The sharp crack of the gunshot echoed off the stone courtyard, tearing through the morning breeze an instant before the bullet zipped past Rosella’s ear and tore through the sedan’s passenger window.
Before her mind could process the explosion of tempered glass, a heavy force slammed into her midsection.
Henrik’s pure wolf instincts reacted in a fraction of a second, he tackled her straight down to the asphalt driveway, using his broad, massive frame to shield her body completely.
They hit the cold ground hard, the impact knocking the air from her lungs as shattered glass rained across their backs.
“Duck!” Elias shouted over the ringing in her ears, throwing himself over her legs to cover her while drawing his sidearm.
But Henrik already had her pinned safely beneath him, his chest rising and falling violently.
Through the narrow gap between Henrik’s arm and the pavement, Rosella pressed her cheek to the ground, her violet eyes wide as she took in the sudden chaos at the gate.
A crowd of furious SilverFang pack members was surging against the iron gates, their fists shaking the fence as they screamed.
“We don’t want the Wolf of Death!” a man shouted from the front line.
“She will bring ruin to SilverFang!
Get the monster out of our pack!” “Rysand!” Henrik roared, his deep voice booming over the bedlam as he pushed himself up just enough to shout toward his Beta.
“Mobilize the guards!
Round up those protesters and take control of the gates now!” Rysand was already barking harsh commands.
Armed guards from both packs descended on the courtyard with weapons drawn, forming a tight ring around them while a tactical squad rushed to subdue the surging crowd at the gate.
Henrik reached down, his broad hands catching Rosella beneath her arms to lift her to her feet.
His grey eyes were wide with panic, sweeping frantically over her body until his gaze locked onto the right side of her neck.
A thin line of crimson was welling up where the bullet had grazed her skin, trickling down into the high collar of her dress.
A dark, terrifying rage visibly swept across Henrik’s face, tight and unyielding.
His Alpha aura flared so thick and suffocating that the guards nearby flinched.
Elias shoved past a SilverFang enforcer, stepping straight into Henrik’s space with his pistol raised.
He stared at the blood on her throat, his face draining of all color before his eyes snapped up to glare murderously at the SilverFang King.
“Are you out of your mind?!” Elias yelled, his voice shaking with pure venom as he gestured wildly at the shattered vehicle.
“You bring my Alpha into your home and let your own people try to execute her in your driveway?!
Are you trying to get her killed!” Henrik stepped forward, his chest heaving as his own aura flared to meet the challenge, but Rosella moved between them before the two men could clash.
She lifted a hand, pressing her palm firmly against Elias’s chest.
“Elias.
Stop,” she commanded softly.
Though she was unused to giving commands, the voice that cut through the tension was steady, forceful, and entirely undeniable, a voice that belonged to Colette, not her.
It made both men freeze in an instant.
She looked Elias dead in the eyes, her hand unyielding against his chest.
“Alpha Henrik just saved my life.
Stand down.” Elias swallowed hard, his jaw working as he slowly lowered his gun, though his glare remained fixed on Henrik.
Henrik turned toward his Beta, who came sprinting back from the gates.
“Rysand!
Take a squad into the treeline!
Find the sniper who fired that shot!” “Understood, Alpha Henrik!” Rysand barked, turning on his heel to lead a team into the woods.
Henrik turned back to Rosella, his grey eyes tight with grim restraint.
“You’re bleeding, Colette.
Come back inside.
I’m having my pack doctor meet us in your quarters immediately.” Rosella gave a single, stiff nod.
She kept her chin high and her posture rigid as they retreated back up the stone steps, refusing to let the guards or the distant crowd see her shake.
Her heart was beating wildly, her body weak.
She had faced death once in the dark water of the lake.
She had watched Marcus murder her mother and steal her life.
She was not going to die on these steps.
****** Inside her guest chambers, the room was quiet.
The only sound was of Elias pacing in the corner in agitation.
Colette sat on the edge of the velvet armchair while the SilverFang doctor worked with quiet efficiency, cleaning the shallow cut on her throat before applying a soothing salve and a clean white bandage.
