Kael’s POV
Nyla had disliked Darius long before she knew what Leon was. The sharp-tongued wolf had always been honest about what she wanted, even when Sienna tried to deny it.
“That explains a great deal,” Darius said once the laughter faded. “I noticed how hard you tried to avoid shifting. You would fight in human form whenever you could. Now I know why.”
I nodded. Every shift had carried the risk of exposing me. Leon was too large, too dark and too dominant to be mistaken for an ordinary Alpha wolf by anyone who understood the older bloodlines. Darius looked at me differently now—not with fear, but with growing certainty.
“This fight belongs to you more than it belongs to either of us,” he said. “That changes everything.”
He took a step closer.
“It means we kill that bastard and ta
