wasn’t a snarl. It was a broken, guttural sound. His body trembled. His claws dug into the dirt, tearing roots and soil.

Then the shift began.

Bones cracked. Flesh twisted. The enormous wolf shuddered, shrank, reshaped. When it was over, Killian was on his knees in front of me, human again naked, covered in blood, his chest rising and falling like he’d just come back from the edge of hell.

His hands slammed the ground to keep himself steady. His head bowed, dark hair falling over his face.

“Don’t,” he rasped, voice shredded raw. “Don’t ever touch me when I’m like that again.”

I blinked, still shaking. “You would’ve killed me?”

His head snapped up. His eyes still faintly glowing silver locked on mine. “No.” He swallowed hard. “I would’ve claimed you.”

The forest went dead silent. My pulse thundered.

“Claimed me,” I repeated.

His jaw tightened. “And once I did, there’d be no going back.”

Before I could respond, a sound sliced through the trees. A low whistle. Familiar.

My blood ran cold. Luka’s whistle.

Killian shot to his feet, every muscle taut. His eyes scanned the trees. The whistle came again closer this time.

“He’s not gone,” I whispered.

Killian didn’t look at me. His body was coiled, trembling, fury barely contained.

“No,” he growled. “He’s hunting.”

The whistle echoed again. Closer. Too close.

Killian’s muscles went rigid, every line of him bristling with fury. His voice dropped low, guttural, more growl than man.

“Stay behind me.”

“Like hell,” I hissed. My hands trembled, but I forced myself upright. “If he wants me, standing behind you makes me the perfect target.”

His head whipped toward me, silver eyes burning. “You don’t get to argue with me now.”

“You don’t get to order me like I’m your property.” My pulse hammered, but anger flared hot enough to steady me. “You think I’m going to hide while the psycho who bit me plays hide-and-seek out here? No.”

For a second, Killian just stared at me. His jaw tightened. Then just barely his lips twitched.

“You’re insane.”

“Maybe,” I shot back. “But I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

Before he could respond, a voice drifted out of the trees. Smooth. Mocking. Too close.

“She’s brave,” Luka said. “I like that.”

My stomach dropped.

The trees rustled. Shadows shifted. I spun in a circle, trying to pinpoint him, but the bastard’s voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.

Killian stepped in front of me again, every muscle in his back coiled. His voice came out lethal.

“Show yourself, Luka.”

A low chuckle. “Why would I, when I’m already so close?”

A blur of movement flashed in the corner of my vision. I gasped too late. A body slammed into mine from the side, pinning me to the dirt.

Luka.

His golden eyes glowed inches from my face, feral and gleaming. His weight pressed me down, one hand fisting in my hair, the other clamping over my wrist. His breath hit my ear, hot and taunting.

“I told you, Raine. You’re mine.”

I struggled, but his strength was inhuman. “Get off me ”

Killian roared. The ground trembled as he lunged.

Luka’s grin widened. He didn’t move. Didn’t even flinch.

“Which Alpha will she obey?” he murmured against my skin. “Which one will she surrender to?”

Killian’s wolf burst through his skin again, black fur exploding, jaws wide.

But Luka yanked me up with him, spinning me against his chest, dragging me with him into the shadows. His lips brushed my ear, low and hungry.

“Choose, little half-blood. Him. Or me.”

And then he was gone. Just like that. The forest swallowed us.

Branches whipped against my face as Luka dragged me through the forest. His grip on my wrist was iron, his pace inhuman. I stumbled, almost fell, but he yanked me upright before my knees hit the ground.

“Let go!” I shouted, clawing at his hand.

“Not until you understand,” he growled. His golden eyes burned in the dark as he spun me around, slamming me against a tree. His face hovered inches from mine, lips curled into a cruel smile. “Not until you feel what it means to be chosen.”

“I didn’t choose you!” I spat, shoving against his chest.

His hand wrapped around my throat, not tight enough to cut air but enough to make me still. His smile twisted. “You think choice matters in this world? Wolves don’t choose, we claim.”

“Then I’ll never be yours.”

For a split second, the mask cracked. Something darker flickered in his gaze, want, raw and unhinged. Then it was gone, replaced with cold amusement.

“You already are.” His thumb brushed my jawline. “The moment my teeth sank into you, the moment my blood touched yours you became mine. Your wolf knows it. She’s just waiting for you to admit it.”

