True Alpha

Around her, the battle intensified. Alec's roar echoed, a call to arms, a defiance that rippled through the pack. But they were scattered, caught in duels they couldn't abandon. Lily was on her own.

"I expected more," the demon lord mocked, circling. "Caleb died for this? For you?"

Lily's lip curled back, a low growl rising in her throat. "Caleb didn't die in vain."

"Oh?" His eyes gleamed. "Because you've replaced him so well?"

She lunged again, feinting left, slashing right. This time, her claws connected—barely. A streak of shadow peeled off his chest, revealing sickly gray skin beneath. He hissed and retaliated, sending her skidding back with a brutal backhand. Trees cracked under the force.

The pack was losing ground. She could hear it in the rhythm of their growls, in the cries that cut the night. The demon tide was turning.

But still—they fought.

Alec, limping, faced off against three at once. Others fought tooth and nail, even when outnumbered. Not a single one ran. Not a single one surrendered. Lily saw it all. Felt it. The loyalty. The love.

She rose again.

"I'm not Caleb," she said, voice hoarse. "I'm Lily. I'm Alpha not because I was chosen—but because I chose to stand."

She dug deep—past pain, past fear, into the core of who she was. Every training session. Every scar. Every whispered word Caleb left her with. She felt them all now, crystallizing inside her like fire catching in dry leaves.

"For Silver Pine," she whispered.

And then she charged.

Their clash was thunder. Her claws struck true, ripping past shadow and skin, into the core of him. Light burst from the wound, so bright it turned night to day for a heartbeat. He shrieked—not a sound of pain, but of fear. Real fear.

The connection shattered.

The demons staggered. Some screamed. Others crumpled, their bodies melting into mist. The battlefield stilled. Silence fell like ash.

Lily collapsed to her knees.

Alec was the first to reach her, catching her before she fell face-first into the dirt. His arms wrapped around her, tight and trembling.

"You did it," he breathed.

The others gathered, panting, bleeding, but alive. They surrounded her like a shield, eyes wide with awe. She looked to the sky. The moon was fading, dawn blooming over the trees. Warmth spread through her chest—a presence. Caleb. She didn't need to see him to know he was there.

And she smiled.

They had survived. Not because they were stronger. But because they were together.

She was Alpha now—not in name, but in truth.

And Silver Pine… still stood.