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“I’m sorry,”she mouthed.

I wanted nothing more than to grab her, shift, and take us both far away from all of this mess, but I couldn’t. Not yet. Not until I dealt with Sean… and Blakely, too.

Blakely was the one who marched Harley into the clearing. She was keeping Harley’s bound hands tight behind her back as she maneuvered her. But Blakely was not exactly a picture of confidence. She was trembling as she pushed Harley into the clearing, and her eyes darted around nervously.

She was in over her head, yet again. This time, I wasn’t going to let her off easy.

“Blakely,” I snarled with the full force of my dragon’s rage in my voice.

Her gaze snapped up to meet mine, and her face paled.

“You’ve made a serious mistake,” I hissed at her, “and you’re going to pay dearly for it.”

“Ace…” she whispered.

Harley stomped her heel down hard on Blakely’s foot. “Let me go, you bitch!”

“Hey!” Blakely stumbled back, but didn’t let go. “Watch it!”

I smirked. It wasn’t just me who wanted to kick Blakely’s ass.

“Get her under control!” Sean snapped.

Blakely wrestled Harley back as Harley struggled half-heartedly against her hold. It looked like they’d been grappling like this for… Well, if I knew Harley, she’d probably been fighting Blakely off the entire time.

Silence fell over the clearing. I stood with my arms at my sides, claws out, fangs bared. I met Sean’s gaze. “Well?” I said. “I’m here. What now?”

“Now?” Sean smirked. “Now, Ace, it’s time for you to die.” He stepped forward into the center of the clearing. His four lackeys and Blakely hung back behind him.

Sean met my gaze. I searched his eyes, which were still swirling dark brown and gold. Despite what I’d told Hawk, part of me still hoped to see the brother I remembered. “Sean,” I said in a low voice, just for us to hear. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”

“Of course it does,” Sean snarled.

“We used to be a family. A real clan. You used to want to have a clan of your own. You used to havevalues.The values Dad taught us.”

“Don’t make me laugh,” Sean said. “All Dad ever did was take what was rightfully mine and give it toyou.That ends tonight.” It wasn’t just gold shining in his eyes now, there was red, too.

Red. The color of a feral dragon.

Sean had never known those values. He’d never cared. All he cared about was being the alpha of Lakeview. And now, that desire had been rotted away by his desire for revenge. My clan was my heart, my foundation, the support system that kept me strong. Sean had none of that. All he had was emptiness and hate. He’d let it consume him.

“Stephan Cole,” Sean snarled, “Alpha of the Lakeview clan. As the rightful alpha, I challenge you for the leadership of the clan.”

The challenge.

Finally.

After all this time, everything had led to this moment.

For as long as I’d been the alpha of Lakeview, I’d never been challenged. I’d never thought that I wouldeverbe challenged. Dad had been the one to tell me how challenges worked—how an official challenge could not be refused, lest the challenger take the clan, and how it could only be resolved on the battlefield. The winner won by submission or death. He had also told me that challenges were an ancient rule, part of our long dragon history. The way my father had told it, dragons were challenging each other before we even had a written language.

But he’d never told me how it wouldfeel.

I felt the challenge wrap around my heart. It activated some deep instinct within me. An old, ancient magic. My enforcers seemed to fall away around me, as did the raggedy muscle-for-hire behind Sean. All I saw was my mate, struggling against Blakely’s hold, and my enemy, staring down at me with red bleeding into his gold eyes.

I understood why dragons never turned down a challenge. I physicallycouldn’t.The intensity of the feeling shocked me and stomped out any remaining doubt.

This alpha had kidnapped my mate. He was trying to take my clan.