“Killian will kill you,” I hissed.

“Killian will try.” Luka leaned closer, his breath hot against my ear. “But he’s too late. You felt it, didn’t you? The way your body reacted when I touched you? When I marked you?”

My stomach twisted, not just with fear but with something far more dangerous. Heat crept through me, betraying me, making my knees weaken even as my mind screamed to fight.

I shoved him back with everything I had. “You’re insane.”

He caught my wrists, slamming them above my head against the bark. His smile widened. “Maybe. But insanity has its advantages. You’ll see.”

“Let her go!”

The voice shattered the night. Killian’s.

Luka’s head turned slowly, eyes gleaming. He didn’t release me. Instead, his grip tightened, pinning me harder.

“Or what, brother?” Luka called out, his tone mocking. “You’ll kill me? Tear me apart? Then she’ll never know which of us she truly belongs to.”

Killian emerged from the shadows in his wolf form, black fur bristling, silver eyes glowing like fire. He prowled forward, low and lethal, every step vibrating the ground beneath us.

For the first time, Luka’s grin faltered. Just slightly.

But instead of running, he leaned down, pressing his lips to my ear. His whisper seared me.

“Remember this, Raine. When he fails you and he will, I'll be waiting.”

Then, with a vicious shove, he released me. My body slammed against the tree, air whooshing out of my lungs. By the time I sucked in a breath, Luka was gone nothing but shadows and golden eyes retreating into the forest.

Killian shifted mid-stride, skin ripping, fur dissolving, until he was human again, bare and shaking with fury. He grabbed my shoulders, his grip almost painful.

“Did he hurt you?” His voice was ragged, eyes wild.

I opened my mouth but before I could answer, the whistle came again.

This time, it wasn’t Luka’s.

It was lower. Deeper. Echoing from the east.

Killian froze. His jaw tightened. “We’re not alone.”

“Killian…” My voice shook. “That wasn’t him.”

His grip on my shoulders tightened, hard enough to make me wince. His eyes scanned the trees, unblinking. “Stay close. Don’t move until I tell you.”

“I’m not ”

“Raine.” His voice was sharp, Alpha-sharp. The kind that demanded obedience. “Do. Not. Move.”

For a moment, I wanted to scream at him. At both of them. Killian, with his impossible dominance, and Luka, with his twisted obsession. But then the whistle came again low, hollow, slicing through the forest like a blade.

Every hair on my body rose.

Killian’s nostrils flared. His voice dropped to a whisper. “Not wolf. Human.”

My heart stopped. “Then who ”

A shadow moved between the trees. Then another.

Killian snarled, dragging me behind him. “Hunters.”

The word froze my blood.

From the treeline, a figure stepped into the moonlight. A woman. Tall, leather jacket, hair bound back tight, a silver crossbow slung casually over her shoulder. Her eyes flicked from Killian to me, sharp, calculating.

“Well,” she said, her voice cool as ice. “That saves me some trouble. Two wolves in one night.”

“I’m not ” I started.

“Shut up,” Killian snapped, shoving me further behind him.

Her smirk widened. “Protective. Cute. You must be Killian.”

His growl deepened. “And you must want to die.”

“Not tonight.” She tilted her head. “But you might.”

The whistle came again, and this time it wasn’t her lips. It was answered from deeper in the woods. My pulse spiked. There were more.

Killian swore under his breath. His hand shot back, blindly gripping mine. The heat of his skin seared, steadying me even as the forest spun around us.

“We run,” he muttered.

“What about Luka?” My voice cracked.

His head turned, eyes flashing silver fire. “Forget Luka.”

I almost argued. Almost. But then the woman lifted her crossbow, the silver tip of the bolt glinting under the moonlight.

“Run,” Killian snarled, hauling me into the trees.

We tore through the forest, branches whipping, lungs burning. Behind us, the whistle echoed again. And again. Closing in.

I stumbled, nearly falling. Killian’s arm snaked around my waist, dragging me up without breaking stride. His breath was hot against my ear, harsh, furious.

“Do you understand now?” he growled. “Why I told you to stay away? Wolves. Hunters. Luka. This world will eat you alive.”

I gasped, struggling to keep up. “Then why didn’t you leave me behind?”

