Chapter 4: The Enemy at the Border

Five years passed.

Winter Moon was no longer the struggling pack it had once been.

The crumbling houses had been rebuilt with sturdy stone and timber.

The empty treasury now overflowed with trade profits.

Its warriors were respected throughout the Eastern Region.

Children laughed freely through streets that had once been silent.

Jaxon Docker had fulfilled every promise he made to his people.

Everything had changed.

Everything except him.

He was twenty-nine now.

Older.

Stronger.

Far more feared than before.

The pain of Giselle's betrayal no longer kept him awake at night.

But it had left something behind.

A wall around his heart.

No woman had ever crossed it.

Several Alphas had offered marriage alliances over the years.

Every proposal had received the same answer.

"No."

His people eventually stopped asking when their Alpha would choose another Luna.

They accepted that Jaxon belonged only to Winter Moon.

Just before sunrise, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the Alpha House.

"Alpha!"

Beta Ethan entered without his usual calm.

His breathing was uneven.

"Scouts have returned."

Jaxon looked up from the battle maps spread across his desk.

"Report."

"The Ash Fang Pack crossed the eastern river during the night."

"How many?"

"Approximately three hundred warriors."

"They're moving toward Black Ridge."

Jaxon stood immediately.

"How long until they reach our border?"

"Less than two hours."

"Call the captains."

"Sound the war horns."

"No civilians leave the village."

"Yes, Alpha."

Within minutes, the peaceful atmosphere inside Winter Moon disappeared.

Warriors rushed across the courtyard wearing leather armor.

Blacksmiths sharpened blades.

Archers filled their quivers.

The deep sound of the warning horn echoed across the mountains.

Jaxon stepped into the training yard wearing dark battle armor.

The silver wolf engraved across his chest reflected the rising sun.

He fastened his sword around his waist before addressing the assembled warriors.

"Five years ago," he began, "this pack was too weak to defend itself."

"Today..."

"No one dares call Winter Moon weak."

The warriors struck their fists against their armor.

"Today, we protect our home."

"Today, we fight together."

"And today..."

"No enemy crosses our borders without paying the price."

"For Winter Moon!"

"FOR WINTER MOON!" hundreds of voices roared back.

The ground almost trembled beneath them.

An hour later, the army reached Black Ridge.

The cliffs overlooked a narrow valley surrounded by dense forest.

It was the perfect place to stop an invading force.

Across the valley stood the warriors of Ash Fang.

Their banners swayed in the cold morning wind.

Jaxon narrowed his eyes.

"That's strange," he murmured.

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked.

"Their formation."

"They're too organized."

"This isn't a raid."

"It's a planned assault."

Before Ethan could answer, a horn sounded from the enemy side.

A rider emerged from the front line carrying a white flag.

"Parley!" the rider shouted.

"Our Alpha requests safe passage."

Jaxon stepped forward.

"State your business."

"The Ash Fang Pack seeks the criminal responsible for attacking our patrol two nights ago."

"We have reason to believe she's hiding inside Winter Moon territory."

Jaxon frowned.

"No criminal has entered my lands."

"Then allow us to search."

"Denied."

The rider's expression darkened.

"Refusing will be considered an act of war."

Jaxon's golden eyes became icy.

"Threatening my pack is already an act of war."

"You have one minute to leave."

The rider turned his horse without another word.

Moments later, enemy horns echoed through the valley.

"Shields up!" Ethan shouted.

Rows of Winter Moon warriors raised their shields.

The first wave charged.

Steel clashed against steel.

The battlefield erupted into chaos.

Jaxon moved like a storm.

His sword cut through the first attacker before the man could even swing.

A second warrior lunged.

Jaxon sidestepped and struck him with the hilt of his blade.

Another fell.

Then another.

Within minutes, the Alpha stood surrounded by defeated enemies.

'Left!' Drax warned.

Jaxon reacted instantly.

He spun around just as an axe swept toward his neck.

The blade narrowly missed.

He countered with one clean strike.

The attacker collapsed.

Suddenly, a desperate scream echoed from the forest.

"Help!"

"Someone help!"

Jaxon paused.

The voice wasn't coming from either army.

It came from deeper inside the trees.

"Ethan! Hold the line!"

"Where are you going?"

"Someone's out there."

Ignoring the confusion around him, Jaxon sprinted toward the forest.

Branches whipped against his armor as he ran.

The screams grew weaker.

Then they stopped.

He followed the scent of fresh blood until he reached a small clearing.

There, lying beside a fallen tree, was a young woman.

Her clothes were torn from battle.

A deep wound stretched across her side.

Blood soaked the leaves beneath her.

She struggled to breathe.

One hand still gripped the broken handle of a sword.

'Enemy,' Drax growled.

'Yes...'

'Finish it.'

Jaxon slowly raised his sword.

The woman looked up through half-closed amber eyes.

For one brief second...

Their gazes met.

Everything around him disappeared.

The battlefield.

The screams.

The war.

Even the wind seemed to stop.

A powerful electric sensation exploded through his chest.

Drax suddenly roared inside his mind.

'MATE!'

Jaxon's entire body froze.

"Impossible..." he whispered.

The wounded warrior stared back at him in confusion before losing consciousness.

His sword slipped from his fingers and landed in the grass.

Five years after begging the Moon Goddess never to give him another mate...

She had answered him in the cruelest way imaginable.

His second-chance mate...

Was an enemy warrior.