Chapter 187: The Battlefield

The first wave of Indiana warriors arrived at sunset.

The sky bled red and gold, fire-streaked clouds casting long shadows across the clearing.

Bella stood at the front, Dante beside her, their warriors lined up behind them.

The Indiana wolves were larger than before.

Stronger.

Deadlier.

But Bella knew their Alpha.

Knew his weakness.

And the second she saw him step forward, his eyes burning with hate—

She smiled.

Because this wasn't just war.

This was personal.

For them.

For her.

For everyone.

"Bella Santos."

The voice was sharp, laced with rage and bloodlust.

A man stepped forward, tall, broad, his eyes gleaming with pure, unfiltered hatred.

Alpha Nikolai.

The new leader of Indiana Pack.

The man who had inherited the ashes of what she had burned.

Bella tilted her head.

"Nikolai," she murmured, her voice smooth, taunting.

"I was hoping it would be you."

His snarl shook the air.

"You stole everything from me."

Bella's smirk widened.

"And you came here to die for it?"

Dante's fingers twitched at his sides.

Because this was different.

This wasn't just a war.

This was a reckoning.

"I didn't come to die," Nikolai spat.

"I came to take back what you owe me."

His gaze flickered to Dante.

"And to show your Alpha just how broken his Luna really is."

Bella's blood ran cold.

Dante took a slow, measured step forward, his wolf thrashing just beneath the surface.

"Watch your mouth," he warned, his voice razor-sharp.

But Bella?

Bella just laughed.

Because she wasn't afraid.

Not of Nikolai.

Not of Indiana Pack.

Not of anyone.

She stepped past Dante, her shoulders loose, confident, unshaken.

"You think you know me?" she asked softly.

Her golden eyes gleamed.

"Then let me remind you."

Then—

She lunged.