The night air was thick with the scent of war and Lycans.
The distant howls came first, low, hungry, and unrelenting. Then came the pounding of paws against the earth, a rumble that shook the trees as Derek's pack descended upon Cove's territory attacking Cove's warriors.
The warriors stationed at the perimeter barely had time to react before the enemy struck. The gates trembled as massive claws tore into wood, snarls filling the air as the first wave of werewolves breached the defenses.
Within the stronghold, Cove's sharp ears twitched. His gaze darkened as he rose from his war table. He could already sense it, Derek. His scent curled through the wind, thick with fury and desperation.
"They're here"
Cove growled, already shifting. His bones cracked and stretched, his muscles thickening as dark fur erupted across his skin. His face elongated, jaws widening into a powerful snout as his hands twisted into claws. In mere seconds, the man was gone, replaced by a towering, black-furred beast, its silver eyes gleaming with primal fury.
Cove's transformation was fluid, seamless, muscles tensing, bones stretching, his body reshaping itself into something stronger, deadlier. His dark fur glowed under the moonlight, his eyes burning a predatory silver. Cove's gaze was cold, sharp and the look of a predator who knew exactly when to strike.
Lucas followed suit
The battle had begun.
The courtyard erupted into chaos as warriors clashed in a brutal storm of fur and fangs. Cove tore through enemy werewolves with a vicious efficiency, his claws slicing through flesh, his growls sending shivers down even the bravest of foes.
And then…
Derek emerged.
He stood at the center of the battlefield, also in werewolf form, his broad frame illuminated by firelight. His fur a deep earthy brown colour and his dark red eyes locked onto Cove's, and a slow, knowing smirk curled from his snort.
"You've grown soft, old friend," Derek taunted, rolling his shoulders as he stepped forward.
"Hiding behind your warriors, behind your father's stolen throne."
Cove's growl rumbled deep in his chest. He would never be his father. But Derek would never understand that.
"Is that why you've come?" Cove's voice was cold, deadly. "To cry about what's been taken from you?"
Derek's smirk vanished, replaced by something darker. Anguish. Rage. A lifetime of betrayal buried beneath his skin.
"You don't get to mock me," he snarled. And then, his body snapped.
His transformation was violent. Bones cracked, reshaping, stretching, fur exploding across his skin as his jaw extended into a deadly maw. His beast was larger than most, his fur a deep, earthy brown, his eyes glowing like molten gold.
Derek lunged.
The impact was like a thunderclap. The two alphas collided midair, claws slashing, teeth snapping, their growls deafening. The battlefield blurred around them, nothing existed but the fight.
Cove was faster, but Derek was relentless. He fought like a wolf with nothing left to lose. And for a moment, that made him dangerous.
This was more than a fight. More than a challenge. It was the weight of their fathers' sins, the unspoken war of the past crashing down on them both.
Derek's father had been a noble leader, respected, loved—until he was betrayed. Stabbed in the back by Cove's father, a ruthless and cunning Alpha who had manipulated his way to power. It had cost Derek everything. His father. His honor. His birthright.
And now, all that pain fueled his attack.
Cove, the son of the man who stole everything from him, was the last obstacle between Derek and the legacy that should have been his.
The need to reclaim it burned in Derek's bones. But no matter how hard he fought, no matter how many times he struck, Cove was there countering, overpowering, refusing to fall.
…..
Lycia's chest heaved, her heart hammering against her ribs as chaos erupted around her. She heard sound, screams. It sounded like a massacre was going on. She felt scared and had to get out. She had to run.
She finally summoned courage, running out, trying to save herself. What she saw left her in shock. Blood sprayed across the dirt as she ran, howls filled the air, and the scent of blood was thick enough to choke on. She staggered backward, desperate to put distance between herself and the madness unfolding before her.
Her hands trembled as she pressed herself against the rough bark of a tree, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps. She had to run but too enchanted by what was before her.
She saw him.
Cove.
Right before her eyes, his body contorted, shifting into something both terrifying and magnificent. His transformation was seamless, almost graceful in its brutality. His bones shifting, muscles stretching beneath his skin as fur surged over him like rolling storm clouds. His jaw cracked as it extended into a deadly snout, teeth gleaming under the moonlight. Claws, razor-sharp and lethal, digging into the earth, his massive frame radiating dominance and power.
A howl ripped from his throat, a deep, resonant sound that made the air vibrate. It wasn't just a battle cry. It was a declaration. A warning.
Lycia's breath caught.
"He's not human"
"None of them are" she said sighting the rest.
