The Battle for Dominance -Chapter 4

**************The Arena of Fate*************

The Blackwood training grounds had never been this crowded before. The entire pack had gathered warriors, elders, even the Omega ranks.

Tonight wasn't just a fight.

It was a reckoning.

A full moon hung high above, illuminating the sacred combat ring, where only the strongest could stand victorious.

Seraphina stood at the center, her crimson-gold eyes glinting under the moonlight. She wore black combat gear, her dark cloak discarded at her feet. No armor. No weapons. She didn't need them.

Opposite her, six of Blackwood's elite warriors stood ready, their massive wolves snarling.

They had fought wars. Killed rogues. Defended the pack for years.

But tonight… they would face something greater than war.

*********The Alpha's Warning**************

From his elevated throne, Xander Blackwood sat with his Beta, Lucas, his expression unreadable. His golden eyes burned into Seraphina's form.

Something about her had changed.

The power rolling off her in waves, the way her stance exuded calm control this wasn't the Luna he had rejected.

This was someone else. Something else.

Lucas leaned closer. "Alpha, this isn't normal. No rejected mate should be this… powerful."

Xander's fingers curled against the armrest of his chair. "I know."

And it sent a dangerous thrill through his blood.

He should have been furious.

Instead, he was intrigued.A bell tolled.

The signal had been given.

The warriors lunged.

Seraphina didn't move.

The first wolf a mountain of muscle came at her with terrifying speed. His claws slashed through the air, aiming for her throat.

She sidestepped effortlessly.

With a flick of her wrist,boom!a force shot out from her palm, sending him crashing into the stone wall like a ragdoll.

Gasps rippled through the crowd.

The second warrior didn't hesitate. He transformed mid-air, his massive wolf's fangs snapping toward her neck.

Seraphina vanished.

One second she was there the next, she was behind him.

A single strike to the back of his head, and the warrior collapsed, his wolf whimpering in submission.

The remaining four hesitated.

Fear crept into their eyes.

Seraphina smirked. Good ! The Awakening

Something inside her was awakening.

Each strike, each movement she felt it.

Her body wasn't just reacting. It was evolving.

The bond she had once shared with Xander? The weakness she had carried as his Luna? Gone.

In its place was something far stronger.

The crowd sensed it, too. Whispers of witchcraft, dark magic, a hidden bloodline filled the air.

But Seraphina knew the truth.

This was her birthright.

The warriors regrouped, attempting a coordinated attack.

It was useless.

Seraphina released everything.

A shockwave of raw power exploded from her, shaking the earth beneath them.

One by one, the warriors fell.

Defeated. Submissive.

The arena fell into silence.

Then howls of acknowledgment.

The pack had seen enough.

She wasn't a weak Luna anymore.

She was a ruler.

She was a Queen.

******** The Alpha's Realization*************

Xander rose from his throne, his wolf on edge.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Seraphina was supposed to be broken, forgotten.

Instead, she had returned as something beyond his understanding.

His eyes locked onto hers.

For the first time in his life, he felt like the prey.

She looked up at him, smirking.

"No words, Alpha?" she teased, tilting her head. "I thought you'd be… proud."

His fists clenched. Proud? No. Furious? No.

He felt something far worse.

Regret.

The mate bond he thought had shattered?

It was still there.

And now… it burned.

Because for the first time since rejecting her, he wanted her back.

But it was too late.

Seraphina had already won.

And she had no intention of ever being his again.

Xander's desperate attempt to reclaim Seraphina.

A dark prophecy reveals Seraphina's true destiny.

The arrival of an unknown enemy one who wants Seraphina dead.

Do you want Seraphina to show Xander mercy.

The Blackwood Pack had never been so silent.

Seraphina stood at the center of the arena, victorious, her crimson-gold eyes glowing in the moonlight. Her breath came steady, but her heart pounded with the adrenaline of battle. Her power was on full display now, undeniable and untamed.

But Xander… Xander stood at the edge of the arena, his eyes locked on hers.

His wolf was a storm beneath his skin, howling in frustration and desire. He wanted her back—no, he needed her.

"Seraphina," he called, his voice cutting through the silence. "This isn't over."