His grip tightened. His voice was raw. “Because I can’t.”

The words shot through me like fire.

But before I could answer, before I could even process, something whizzed past my face fast, sharp.

A silver bolt buried itself in the tree beside me, hissing smoke as it burned into the bark.

Killian yanked me down just as another bolt sliced the air where my head had been. He pressed me flat to the earth, his body covering mine, his chest rising and falling like a beast barely chained.

The whistle came again. Closer. Surrounding us.

Killian’s lips brushed my ear, voice so low it shook through me.

“They’ve found us.”

Killian’s weight pinned me to the ground, his hand clamped over my mouth. His chest pressed into my back, heat searing through me even as fear froze my blood.

“Don’t move,” he breathed, lips brushing my ear. “They can’t smell you if you’re still.”

I trembled under him, every nerve on fire. My wolf whatever was awakening inside me whimpered, restless, begging to rise.

Another whistle cut through the trees, closer now.

Killian’s hand slid from my mouth to my cheek, holding my face down into the earth. His entire body vibrated, a low growl rumbling in his chest.

“Three,” he whispered. “Maybe four.”

My pulse thudded. “Hunters?”

His jaw tightened. “Worse.”

The crack of a branch split the silence. Boots on leaves. My heart clawed against my ribs.

Killian sprang to his feet, dragging me with him in one fluid motion. “Run when I tell you,” he muttered.

“Run where? They’ll ”

“Trust me.” His silver eyes locked on mine, fierce and unrelenting. “Just this once. Trust me.”

I didn’t have a choice.

A figure stepped from the shadows crossbow raised.

“Now!” Killian roared, shoving me hard into the trees.

I stumbled forward as he lunged, shifting mid-air, his body tearing into fur and muscle, a monstrous black wolf slamming into the hunter. The forest erupted into chaos, snarls, screams, the metallic twang of crossbows firing.

I bolted. Branches tore at my arms, my lungs burning. Behind me, Killian’s growl thundered like a storm, followed by a man’s scream cut short.

Then another whistle. Right ahead of me.

I skidded to a halt too late.

A hunter stepped into my path, a crossbow already leveled at my chest. Her eyes were ice-blue, her smile thin. “Got you.”

I froze. My breath hitched.

The silver tip glinted as she pulled the trigger

And suddenly, Luka was there.

He moved faster than sight, ripping the bolt from the air before it touched me. His hand closed around the hunter’s throat, lifting her clean off the ground. His golden eyes burned as he looked at me, not her.

“You see?” Luka’s voice was a dark caress. “Even fate can’t kill what’s mine.”

The hunter gagged, clawing at his grip.

“Luka!” I screamed, panic ripping through me. “Don’t ”

But he did. With a sickening crack, he snapped her neck and dropped her lifeless body at my feet.

Then he smiled.

And the forest went dead silent.

From behind me, Killian’s voice shattered it.

“Get away from her.”

Killian’s growl was a storm made flesh. He stalked out of the shadows, his body half-shifted wolf claws glinting, silver eyes blazing. Every line of him screamed violence.

Luka only tilted his head, golden gaze fixed on me. He didn’t even bother to face Killian. His hand brushed a stray leaf from my hair, fingers lingering too long, too possessive.

“Why would I?” he murmured. “She’s exactly where she belongs.”

I flinched back, heart hammering. “I’m not ”

“Don’t,” Killian snapped, cutting me off. His eyes flicked to mine, sharp and desperate. “Don’t give him anything, Raine.”

Luka chuckled low, finally turning toward his brother. His grin was cruel, feral.

“Still pretending you’re her savior, Killian? You can’t protect her from me. You never could.”

Killian bared his teeth. “Try me.”

For a heartbeat, the world held still. The air between them crackled two predators circling the same prey. My stomach twisted. Prey. That was me.

I found my voice, weak but loud enough. “Stop both of you. There are hunters ”

A sharp whistle split the night. Then another.

Killian froze. Luka’s smile only widened.

“Ah,” Luka said softly. “Your other suitors have arrived.”

And just like that, bolts rained down from the treeline.

Killian lunged, tackling me to the ground as silver hissed through the air. Luka blurred into the shadows, his laughter echoing. Hunters shouted, boots pounding closer.

