Chapter 8 The Hollow Crown

Layla's POV

The piercing alarm sliced through our collective grief like a knife. Heads snapped up, the mourning silence shattered in an instant. I watched as panic rippled through the crowd of wolves who moments ago had stood in solemn remembrance.

A sentry burst through the gathering, his chest heaving as he raced toward Alpha Donovan. His legs nearly buckled beneath him, sweat pouring down his face as he gasped for air—panic emanating from every pore.

"Alpha! Shadow Creek—they're... they're back!" he panted, hands on knees. "V-Victor Bloodfang himself leads them. They've brought... brought more warriors than before!"

Disbelief swept through our pack. We'd just buried our dead. The ground beneath our feet was still freshly turned. How could they attack again so soon?

Alpha Donovan's face hardened as he issued commands. "Warriors, to me! Everyone else, return to your homes immediately. Stay inside until further notice."

The crowd began to disperse in controlled chaos, but my attention fixed on my father. Dad pushed himself up from his wheelchair, his jaw set in determination, knuckles white as he forced his broken body to rise.

"Father, no!" I rushed to his side, my mother already there, her hands gripping his arm, fingers digging desperately into his flesh.

"You can't fight," Mom pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "Rayden, please! Please don't do this!"

Dad looked at us both, his eyes softer than his voice. "I must. I am still Beta of this pack. I still have duties."

"Your duty is to stay alive!" I shouted, not caring who heard. My voice cracked, breaking into a wail that tore from somewhere deep within me. "We just buried one hundred and seventeen pack members! We can't lose you too! We can't—we can't—"

Elder Garrison pushed through the crowd, his ancient face lined with concern. "Rayden, you need to recuperate. There are others who can fight."

"With respect, Elder," my father replied, his voice steady but strained, "if I cannot stand with our warriors now, what right do I have to lead them in peace?"

"And that's precisely why I must go," he said, turning back to me, cupping my face with his calloused hand. "My daughter, sometimes a man must stand, even when his legs cannot."

I watched in horror as he began to shift. The transformation that once flowed like water now seemed to tear at him from within. His face contorted in pain as bones reformed and reshaped. A terrible cracking sound filled the air as his body fought against itself.

When it finished, a large black wolf stood before us, magnificent despite resting his weight on just three legs.

His imbalanced stance couldn't diminish the dignity in his eyes. He nuzzled my hand once, then turned away, limping toward the gathering warriors.

I collapsed to my knees, my legs simply giving out beneath me. A primal sound erupted from my chest—half-scream, half-howl—as I pounded the earth with my fists. "No! NO! COME BACK! PLEASE!"

People around us turned, their own grief momentarily forgotten as they witnessed my breakdown. Some lowered their eyes, unable to bear the raw emotion. Others wept silently in solidarity.

Maya knelt beside me, her already red-rimmed eyes brimming with fresh tears that spilled down her cheeks. Her warm hand found my shoulder, gripping with gentle urgency.

"Come, Layla," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. "We should... we should get to safety."

"He can't even run properly," I whispered, my voice hoarse from screaming. "How can he fight? How can he...?"

Maya's eyes reflected my pain. "Your father is stronger than you know. But right now, we need to go."

Around us, the elders efficiently guided everyone away from the burial grounds. Children were hurried home, the elderly escorted to safety. I let Maya help me to my feet, my body trembling uncontrollably, but my eyes remained fixed on my father's dark form as he disappeared into the night forest.

Third POV

The moonlight filtered through the trees at the edge of Pine Hollow territory, illuminating two lines of wolves facing each other across a narrow clearing. The tension hung heavy in the air, thick enough to choke on.

Alpha Donovan stood at the center of the Pine Hollow line, his posture strangely rigid. His eyes darted between the opposing wolves and something distant only he seemed to see. Beside him, Rayden's three-legged stance was steadier than it had any right to be, his hackles raised in defiance.

Across the clearing, the Alpha of Shadow Creek, Alpha Victor Bloodfang's massive gray form prowled forward, flanked by warriors who outnumbered the Pine Hollow defenders nearly two to one.

Alpha Victor shifted to human form with fluid grace, standing naked and unashamed in the moonlight. "Donovan! How touching to find you defending your territory. I would have thought burying your dead would occupy you longer."

Alpha Donovan shifted as well, though a keen observer might notice the slight tremor in his shoulders. "You violate our territory again, Victor. The Council of Alphas will hear of this."

Alpha Victor laughed, a sound like stones grinding together. "Always hiding behind rules and treaties! That's why your pack grows weaker while mine thrives."

"This invasion is sanctioned, Donovan," Alpha Victor continued, his voice carrying across the clearing. "By the Head Alpha himself."

Murmurs rippled through the Pine Hollow ranks.

"You lie," Alpha Donovan replied, but his voice lacked conviction.

Alpha Victor's smile widened. "Am I? Notice how no reinforcements have come to your aid? How convenient that your pack stands alone while my warriors have doubled in number since our last encounter."

Rayden shifted beside his Alpha, balancing on his one good leg. "We honor those treaties because they protect all packs. What you're doing goes against everything our ancestors established."

"Perhaps," Alpha Victor's smile turned predatory, "but I have information that suggests otherwise. Information from the Head Alpha himself."

A bead of sweat formed on Alpha Donovan's temple despite the cool night air. His eyes widened slightly—a minute reaction, but enough.

Despite his visible distress, Alpha Donovan raised his head. "Defend Pine Hollow!" he shouted, charging forward.

The forest erupted into violence. Wolves lunged at each other, teeth bared and claws slashing. Blood spattered the leaves and undergrowth.

Rayden fought with the skill of decades, compensating for his missing leg with cunning and experience. He took down two younger Shadow Creek wolves before a third managed to score his flank.

At the center of the chaos, Alpha Donovan and Alpha Victor circled each other, snapping and feinting. When they finally clashed, their bodies became a blur of fur and fangs.

"Defying the Head Alpha's orders is punishable by death," Alpha Victor snarled between attacks.

Alpha Donovan's teeth snapped shut inches from Alpha Victor's throat. "You won't trick me with your lies!"

Alpha Victor's laugh was cold and knowing. "If only your father and grandfather had also believed it was a lie." His muzzle pulled back in what could only be described as a wolfish grin.