She didn't respond, but her eyes flicked toward him, studying him with a look that sent shivers down his spine.

Was it pity? Disgust? Or maybe something deeper?

"Alpha," she said, her voice cold and even, "you never learned to appreciate what you had, did you?"

Xander's heart twisted. He wanted to deny it, to argue. But he couldn't. The truth was right there in front of him. He had rejected her. Left her to wither.

And now she was stronger than he ever could have imagined.

"I was a fool," he admitted, his voice low. "I was wrong, Seraphina. I need you."

Her lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile. "You want me now, don't you? After everything."

Her words stung. The weight of his mistakes pressed on his chest like a stone.

"I know I don't deserve forgiveness," Xander said. "But I'll do whatever it takes to earn your trust again. Please."

She tilted her head, as if contemplating him. She was no longer the submissive Luna he had once rejected. She was untouchable.

"You'll never earn my trust, Alpha." Her voice was ice. "Because you threw me away when I was nothing. Now, I have everything I need. And I don't need you."

Xander's chest tightened. The bond the one thing he thought was broken was still there. Still pulling him toward her, as if his soul could never escape the pull of hers.

But he had no right to claim her. Not after the way he had treated her.

********* The Shadows of the Past************

In the midst of the chaos of the arena, as Seraphina turned away, she felt it.

A shift in the air.

Something darker was coming.

The crowd of wolves began to murmur, but it wasn't just the Alpha's rejection that had unsettled them. The shadows in the distance were growing stronger.

A voice from the back of the pack echoed. "Something's wrong. There's an intruder in our territory."

Xander's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, an intruder?"

"I can feel them," Lucas replied, his voice tense. "The air is thick with dark magic. They're not just here to fight."

Seraphina's eyes flashed. She knew this feeling.

It was an old, familiar darkness the same force that had once tried to destroy her and her bloodline.

"You can't fight what you don't understand, Xander," she said, her voice full of forewarning. "You're about to face something much worse than me."

Before Xander could respond, the air shifted again. The ground trembled.

From the trees emerged figures cloaked in black.

Their presence sent a cold chill through the pack. These were not mere rogues. They were something much darker creatures of shadow and night.

***********The Enemy Revealed****************

The leader of the shadowed figures stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with malice. His presence alone seemed to swallow the light.

Xander's eyes flashed gold. "Who are you?"

The figure laughed—low, chilling, and familiar.

"You don't recognize me, Alpha Blackwood?" The voice was like nails on a chalkboard, filled with dark power. "I thought you were smarter than that."

Seraphina's eyes widened as she recognized the figure. It was him.

The vampire lord who had helped her awaken her true power.

Damien.

The vampire who had unlocked her bloodline's potential was now standing in front of her with a sinister grin.

"Damien," she whispered, her voice laced with both surprise and anger. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled darkly. "I have come for what is mine. The power you unlocked, Seraphina. The power you now possess."

Xander's gaze flicked between them, confusion and suspicion crossing his face. "What do you mean, 'what is yours'?"

Damien turned his gaze to Xander, his eyes narrowing. "You rejected the wolf who was meant to be your Luna. The one with the blood of kings, of royalty. Now, I claim what is rightfully mine."

Seraphina stepped forward, her power crackling in the air like electricity. "You'll never have me, Damien. Not now. Not ever."

Damien's eyes flashed red. "We'll see about that, little wolf."

Suddenly, the shadows deepened, and from the darkness emerged more figures. Vampires, wolves that had fallen to dark magic, and creatures from every corner of the supernatural world.

Xander's eyes narrowed as he realized the full extent of the danger. "We have to fight back."

Seraphina turned to face Xander, her expression unreadable. "This is my fight. You stay out of it."

Before Xander could protest, Seraphina's hands glowed with power. She reached out, the energy around her intensifying as she summoned every ounce of her newly awakened abilities.

The ground cracked beneath her feet, and the very air trembled in anticipation.

"You're not ready for this," she said, her voice cold and full of promise.

Next Up:

Seraphina faces Damien in a battle of power and wits.

Xander must make a choice will he try to save Seraphina or fall under the vampire's influence?

A hidden truth about Seraphina's lineage is revealed one that could change everything.