Pinned beneath Killian, my chest crushed by his weight, I gasped for breath. His face hovered inches above mine, eyes wild, fangs bared.

“Don’t move,” he rasped, voice shaking with fury and something darker. “Or I’ll lose you.”

The whistle shrieked again so close it rattled my bones.

“Killian ” My breath tore from me, crushed beneath his weight as another bolt hissed into the dirt beside us, burning smoke into the soil.

He snarled above me, shielding my body with his. “Stay down.”

“Like hell,” I snapped, shoving at his chest. “You’ll get yourself killed ”

“Better me than you.” His eyes flared, feral silver in the dark. “Do you even understand what silver does to us?”

Before I could answer, a hunter’s voice rang out from the trees.

“There! Don’t let them shift!”

Killian moved in a blur, dragging me to my feet and shoving me behind him. His claws unsheathed, gleaming in the moonlight. His growl was low, lethal.

Three hunters stepped into the clearing, crossbows raised.

Luka’s voice floated from the shadows, mocking.

“Three against one, brother? Hardly fair. Unless… you count me.”

“Shut your mouth,” Killian snarled, muscles coiled to strike.

But Luka only leaned against a tree, golden eyes locked on me. “Tell me, Raine. Do you want me to save you again?”

I stiffened. “You call that saving? You killed her ”

“She would’ve killed you.” Luka’s lips curved, slow and cruel. “I don’t apologize for protecting what’s mine.”

“You don’t own me!” The words ripped from me louder than I meant, echoing in the night.

The hunters blinked, startled. Killian glanced back at me just for a fraction of a second, but it was enough.

A bolt flew.

“Raine!” Killian roared.

Something slammed into me, his body shoving me aside. I hit the dirt hard, the breath torn from my lungs.

Killian staggered, silver bolt buried deep in his shoulder, smoke hissing where it seared his flesh. He dropped to one knee, teeth bared, eyes blazing with pain.

I scrambled toward him. “Killian ”

But a hand closed around my wrist, yanking me upright.

Luka. His grip was iron, his voice silk.

“Choose, little wolf. Stay with him bleeding, dying. Or come with me, and live.”

Killian’s growl shook the ground. “Don’t touch her!”

The hunters raised their weapons again, bolts gleaming. Luka tightened his grip, pulling me against him.

“Decide, Raine,” he whispered, lips brushing my temple. “Now.”

“Let me go!” I twisted against Luka’s grip, my voice breaking. His fingers clamped around my wrist like shackles.

He bent close, golden eyes burning into mine. “Not until you say the words.”

“Luka ”

“Say you choose me.”

“No!” I spat, wrenching back. My gaze darted to Killian on one knee, silver bolt smoking in his shoulder, his chest heaving with fury and pain. “Killian get up!”

Killian bared his teeth, blood dripping down his arm. “Run, Raine. Now.”

“Not without you.”

The hunters closed in, boots crunching on leaves, crossbows trained. Their leader sneered. “Looks like we’ve cornered two mutts and their… pet.”

Luka’s laughter was soft, poisonous. “Cornered?” He let go of me at last, stepping forward. His voice rolled like thunder. “No. You’ve walked into a slaughter.”

And then he shifted.

It was like watching fire and shadow rip through a man’s body. His bones cracked, muscles swelled, fur tore through skin until a massive wolf stood in his place, larger than Killian had been, golden eyes gleaming like a predator god.

The hunters froze, just long enough.

“Raine!” Killian barked, forcing himself to his feet. He ripped the bolt from his shoulder with a snarl, silver sizzling against flesh. “Move!”

But I couldn’t. My legs rooted in place, torn between the monster Luka had become and the one I couldn’t bear to lose.

The first hunter loosed a bolt. Luka blurred, jaws snapping the man’s throat before the arrow left the string. Blood sprayed the trees.

The second fired. Killian lunged, claws slicing, silver catching in his flesh but not stopping him.

The third hunter aimed at me.

I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

And then my body moved on instinct.

Heat ripped down my spine, my vision sharpening to unnatural clarity. My hearing exploded with sound heartbeats, breaths, the whisper of bolts through the air. My fingers curled, nails sharpening into claws.

The hunter’s silver bolt flew.

I caught it.

In my hand.

It burned like fire, smoke curling from my palm, but I didn’t drop it. I crushed it, metal warping under strength I shouldn’t have.

