Chapter 8
May 15, 2025
In my territory, whoever kills… will also be killed.
Ace’s breathing hitched. Was this really how it was going to end for her?
Rowan straightened, turning toward the guards standing outside the door.
“Take him,” Rowan ordered coldly. “To the torture room.”
The guards grabbed her instantly, yanking her to her feet.
Before the guards could yank her away, the door flew open with a bang. Kane rushed in, panting heavily, his eyes filled with urgency.
“Alpha!” Kane gasped, struggling to catch his breath. “The rogues… they’re attacking!”
Rowan’s eyes narrowed. “Then gather the warriors and face them.”
Kane shook his head grimly. “This is different, Alpha. This attack isn’t like the usual rogue raids we’ve handled before.”
Rowan’s brow arched. “What are you talking about?”
Kane swallowed hard before speaking. “They have Dante’s backing.”
The moment the name left Kane’s lips, the room fell into silence. A deadly, suffocating silence.
Rowan’s expression hardened. A dangerous glint flickered in his eyes.
Dante.
His stepbrother. The man who had spent years lurking in the shadows, waiting, scheming. The man who despised him so much that he had tried to kill him in the past.
Rowan’s fists clenched. “Are you certain?”
Kane nodded. “One hundred percent. This isn’t just some random attack, Rowan. It’s an invasion.”
A growl rumbled in Rowan’s throat. He had known Dante wouldn’t give up easily after his last attempt at seizing the Alpha position failed. He had disappeared before judgment could be passed, vanishing like a ghost, but Rowan always knew he’d be back.
And now, here he was—allying with rogues, waging war against his own pack.
Rowan exhaled sharply. “How many of them?”
Kane’s expression darkened. “Hundreds, Alpha. Maybe more. They came prepared. If we don’t act fast, we won’t survive the night.”
Rowan cursed under his breath.
His mind raced, calculating, strategizing. His warriors were strong, but if Dante had truly united with the rogues, this wasn’t just a battle.
It was a full-blown war.
And war demanded sacrifices.
His gaze flickered toward Ace, who was still standing in chains, watching the scene unfold with sharp, unreadable eyes.
Kane followed his gaze and stepped closer to Rowan, then he muttered under his breath. “Ace.”
Rowan stiffened. His wolf stirred again at the mere mention of her name, and he clenched his jaw.
He knew what Kane was suggesting.
“I know,” he muttered.
“You do?” Kane arched a brow. “Then you know we need him.”
Rowan’s gaze flickered toward Ace again.
He didn’t want to admit it. Didn’t want to acknowledge the strange pull he felt toward her, the way his instincts screamed that she was important.
But there was no time for hesitation.
“Get the warriors ready,” Rowan ordered, his voice sharp. “Prepare the defenses. Hold the front lines as long as you can.”
Kane nodded and turned to leave, but hesitated. “And what about him?”
Rowan didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he stormed toward Ace, just as the guards were dragging her toward the torture chamber.
“Stop!” Rowan barked.
The guards froze, startled.
Ace lifted her head, her defiance burning even through her chains.
Rowan studied her, searching for something—anything—that would explain why his wolf was reacting so strongly to her.
But all he saw was a man who refused to bow.
“Unchain him,” Rowan ordered.
The guards hesitated, confused, but Kane gave them a sharp nod, and they obeyed.
The moment the chains fell away, Ace rubbed her sore wrists but didn’t move.
Rowan took a step closer, his presence dominating the space between them. “I have a deal for you, Ace.”
She arched a brow. “A deal?”
“Fight alongside me,” Rowan said, his voice low, dangerous. “Win this battle for my pack. For me. Do that, and your crime will be forgiven.”
Ace tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing. “And if I refuse?”
Rowan’s lips curled into a smirk, though there was no humor in it. “Then you die, right here, right now.”
Ace stared at him, unreadable.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The tension in the air crackled like lightning.
Rowan’s patience was thinning. “Make your decision. Now.”
Ace exhaled sharply, glancing toward the door. The sounds of battle were growing louder.
Then, finally, she nodded. “Fine. I’ll fight.”
Rowan’s wolf stirred again, but he ignored it.
Before another word could be spoken, a deafening explosion rocked the entire building.
The walls trembled. The ground beneath them shuddered.
Rowan’s eyes snapped toward the door. “They’ve breached the outer wall!”
Kane was already grabbing his sword. “We need to move. Now!”
