Chapter 8: The Ultimate Test

The night air was thick with tension, an eerie silence settling over the estate. It was too quiet. Lila felt it in her bones before she even saw the first shadow move.

Dante had barely left her side since the warning came: A traitor lurked among them. Someone close had betrayed them, and now, the entire empire teetered on the edge of destruction.

The Betrayal Unfolds

Lila's heart pounded as she watched Dante pace across his office, his usual controlled demeanor cracking.

"It was Luca," his voice was raw, laced with an anger she had never heard before. "He's been feeding information to the enemy."

Luca. His most trusted second-in-command. The man Dante had once called a brother.

Lila sucked in a breath. "How do you know?"

Dante clenched his jaw. "Because he's the one who let them in."

A loud explosion suddenly rocked the estate, shattering glass and throwing Lila off balance. A moment later, gunfire erupted outside.

They were under attack.

The War Begins

Dante grabbed Lila's hand, pulling her close. "Stay with me. No matter what."

She nodded, but fear clawed at her throat.

The halls were a war zone bullets ricocheted, men shouted orders, and bodies fell. The rival mafia had struck hard, and in the chaos, the werewolf pack was being drawn into a deadly trap.

Dante shifted mid-stride, his human form shedding as he transformed into the beast within. His dark fur bristled, golden eyes blazing with fury as he tore through the enemies with lethal precision.

Lila had never seen him like this before unleashed, untamed, a true Alpha protecting his own.

But there were too many of them. Even Dante couldn't take them all on alone.

A Choice That Changes Everything

Lila's gaze darted to a fallen gun. Her hands trembled as she picked it up. She had never fired a weapon before, never been in a fight. But this was life or death.

She took a breath, steadied her grip, and pulled the trigger.

The shot rang out, and the man charging toward Dante collapsed. Another lunged at her, but she didn't hesitate.

She fought.

Somewhere in the chaos, she realized something—this wasn't just Dante's battle anymore.

It was hers too.

The Final Confrontation

The air smelled of blood and smoke as the enemy numbers began to dwindle. Luca finally emerged a cruel smirk on his face, a knife glinting in his hand.

"I never wanted it to come to this," Luca said, circling Dante. "But you were always the king, weren't you? And I was just supposed to follow."

Dante growled, shifting back into his human form. "You could have been my brother. Instead, you chose betrayal."

Luca lunged.

The fight was brutal fists, claws, and blades flashing in the dim light. They were evenly matched, both lethal, both desperate.

Lila's heart pounded as she saw Dante falter for the first time. Blood dripped from a wound on his side. Luca was winning.

Without thinking, she moved.

She grabbed a fallen dagger and threw it her aim true.

The blade embedded itself in Luca's chest.

His eyes widened in shock as he stumbled, falling to his knees. Dante stood over him, breathing heavily, his gaze unreadable.

Luca choked on a laugh. "She fights for you. Just like I once did."

Then he collapsed.

Aftermath & A New Beginning

The battle was won, but nothing would ever be the same.

As dawn broke over the estate, Lila sat beside Dante, his wounds being tended to. She had blood on her hands literally and figuratively.

She had made a choice.

Dante reached for her, his fingers threading through hers. "You saved me."

She looked at him, voice steady despite the storm in her heart. "We saved each other."

And in that moment, she knew there was no turning back.

Their love had been tested in fire, and they had emerged stronger.

But their enemies were far from done.