The hunter’s jaw dropped. So did Killian’s.

Luka only smiled, blood dripping from his muzzle.

“There she is,” he purred, his voice somehow carrying even through wolf form. “My little wolf.”

I staggered back, staring at my hand, at the ruined bolt. My body trembled, wild, terrified, alive.

Killian’s eyes locked on me wide, furious, desperate. “Raine. Don’t listen to him. Don’t give in.”

Luka’s golden gaze flared. “You already have.”

And then, from deeper in the forest, another whistle shrieked. Louder. Closer.

Not three hunters. Not four. An army.

The trees around us filled with shadows, dozens of crossbows raised, silver glinting.

I swallowed hard, caught between the brothers, my own body betraying me.

Killian snarled, spreading his arms as if to shield me. Luka lowered his massive head, golden eyes locked on mine.

“Choose, Raine,” Luka growled.

And the hunters let fly.

The clearing lit up with silver. Bolts hissed through the air like lightning.

“Down!” Killian roared, throwing himself in front of me again. One bolt slammed into his side, another grazing his arm. He didn’t even flinch. He tore through two hunters in a blur of claws and rage, blood soaking the grass.

Luka moved like a nightmare, fast, elegant, merciless. His wolf form ripped men apart, golden eyes gleaming with something close to joy. His laughter echoed through the carnage, not a sound a wolf should make but his, twisted and mocking.

I stood frozen, heart crashing in my chest. Too much. Too fast. The smell of blood and silver burned my throat.

“Raine!” Killian’s voice cut through it, rough with pain. He snapped another bolt in half with his bare hands, eyes locking on mine. “Shift. Now!”

“I I can’t!”

“Yes, you can. You already started.” He staggered closer, every line of him trembling with effort but still holding himself between me and death. “Trust yourself. Or we all die here.”

Another whistle split the night. More shadows poured into the clearing, dozens of hunters tightening the circle. Their leader barked orders, voice sharp and cold.

“Take the girl alive. Kill the others.”

Luka’s golden eyes flicked to me, lips curling into a blood-soaked smile. “Hear that, little wolf? You’re special.”

“Shut your mouth!” Killian snarled, lunging at him, claws flashing.

Luka met him head-on, and the ground shook as brother slammed into brother. Fur, claws, teeth, blood it was chaos, primal and brutal.

“Stop it!” My scream tore out raw, useless against them. Hunters closed in, silver glinting from every angle.

Something inside me snapped.

My vision sharpened again, the night blooming with clarity. Every bolt, every breath, every flicker of movement around me slowed. My skin burned, stretched, split. A guttural sound ripped from my throat, not quite human, not yet wolf.

The hunters loosed another volley straight at me.

I didn’t think. I moved.

My body shifted mid-leap, bones cracking, claws bursting, fur tearing through skin. Pain and fire swallowed me whole, then released in a single violent rush. I hit the ground on four paws, my senses exploding alive.

The world reeked of silver, blood, fear.

And hunger.

Every hunter’s heartbeat was thunder in my ears. Every drop of blood was a drumbeat calling me closer.

Luka stopped mid-fight, golden eyes locking with mine. His grin widened. “Yes.”

Killian froze too, his silver gaze filled with something else entirely. Horror.

“Raine,” he whispered, voice hoarse. “Don’t lose yourself.”

I growled, low and guttural, my wolf form trembling as if torn between them between blood and restraint, hunger and control.

The hunters recoiled, muttering. Their leader’s voice cut sharp:

“Don’t just stand there tranq her! Now!”

A dozen crossbows lifted, all aimed at me.

Killian lunged to shield me. Luka crouched to strike anyone who dared touch me.

And as my claws dug into the earth, my chest heaving with wild fury had a single heartbeat to choose.

Run. Kill. Or be taken.

The first silver dart flew.

The first dart whistled through the air.

Killian shoved me sideways, taking it in his thigh. He snarled, wrenching it free, but his movements slowed almost instantly. Poisoned.

“Killian!” My growl cracked halfway between human and wolf.

“Don’t stop fight!” He forced the words out through clenched teeth, staggering to his feet again.

More darts flew. Luka leapt into them head-on, ripping hunters apart before they could reload. Silver lanced his side, his shoulder, but he tore them free like splinters. His wolf form only seemed to grow wilder, darker, feeding on the pain.

