Page 63 of Shifting Hearts

SEVENTEEN

The Price of Loyalty

Lucien

T he first blow lands at my back where I never expect it. And from the only man I once called brother.

We’re meeting with the Night Shade Pack - a brutal mountain clan with no love for anyone who isn't pureblood wolf. I know what I’m asking when I walk onto their land with Emilia at my side.

But I’m ready to kill for her again if I have to. What I’m not ready for… is Kellan. My blood-bound second from the old days before I left the Northern packs.

He steps out from the crowd of wolves like a ghost dragged back to haunt me, still wearing the leather crest I carved for him the night we took our oaths. I knew he was loyal. What I didn’t know was to whom.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” he says.

“I’ve got business with your Alpha.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

I narrow my eyes. “Then what did you mean?”

His gaze flicks to Emilia, sharp and sour. “You marked a witch. You forfeited your place the second you bonded with her.”

“She’s mine,” I growl. “That’s all they need to know.”

“No,” Kellan says, voice like broken ice. “That’s all you needed to believe.”

I feel the betrayal the moment it happens. A ripple through the bond. The Night Shade Alpha steps forward with a sneer.

“There’s a price for betrayal, Lucian.”

My hackles rise. “You want a war? You’ve got it.”

“No. Not war.” The Alpha smiles. “Just a demonstration.”

Kellan moves. He’s fast… too fast. He aims for Emilia.

I don’t remember shifting. One heartbeat I’m flesh, the next I’m wolf . I crash into him mid-lunge, teeth sinking into his shoulder, and we tumble across the stones in a blur of blood and fury.

He’s strong. But I’m angry. Angrier than I’ve ever been.

“You were my brother!” I snarl, pinning him to the earth. “We took oaths…”

“And you broke them!” he spits back. “You were supposed to lead us, not lie with that.”

He says it like a slur. Like she’s filth and I see red. I bury my claws in his chest, right over his heart and I rip. When the blood pools beneath us, silence falls.

The Night Shade Alpha looks at me without emotion. “You just killed your past,” he says.

“No,” I reply, shifting back, bloody and naked under the moonlight. “I buried it.”

Then I turn to Emilia. She hasn’t moved an inch. But there’s a strange look in her eyes - fear, yes… but more than that. Resolve.

I offer her my hand, and she takes it without hesitation. The Alpha watches us in silence for a long moment. Then he steps forward and cuts his palm before offering it to me.

This time the price was blood, and I paid it. Now the wolves will follow. But it doesn’t feel like victory it feels like sacrifice. Like every step forward costs a piece of my soul. But I’ll any price to keep my mate safe.

For her? Everything.