The forest changed the moment he entered it.
Alpha Marcus felt it instantly, the air thickened, heavy with warning, as though the land itself recognized him as an intruder.
His wolf bristled beneath his skin, hackles raised, instincts screaming turn back.
He ignored them.
"This land doesn't own me," he growled, stepping deeper into the shadows. "I am an Alpha."
The Dark Forest answered with silence.
No birds.
No insects.
No wind.
Only the crushing weight of dominance pressing down on him from all directions.
Back in the cave, Maria jolted awake with a sharp gasp.
Fear shot through her, cold and sudden. She clutched the furs, heart racing as a familiar, unwanted presence brushed against her senses.
"He's coming," she whispered.
Kael was already on his feet.
The moment the words left her lips, the cave trembled faintly. The fire flared violently, shadows leaping along the stone walls as Kael's eyes burned molten silver.
"I felt him cross the boundary," Kael said, voice dangerously calm. "The Alpha is a fool."
Maria pushed herself upright, panic tightening her chest. "I don't want to see him."
"You won't," Kael replied without hesitation.
He moved to her side, kneeling before her once more. His large hand hovered near her cheek, stopping just short of touching her skin.
"You are under my protection," he said. "And no one challenges my claim."
The word claim sent a shiver through her.
Before she could speak, Kael rose and turned toward the cave entrance. The air around him shifted violently, power rolling off him in palpable waves.
"Stay here," he ordered.
"No," Maria said quickly, pushing herself to her feet. Her legs trembled, but she stood. "I won't hide while you face him."
Kael turned sharply, surprise flickering across his face followed by something else.
Approval.
"Very well," he said. "But you do not speak unless I allow it."
The forest erupted in motion as Kael stepped outside.
Marcus staggered as the crushing weight of Kael's presence slammed into him, forcing him to drop to one knee. His breath came in harsh gasps, his wolf snarling in protest.
"Lycan King!" Marcus shouted, lifting his head. "I came for what is mine."
The forest roared.
Kael appeared before him in a blur, towering, lethal, and utterly unamused.
"Mine?" Kael echoed softly.
Maria stepped forward behind him, her presence sending a ripple of moonlight through the trees.
Kael didn't look back but he felt her.
"You rejected her," Kael continued, voice cold as death. "You broke the bond and cast her out."
Marcus's eyes locked onto Maria, desperation and obsession blazing in his gaze. "It was a mistake," he said hoarsely. "I felt her power awaken. She belongs with me."
Kael laughed.
It was a low, dangerous sound.
"You do not get to claim what you discarded," he said. "And you do not enter my territory and demand what belongs to the Moon."
Marcus rose shakily to his feet, pride and fear warring in his expression. "She is my mate."
The ground shook.
Kael's eyes flared blinding silver.
"No," he said, voice carrying ancient authority. "She is mine to protect."
Power exploded outward.
Marcus was thrown backward, slamming into a tree as his wolf howled in pain.
Maria gasped, clutching her chest not in pain, but in resonance. The moonlight around her brightened, responding to Kael's command.
Kael stepped forward, towering over the fallen Alpha.
"Leave," he ordered. "And never return."
Marcus struggled to rise, fury and fear twisting his features. "This isn't over."
Kael's lips curved into a lethal smile.
"For you," he said, "it already is."
As Marcus fled into the darkness, broken and shaken, Maria exhaled shakily.
Kael turned to her then, his gaze softening just slightly.
"This world will come for you now," he said. "Are you ready to stand?"
Maria lifted her chin, moonlight dancing in her eyes.
"I'm done running."
And for the first time since her rejection, she felt it.