THE MONSTER AT THE GATE
The moment the Alpha King reached the fortress gates, the battlefield seemed to freeze.
Warriors who had been fighting desperately stepped back, relief flashing across their faces.
“The King!” one of them shouted.
Hope spread through the defenders.
But the creature standing inside the broken gate did not retreat.
It stood there calmly.
Watching.
Waiting.
Aria slid down from Rowan’s back as he stopped near the battlefield.
The smell of smoke and blood filled the air.
Warriors rushed past them carrying the injured.
Some of the fortress walls were blackened by fire, and the massive wooden gates had been torn apart like paper.
Aria’s wolf growled softly.
That thing did this.
The creature was huge.
Even larger up close.
Its body looked like a twisted version of a werewolf—too tall, too muscular, its limbs slightly too long.
Dark veins pulsed beneath its skin like something poisonous was running through its body.
Its glowing red eyes locked onto the Alpha King.
Then it laughed.
The sound was deep and unnatural.
“So… the King finally arrives.”
Aria frowned.
“It can talk?”
Rowan’s expression darkened.
“That’s worse.”
The Alpha King’s massive black wolf stepped forward slowly.
Power radiated from him like a storm about to break.
The creature tilted its head.
“I was wondering how long it would take.”
The Alpha King’s voice rumbled low even in wolf form.
“You destroyed my gate.”
The monster smiled wider.
“I did more than that.”
Behind it, several fallen warriors lay scattered across the ground.
Aria’s chest tightened.
The Alpha King’s golden eyes burned brighter.
“Who sent you?”
The creature chuckled.
“You think I answer to someone?”
Darius and the other Alphas arrived behind Aria now, shifting back to human form as they watched the battlefield.
Even Kael stood silently, studying the monster.
The creature suddenly sniffed the air.
Its red eyes moved past the Alpha King.
Straight toward Aria.
Her stomach dropped.
“Well, well…”
It took a slow step forward.
“So the rumors are true.”
Rowan stepped in front of Aria immediately.
“You’re not taking another step.”
The creature ignored him.
Its gaze remained fixed on her.
“The Shadow Bloodline…”
Aria felt a chill run down her spine.
“You know what I am?”
The creature smiled.
“Oh, I know exactly what you are.”
The Alpha King moved instantly.
In a flash of black fur, he lunged across the battlefield.
His jaws snapped toward the creature’s throat.
The monster moved fast.
Too fast.
It blocked the attack with one massive arm, claws scraping against the Alpha King’s fur as the two crashed together.
The ground shook beneath their weight.
Warriors quickly backed away.
The fight was brutal from the first second.
The Alpha King’s wolf bit down on the creature’s shoulder, forcing it backward.
But the monster barely reacted.
Instead, it slammed its fist into the King’s side.
The impact sounded like thunder.
Aria gasped.
“That thing is strong.”
Rowan nodded grimly.
“Too strong.”
The creature grabbed the Alpha King by the neck and threw him across the courtyard.
The massive wolf crashed through a stone pillar.
Dust exploded into the air.
Aria’s heart raced.
But the Alpha King rose again immediately.
His fur bristled, golden eyes blazing with fury.
The creature grinned.
“Yes… that’s it.”
It cracked its neck slowly.
“Show me why they call you King.”
Then it rushed forward again.
Claws and fangs collided in a blur of violence.
The monster moved like a nightmare—unnatural strength in every movement.
The Alpha King attacked again and again, faster and more precise.
But something was wrong.
Aria could feel it.
Her wolf could feel it too.
That thing doesn’t feel alive.
The creature laughed even as the King’s claws tore through its skin.
“You’re stronger than the others.”
It wiped black blood from its mouth.
“But you’re still not strong enough.”
The Alpha King roared and slammed the creature into the ground.
The courtyard cracked beneath them.
For a moment it looked like the King had the upper hand.
But then—
The creature grabbed his throat.
And squeezed.
Hard.
Aria felt panic explode inside her chest.
“ROWAN!”
Rowan’s wolf surged forward instantly.
But before he could reach them—
The creature suddenly turned its head toward Aria again.
Its red eyes gleamed with dark excitement.
“There you are.”
And in the next second—
It threw the Alpha King aside.
Straight into the fortress wall.
Stone shattered on impact.
Then the creature began walking toward Aria.