Page 18 of Sun's Roar

Victor stood waiting in a small clearing, his stance casual as though this were some social call. The emerging moonlight caught the silver at his temples but did nothing to soften the cold calculation in his eyes.

“The mighty alpha, playing hero,” Victor drawled, straightening his tailored suit jacket. “How touching.”

Sol stalked forward, keeping his movements measured despite the fury burning in his veins. “You’ve made a fatal mistake, Victor.”

“Have I? Was it me finding your Luna before you did?” Victor’s smile sliced through the darkness. “The fire in that charming restaurant was unexpected though. Seems your little mate has quite the temper.”

“Stay away from her,” Sol growled, the words vibrating with command.

Victor chuckled, circling slowly. “Or what? You’ll exile me again? I’ve spent decades building power while you played house with your little pack. And now I find that the universe has delivered me the perfect weapon—a fire wielder with untapped potential.”

“She’s not a weapon. She’s my Luna.”

“She’s unclaimed,” Victor countered. “And untrained. When I tell her how you banished me from your territory?—“

Sol’s patience snapped. “Enough!”

He lunged forward, already shifting as he moved. Clothes tore, bones cracked and reshaped, and where a man had stood, a massive black wolf now snarled, his green eyes blazing gold with ancient power.

Victor’s shift was slower, more calculated, but soon a sleek gray wolf crouched opposite Sol, ears pinned back in challenge.

They circled each other, fangs bared. Sol’s wolf form towered over Victor’s, muscle rippling beneath midnight fur. He soon feinted left, then slashed right. His teeth sank into Victor’s haunches, drawing first blood.

Victor yelped but twisted free, snapping at Sol’s exposed flank. His teeth grazed skin and Sol countered using his superior weight to slam Victor into the dirt.

The fight was vicious but brief. Sol pinned Victor beneath his massive paws, his jaws clamped around the gray wolf’s throat—not killing but dominating. Blood and saliva mingled as Victor whimpered, finally submitting.

Sol reluctantly released him with a warning snarl that needed no translation: come near her again, and next time would end differently.

Victor scrambled back, shifting partially to human form, blood trickling from various wounds. “This isn’t finished,” he spat. “She’ll never fit into your world.”

Sol shifted back, standing naked and unashamed, every inch the alpha as he towered over his defeated rival. “She is my world now. Cross my path again, and I’ll rip out your throat instead of merely tasting it.”

Victor retreated into the shadows, limping but defiant.

Sol dressed quickly in his torn clothes before returning to the fire scene. One thought consumed him: Helena wasn’t safe here. Victor would regroup, plan, and strike again. The only place Sol could properly protect her was on pack territory, surrounded by loyal wolves and ancient wards.

Joshua still cradled Helena when Sol returned, her face pale against the paramedic jacket Joshua had commandeered.

“Victor?” Mitesh asked quietly.

“Dealt with. For now.” Sol reached for Helena. “We need to move her to safety.”

Joshua surrendered her willingly. “I’ve handled her coworkers. They believe she’s being transported to County General.”

“Good.” Sol gazed down at Helena’s face, struck anew by the delicate arch of her brows and the fullness of her lips. Even unconscious, she radiated a warmth that called to his wolf. “We take her home. Tonight.”

SEVEN

HELENA

Helena’s throat felt tight as she opened her eyes. Moonlight streamed through tall windows draped with heavy burgundy curtains, illuminating an unfamiliar room with honey-colored stone walls and ornate wooden furniture. A four-poster bed with silken sheets cradled her body.

Where the hell am I?

She pushed herself up on her elbows, wincing at the ache spreading through her muscles. A coughing fit suddenly seized her, bending her forward as she struggled to clear her airways.

“Easy now.” A woman appeared beside the bed, offering a crystal glass of water. “Small sips only.”

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