Chapter 14

A Game of Dominance

The scent of blood and fire lingered in the air. The tension between the two alphas was palpable, crackling like lightning before a storm.

Selene stood between them, her breath shallow, her heart thundering against her ribs. Every muscle in her body screamed at her to move, to run—but she held her ground. She would not cower, not before them.

Ronan's golden eyes bore into hers, dark with unspoken words, his possessiveness wrapping around her like a chain. Across from him, Darius stood, his smirk sharp as a blade, his silver gaze assessing.

"This is reckless, Ronan," Darius drawled, arms crossed over his broad chest. "Fighting over a beta? How desperate you must be."

Ronan growled low in his throat, his massive frame taut with fury. "You don't speak her name, Darius."

Darius laughed. "Oh, but I will. I'll do more than that if she chooses me." His eyes flicked to Selene, a promise of chaos dancing within them.

Selene clenched her fists. "I don't belong to either of you."

A sharp silence followed.

Then, Ronan took a step toward her, slow and deliberate. "You don't, but you will."

Darius mirrored his movement, stepping closer on the other side. "Not if I take you first."

The air thickened with challenge. Two alphas, a battle of dominance, and she was the prize.

Selene refused to be their war trophy.

She stepped back, glaring at them both. "If you're going to fight, do it without me in the middle."

Neither of them moved.

Then, with inhuman speed, Ronan lunged at Darius, claws unsheathing in a blur of motion. Darius was just as fast, meeting him head-on with a snarl. Their bodies clashed violently, the force shaking the trees around them.

Selene's pulse spiked. She had seen fights before, but this… this was something primal. A war between two kings.

Ronan was raw power, his movements ruthless, driven by rage and possessiveness. Darius fought differently—calculated, smooth, every strike meant to wear Ronan down rather than overpower him immediately.

They moved in a brutal dance of claws and fangs, blood splattering the dirt beneath them.

Selene clenched her jaw. If she didn't stop this now, one of them would die.

She inhaled deeply, summoning every ounce of dominance within her.

"Enough!"

Her voice was thunder, cutting through the chaos like a blade.

Both alphas froze mid-motion, their breathing ragged, eyes burning as they turned to her.

Selene met their gazes without flinching. "I said, enough."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then, Darius chuckled, wiping blood from his lip. "You have spirit, beta."

Ronan was silent, his eyes locked onto hers. There was something in his expression—pride, frustration, desire.

Selene refused to acknowledge the warmth spreading through her chest.

Darius exhaled and stepped back. "I'll let you have this one, Ronan. For now." His silver eyes met hers, lingering. "But I never lose."

With that, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving her alone with Ronan.

He turned to her, tension still humming beneath his skin. "You shouldn't have interfered."

Selene crossed her arms. "You shouldn't have made me."

Ronan exhaled sharply, then closed the distance between them in a single step. "Do you know what you've done?"

Her breath caught. "I stopped you from killing him."

His fingers brushed against her jaw, tilting her chin up. "You've claimed authority over me, Selene."

Her heart pounded.

Then, in a voice that sent a shiver down her spine, he murmured, "And I'm not sure if I like it… or if it makes me want to ruin you."