She didn’t flinch once.
She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, staring at her reflection in the vanity mirror.
Colette’s striking, pale face looked back at her, completely smooth, hiding the terrified Omega trapped inside.
The doctor packed his kit, stood up and bowed low.
“The skin was barely broken, Alpha Colette.
It will heal within a day or two.” “Thank you,” she murmured quietly.
The moment the doctor left, Elias stopped his restless pacing.
He crossed the room and sank to one knee in front of her chair, his hands coming up to grip the armrests.
“Call off this engagement, Colette,” Elias pleaded, his voice dropping into a frantic, desperate whisper.
“Look at what happened out there!
His pack hates you!
They call you a monster, and a sniper almost put a bullet through your head!
You don’t have to marry him.
We still have three weeks before your twenty-fifth birthday.
We can leave, find another True Alpha, and secure an alliance somewhere else!” Colette looked at him, seeing the genuine, desperate terror in his dark eyes.
But she shook her head.
A soft knock sounded at the door, and a young maid stepped timidly into the room holding a fresh, folded silk blouse to replace the ruined, blood-stained dress Colette wore.
Colette stood up from the armchair, her face settling into a cool mask.
“Leave the shirt on the bed and give us a moment,” she told the girl flatly.
The maid set the clothes down and quickly scurried out.
Colette turned back to Elias, her spine straight.
“I am not calling off the wedding, Elias.
I only have three weeks left, and we just agreed to sign the contract.
Calling it off now would be like signing my own death warrant.
Bloodmoon does not retreat, and I will not run.” “Colette, please—” “I need to change,” she interrupted, her voice gentle but firm, leaving no room for negotiation.
“And don’t worry, Alpha Henrik will answer for this incident before I am through.
Please leave me, Elias.” Elias stood there for a long, painful second, his fists clenched tight at his sides.
The raw desperation in his eyes softened into something heavier as he looked at her, his jaw working as if searching for words he knew wouldn’t change her mind.
With a curt, tight nod, he turned and stepped out into the corridor, shutting the door behind him.
Once she was alone, Colette unbuttoned her ruined clothes and pulled the fresh silk blouse over her shoulders, carefully fastening the high collar over the fresh bandage on her neck.
She walked over to the tall window overlooking the driveway.
Down below, guards were sweeping up the shattered glass from the pavement.
The mob was gone, but the air felt heavy and bitter.
She pressed her fingertips against the cold glass pane, her mind racing.
Marcus.
He was standing in that dining hall at breakfast, smiling as if he owned the world.
She had barely survived drowning in that icy lake, and a fraction of an inch today almost finished the job.
If she backed down now or failed to seal this marriage in three weeks, Marcus would inherit everything without her ever getting the chance to make him pay.
A heavy knock echoed off the door.
“Come in,” she said, stepping away from the glass.
The door swung open, and heavy footsteps crossed the carpet, stopping right in the middle of the room.
Colette turned to see Alpha Henrik standing there.
His coat was gone, his dark shirt unbuttoned at the collar, and his stern composure was entirely cracked.
His grey eyes fixed instantly on the white bandage wrapped around her throat.
Regret, raw, heavy, and undeniable, was carved into every line of his face.
His broad hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides, his knuckles white.
“I’m sorry,” Henrik said, his voice quiet, low, and heavy with a guilt he couldn’t hide.
“This was my responsibility.
You should have been safe on my land.” Colette folded her arms, her violet eyes flashing with a sharp, angry spark as she faced him.
“Is this your pack’s way of welcoming their new Luna, Alpha Henrik?” she asked, her tone laced with quiet, icy venom.
“With a bullet in the driveway?” Henrik flinched as if she had struck him across the face.
His jaw clenched, dark frustration flashing in his eyes, but he couldn’t utter a single word to defend himself.
He took a slow, heavy breath, forcing his hands to loosen at his sides.
“If it offers you any peace,” Henrik said, his voice dropping low, “My Beta caught the shooter in the woods.
He is currently in my dungeon…
and he will be executed at dawn.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Nia_Denver Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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