The moment the clearing exploded into chaos, I knew things had gone way out of control. Xander and Aiden burst from the trees, their wolves running with a deadly grace, their eyes fixed on the rogues like predators targeting their quarry. The rogues weren't hanging about either, their snarls filling the air as they launched themselves forward to meet this challenge head-on.
I froze. The weight of it all rained down, down on me. This was not a plain confrontation, but a fight for survival, and I was the target. Every little instinct in me wanted to scream to run, to find safety, but I was caught between the two sides, both my mates fighting for me.
But this was not just about me anymore.
Xander's wolf was pure power. He tore through the first rogue in his path, jaws snapping with vicious precision, dark fur bristling as he fought with the fierceness of an Alpha protecting what was his. Every movement was calculated, brutal, designed to kill. I'd never seen him like this-so unstrained, so wild.
Aiden was no less deadly. His wolf, lighter in build but no less fearsome, moved with a lightening speed of his attacks quick and precise. He did not waste time with snarls or threats-he fought with effectiveness proper to a Beta who knew just how to eradicate threats. He, too, was protecting me, but there was something different in the way he fought-calculating, not just feral aggression, but measured protection.
But the rogues were relentless. More came out of the trees, their numbers larger than anticipated. I watched in horror as the claws and teeth flew, the growling and yelping as bodies connected in pain. Blood sprayed across the clearing, but Xander and Aiden didn't stop. They were machines-fighting for survival, fighting for me.
And I couldn't do anything.
I wanted to help, wanted to fight alongside them, but I was trapped-trapped by fear, by the weight of the bond yanking me in two different directions, by the weight of crushing realization that this was happening because of me.
"Lena! Get out of here!" Aiden's voice cut through chaos, and his wolf tossed another rogue to the ground with a fierce snarl. "Go!"
But I couldn't move. I was frozen, my heart pounding in my chest as I watched Xander rip into another rogue, his eyes flashing with fury. Blood dripped from his jaws but his gaze flicked toward me, even in the heat of battle. There was something wild and protective in his eyes, a fierce possessiveness that sent a shiver down my spine.
It burst in, and a rogue leapt clear over it, snarling maw aimed directly for me, before I could even manage to turn.
My body finally moved from instinct, but I wasn't quick enough. The rogue was on me before I could get out of the way, and I hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind from my lungs. Its claws raked across my arms, tearing through my jacket, and searing pain across my skin.
For one infinitesimal moment, time seemed to stand still. I could have sworn I heard my heart thudding in my ears, felt the rank, hot breath from the rogue on my face, saw its glowing eyes fixed on mine as it prepared to strike once more.
Then a dark shape slammed into the rogue, wrenching him off me in a wild snarl. Xander's wolf towered over me, his fur quivering with fury as he snarled down at the rogue, teeth bared in a threat display.
I gasped for air, my chest heaving as I scrambled back, heart racing. Xander didn't give the rogue a chance to recover. His jaws closed in on its neck with terrifying swiftness, and it was over in a matter of seconds.
The rogue was dead.
But Xander didn't stop there. His eyes were wild, his fur matted with blood, and a growl rumbled deep in his chest as he turned to face the rest of the rogues. He was a force of nature-an Alpha that would let no one or anything threaten what was his.
Lena!" Aiden was abruptly beside me, his wolf pressed against my side as he struggled to block my view of the mayhem. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm okay," I lied between panting breaths, even though my arms stung from where the rogue had sliced through my skin. I could feel the blood trickle down my skin, but it was less overwhelming compared to the fear racing inside me. "I'm okay.
Aiden's wolf growled low, his eyes flicking toward the remaining rogues. "We need to get you out of here."
"I'm not leaving you," I said, my voice shaking with fear and determination. "I can't just run.
"You don't have to," Xander's voice, low and dangerous, cut in as he approached. His wolf's dark fur was streaked with blood, his eyes gleaming with raw power. "The rogues won't get near you again."
The words were a promise, but the undercurrent running beneath was much darker. Xander's possessiveness, his need to protect me, as strong as ever, wasn't targeted at the rogues only; it was targeted at everything that threatened our bonding.
The battle was far from over, though. The rogues weren't in retreat. If anything, they seemed more determined. I watched as the leader of the rogues-the tall, scarred wolf who had spoken to me before-stepped forward again, his eyes on Xander, unafraid of him.
"This doesn't end tonight," the rogue leader growled, his voice carrying across the clearing. "You think you've won, Alpha? You think protecting her will save you?"
Xander's lips curled back into a snarl. "You're done."
The rogue leader's eyes gleamed with dark amusement. "This is only the beginning. The packs are weaker than you think. She's the key to your downfall."
I felt a coiling of fear in my chest, but Xander stepped forward, his growl rumbling low in his throat. "I'll tear you apart before you get anywhere near her."
The rogue's eyes flickered to mine, and a cold run went down my spine. "You can't protect her for long. The bond makes her a vulnerability, Alpha. And you. you can't hold off what's going to happen.".
Before Xander could get a word out, the rogue leader had wheeled and run, vanishing into the trees. His remaining pack scattered after him, it seemed, and once more the clearing was silent except for my own labored breathing.
The fight was done. But the threat wasn't.
---
**After the Battle**
The quiet that came after the scum had retreated was thick, after the storm that had really taken things to another level. My whole body shook with aftershock adrenaline; my breathing was still in shallow gasps. The heavy stench of blood hung in the air while pain throbbed through my arms from where the rogue bit me, yet the relief of surviving washed over me in waves.
Aiden shifted back into his human form, but his eyes still shone with the heat of the fight. Hunched beside me, he lifted my arm and gingerly examined the wounds. "You're bleeding. Let me help."
I shook my head, trying to regulate my racing breathing. "I'm fine. It's not deep.
"Lena, you need to get those cleaned up," he said, voice etched with concern. His touch was light, but I could see the furrow of his brow-the deep set worry lines. His protective instinct as clear and sharp as ever, but something else danced in his gaze-something darker. Fear. And maybe… jealousy.
I glanced over at Xander, still in wolf form, staring intently at the point where the rogues vanished. His fur was slick with blood, his muscles taut, ready for the continuation of a fight. Still, I knew his mind wasn't solely on the rogues. He was thinking of exactly what the rogue leader had said-how I was the key to everything.
"What do we do now?" I whispered, my voice shaking from the impact of everything that had happened tonight.
Xander's wolf finally shifted. His tall, imposing form towered above Aiden and me. His eyes blazed hot with barely contained fury, but his voice was quiet, too quiet. "We find out who betrayed us. We find out who told the rogues about the bond."
"And then?" I asked, heart pounding in my chest.
Xander's eyes caught mine, the look in them unyielding. "Then we end them."
As bruised and bloodied but alive the moon sat low in the sky, three stood in the circle of aftermath, a sense of what was to come-a storm that was sure to break-heavy with the words of the rogue leader : **the bond makes her vulnerable**.
The danger hadn't passed. It had only just begun.
And the question haunting me now was simple: How far would Xander and Aiden go to protect me? And would their protection be enough to save us all?