A scream built in her chest, but she swallowed it down, pressing herself harder against the tree. She shouldn't be here. She was only human; weak, fragile in the face of the monsters she had only heard about in hushed whispers. If they saw her, if they turned on her…
A snarl snapped her back to reality.
She barely had time to react before something huge and silver crashed into her, knocking the breath from her lungs. She hit the ground hard, the world spinning as massive hands; no, claws, clamped around her arms, pinning her down.
Her captor loomed over her, his werewolfish maw stretching into something that might have been a grin.
Well, well," the creature rasped, his voice guttural, laced with amusement. "Little girl thinks she can hide."
He leaned in, his massive snout inches from her face, nostrils flaring as he took a deep, deliberate breath.
Lycia froze.
The wolf's glowing eyes narrowed, his snout curling into a smirk as his claws tightened around her arms.
"Ah… human." His voice was almost mocking, filled with cruel satisfaction.
Lycia's stomach twisted, terror clawing up her throat as she struggled, but his grip was like iron.
Lycia thrashed, but he was too strong. Not again. She wouldn't be a prisoner again.
The wolf above her chuckled darkly. "Maybe I should eat you…"
A blur of black and grey
Then, agony.
A massive force collided with her attacker, sending him flying. The enemy wolf hit the ground with a bone-crunching thud, yelping as claws raked across his chest.
Lycia gasped, scrambling backward as a new figure stepped in front of her, a wall of muscle and fur, standing between her and death.
Cove.
His silver eyes burned like molten steel as he bared his fangs, snout peeling back in a snarl. His voice, deep and guttural, rumbled through the air.
"Stay behind me."
But before she could run, a massive brown furred beast, slammed into the ground before her.
Cove
He had thrown Derek off him, sending the rival alpha skidding across the dirt, and now, he stood between Lycia and the danger that lurked around her.
"Stay behind me," his wolf form growled, his voice still unmistakably his.
Lycia's breath hitched. This wasn't just strategy. This wasn't just instinct.
Even in the chaos of war, Cove was protecting her. Shielding her. Even as he fought his greatest enemy.
She thought would let one of the enemy warriors devour her to make his job of finishing her easy. And Morrigana saw it.
From across the battlefield, Morrigana's claws painted with fresh blood, each movement as precise and lethal as a predator's strike. Yet beneath that savage efficiency, her eyes burned with raw jealousy, as she watched Cove step forward to shield Lycia from the chaos; treating her as if she were delicate, something precious. In that charged moment, bitter envy surged within her, a stark reminder that in this brutal war, tenderness was a luxury she was never meant to have.
She isn't one of us.
She doesn't deserve his protection.
Morrigana's snout curled, her fury simmering beneath the surface. One way or another, Lycia would not last here.
A ragged growl pulled her focus back to the battlefield.
Derek was struggling to stand, his massive wolf form trembling, his dark fur slick with blood. His breaths were labored, every rise and fall of his chest a testament to his failing strength. Still, he lifted his head, hatred gleaming in his wild eyes.
"This isn't over," he spat, blood dripping from his fangs. "This will never be over."
Cove stepped forward, his wolf still half-shifted, teeth bared in a snarl that sent a ripple of tension through the air.
"You should run then, Derek," he growled, voice thick with menace. "Before I tear your throat out."
Derek hesitated. His body swayed, exhaustion threatening to drag him down, but his pride fought against it. His pack had already begun retreating, defeated, humiliated.
He had lost.
For now.
With one last glare, Derek turned and disappeared into the trees, his presence vanishing into the night like a ghost.
Silence settled over the battlefield. The scent of blood and smoke clung to the air, but the fight was over.
With a slow exhale, Cove straightened. His wolf form rippled, fur retracting, bones shifting with a sickening crack as his body reformed. Within seconds, he stood tall in his human skin once more, streaked with dirt, blood, and sweat, his silver eyes still burning with the remnants of battle.
He turned to Lucas, his voice low, sharp. "Reinforce the borders. No one gets through without my permission."
Lucas didn't hesitate. He gave a short nod before shifting again, his wolf vanishing into the shadows.
Lycia took a shaky step forward. "Why…"
He turned to her, gaze still wild, still untamed.
She swallowed hard, uncertainty swirling in her chest. "Why did you—"
"Because I chose to." His voice was firm, final, leaving no room for argument. "You don't have to understand it."
Then, without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing in the aftermath of war, her heart pounding in her chest.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the truth.
He hadn't been protecting the pack.
He had been protecting her.
And Morrigana would never forget it.
Then, as the chaos of battle roared around him, Cove tilted his head back and let loose a howl.