And me

Something inside me broke loose.

I lunged. My jaws closed around a hunter’s wrist, bones shattering under my bite. His scream was cut short as I threw him into another, their bodies collapsing like broken toys. Blood filled my mouth, hot and copper-sweet.

The taste sent fire racing through me. My wolf howled, hungry, unstoppable.

“Raine no!” Killian’s voice cut through the haze, weak but desperate. “That’s not you!”

But Luka’s laugh rang louder. “Yes, it is. That’s her truth. That’s my mate.”

The word mate hit harder than the blood, than the silver in the air. It tangled in my chest, pulling something feral and dangerous awake.

Hunters surrounded us, but I barely saw them anymore. Only prey. Only threats.

I lunged again, claws raking a man’s chest open. He fell with a gurgle, the scent of his life spilling over me.

My breath came ragged. My body shook with the force of it. I could feel myself slipping, Raine vanishing, wolf taking the reins.

Killian staggered closer, dart after dart piercing his body, slowing him down. He dropped to one knee, silver burning through his veins. His hand reached toward me, bloodied, trembling.

“Raine… come back. Please.”

Luka prowled to my other side, golden eyes gleaming with triumph.

“Don’t listen to him. Feel it. The power, the freedom. You’re mine, little wolf. Say it.”

Two brothers. Two voices.

One pleading. One commanding.

And me, lost between blood and choice.

Another volley of darts flew. I snapped them out of the air with my claws, smoke hissing as silver seared my skin. Pain lanced through me, but it only fueled the fury.

The hunters faltered, fear finally seeping into their ranks. Their leader shouted for them to hold, but his voice shook.

And then

A sharp, burning impact in my neck.

I staggered, vision swimming. My paw scraped the ground, body rebelling against me. Another dart. A tranquilizer. Stronger.

Killian roared, dragging himself forward, silver tearing him apart from the inside. Luka snarled, golden eyes blazing as he lunged for the hunters in a killing frenzy.

My vision blurred. My legs buckled.

The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was Killian collapsing to the dirt, his hand inches from mine

and Luka’s golden eyes locking on me, filled with savage promise.

The tranquilizer hit like fire in my veins. My body convulsed, half-wolf, half-girl, writhing on the blood-soaked ground. My claws gouged the earth as if I could claw the poison back out of myself.

“Stay awake!” Killian’s voice tore through the haze, broken and hoarse. He dragged himself toward me, silver bolts bristling from his body like grotesque thorns. His eyes burned with pain, but they never left mine. “Don’t you give them this, Raine!”

But Luka’s shadow fell over me first. His golden eyes glowed wild, feral, triumphant. Blood dripped from his claws, his grin wide and sharp. He crouched, close enough that I could smell the iron on his breath.

“Shhh,” he whispered, brushing a hand across my jaw with terrifying gentleness. “Let go. Stop fighting it. You’re mine now.”

Killian snarled, coughing blood. “Touch her again, and I’ll tear your throat out.”

“Big words for a dying man,” Luka taunted, never looking away from me.

The hunters tightened their circle, crossbows aimed, too afraid to fire while the two brothers raged at each other. Their leader barked, “Now! Restrain her before she shifts back ”

I snapped at him, a guttural wolf’s snarl rattling the trees. The circle faltered. Even half-drugged, my wolf wanted to rip them all apart.

But the tranquilizer dragged me down. My legs trembled, my vision swimming. Killian’s silver gaze blurred. Luka’s golden smile sharpened.

Then, from deep in the woods

A horn blast. Low, ancient, vibrating through my bones.

The hunters froze. Luka’s smile flickered. Killian’s bloody eyes widened.

“What the hell was that?” the leader shouted.

The horn sounded again, closer this time, a bone-shaking call that made every wolf bloodline howl in answer. My own wolf lurched inside me, clawing, straining.

Luka’s grin returned, but it was darker now.

“They’re here.”

“Who’s here?” I forced the words through a raw throat, half-wolf voice distorted and guttural.

Luka leaned close, lips brushing my ear.

“The ones who want you more than either of us.”

The world tilted. My body gave out. The last thing I heard before the dark swallowed me was Killian’s desperate roar and Luka’s laugh twined with the hunters’ panic.