Chapter 2 Theo (POV): Standing Between Her and the World

‎The night Seris was rejected, the moon felt wrong.

‎Too bright. Too sharp. Like it was watching us bleed and enjoying the show.

‎I stood outside her door, back pressed to the wooden frame, fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms. Inside, I could hear her muffled sobs, quiet, broken sounds she probably thought no one else could hear.

‎She was wrong.

‎I heard everything.

‎Every shaky breath.

‎Every hiccup of pain she tried to swallow.

‎Every whisper of her name as she begged herself to be okay.

‎I'd watched the bond snap.

‎I'd felt it ripple through the air like a scream no one else cared to acknowledge. When Draven said those words "I reject her" something inside me had cracked right along with her heart.

‎Coward.

‎That's what he was.

‎An Alpha in title only.

‎I should have killed him.

‎I pushed off the doorframe and paced the narrow hallway, forcing myself to breathe. If I went back out there right now, I'd end up dead or dragging Draven's body through the clearing by his throat. Neither option would help Seris.

‎What she needed wasn't revenge.

‎She needed someone to stand.

‎I stopped pacing when I heard footsteps.

‎Soft. Hesitant.

‎I turned just as her door creaked open.

‎Seris stepped into the hallway, wrapped in a thin sweater that did nothing to hide how small she looked. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face pale. The bond scar glowed faintly beneath her skin, a cruel reminder of what had been taken from her.

‎She tried to smile.

‎That nearly broke me.

‎"You don't have to stand guard," she murmured. "I'm not going anywhere."

‎"Good," I replied flatly. "Because I am."

‎She huffed weakly. "Theo..."

‎I stepped in front of her without thinking, blocking her view of the hallway as voices drifted from the packhouse below. Laughter. Celebration.

‎"For what it's worth," I said, jaw tight, "they're idiots."

‎Her eyes flickered with something painful and raw. "He didn't even hesitate."

‎"I know."

‎"I wasn't enough," she whispered.

‎"No," I snapped, then softened my tone when she flinched. "You were too much for someone who doesn't deserve you."

‎Silence stretched between us.

‎Then her knees buckled.

‎I caught her before she hit the floor, arms wrapping around her automatically. She clung to me like I was the last solid thing in a world that had gone unstable.

‎I held her.

‎I held her while she cried.

‎I held her while the pack celebrated her destruction.

‎And in that moment, something inside me shifted.

‎I wasn't just her best friend anymore.

‎I was her shield.

‎The next few days were hell.

‎Mira didn't even pretend to hide her delight. She and her friends followed Seris through the pack grounds, their whispers loud enough to cut.

‎"Rejected Omega."

‎"Imagine thinking an Alpha would want her."

‎"She should be grateful Draven noticed her at all."

‎I noticed everything.

‎And I made sure they noticed me noticing.

‎"You keep running your mouths," I said one afternoon as I stepped between them and Seris, "and I'll rearrange your faces."

‎Mira scoffed. "You're an Omega, Theo. Stay in your place."

‎I smiled slowly. "Touch her again and see what happens."

‎She didn't test me.

‎Not that day.

‎Seris tried to act like it didn't hurt. She went quiet. Withdrawn. Like she was folding herself smaller and smaller, hoping the world would forget she existed.

‎I wouldn't let it.

‎I walked her everywhere. Sat beside her during meals. Slept on the floor outside her room when the nightmares got too bad.

‎"Why are you doing this?" she asked one night, voice barely above a whisper.

‎I shrugged. "Because someone has to."

‎"You don't owe me..."

‎"I know," I cut in. "That's why it matters."

‎A week later, the air changed.

‎I felt it before anyone announced it, a pressure rolling through Moonveil territory, heavy and undeniable. My wolf stirred uneasily beneath my skin, instincts screaming.

‎Something powerful was coming.

‎The pack gathered again, curiosity buzzing through the clearing like static. I stood beside Seris, my body angled protectively in front of her as Alpha Lucien addressed us.

‎"The Bloodmoon Pack has requested entry," he announced.

‎The murmurs were instant.

‎Lycan territory.

‎The king's pack.

‎Why here?

‎My heart sank.

‎Bloodmoon Pack didn't visit out of courtesy.

‎They visited for a reason.

‎Seris's fingers curled into my sleeve. "Theo..."

‎"I'm here," I said immediately.

‎And then I felt it.

‎A surge of power so intense it stole the air from my lungs. The forest seemed to bow as figures emerged from the shadows, warriors clad in dark armor, eyes glowing with restrained dominance.

‎At their center walked a man.

‎Tall. Broad-shouldered. Commanding in a way no Alpha I'd ever seen could compare to. His presence pressed against my senses like a physical weight.

‎A Lycan.

‎The king.

‎His gaze swept the clearing and then locked onto Seris.

‎The world went still.

‎Her breath hitched.

‎And somewhere deep inside me, my wolf whispered in awe and fear, Fate isn't finished.

‎I stepped forward without thinking, placing myself fully in front of her.

‎Because whatever this was, whatever he was, I would not let the world hurt her again.

‎Not without going through me first.