38. MATEO

38

MATEO

You can’t win , the First Alpha growls, his voice cutting through the chaos. You’re fighting against nature itself.

I snarl, my claws sinking into another wolf as I throw it to the ground. This isn’t nature , I snap back. This is you twisting what was never meant to be .

He laughs, the sound dark and guttural, and then he moves.

The First Alpha is a blur of motion, his massive form crashing into River with a force that shakes the ground. River lets out a pained yelp but recovers quickly, his jaws snapping at the Alpha as they grapple. I lunge toward them, but a superwolf intercepts me, its claws raking across my side. Pain flares, but I push through it, slamming the wolf into the ground and tearing into its throat.

We need to separate him, Asani says through the bond, his voice tight. He’s too strong when surrounded by his wolves.”

“I’ll handle it,” Maverick cuts in.

I glance up just in time to see him swoop low, his talons raking across the First Alpha’s face. The Alpha snarls, swiping at Maverick, but he’s too fast, soaring back into the sky with a triumphant caw.

The distraction is enough. River pulls back and I throw myself at the First Alpha, the two of us tumbling backward behind the front lines. My claws swipe across his flank but he barely flinches. His laugh rumbles through the mindlink, dark and guttural, like the roll of thunder. You fight well, Mateo. But it’s futile. She was always promised to me.

My wolf growls low, his rage a steady fire in my chest. You’re delusional, I spit back. It’s too late for that. We’re bonded. She’s brought her brother back to her and you have nothing left to take.

The First Alpha’s laugh deepens, the sound reverberating through the clearing. Is that what you think?” he taunts, his golden eyes locking onto mine. You believe you’ve won because Locke is there? He’ll never be human again. I made sure of that. I’ve already taken everything precious to her.

The words hit like a blow, but I don’t let them show. Instead, I bare my teeth, a dangerous smile spreading across my face. That’s where you’re wrong. Whatever form he’s in, she has her brother back and Nepheline’s magic is stronger than you’ll ever understand. She’s not yours. She never was.

For a moment, something flickers in his gaze—a brief shadow of doubt—but then he laughs again, his teeth bared in a feral grin. You still don’t see it, do you?” he says, his tone almost pitying. I lured you here for a reason.

A cold knot forms in my stomach, but I keep moving, circling him as the battle rages around us. Wolves clash in the background, their snarls and howls filling the air, but his focus is solely on me now.

What happens,” he continues, his voice a low, sinister whisper, when an Omega is left with nothing?”

The words send a jolt of icy fear through me, but I don’t let it show. You’re the one who’s going to have nothing, I growl, my claws digging into the ground as I prepare to strike.

But his laughter cuts through the chaos, sharp and unnerving. You don’t understand the depths of what I’ve done, he says, his golden eyes gleaming with dark satisfaction. Even now, she’s alone. Vulnerable. You’ve left her unprotected, and I… He pauses, his snarl widening. I’ve made sure she’ll feel that emptiness forever.”

Rage blinds me, my wolf surging forward with a ferocity I’ve never felt before. I slam into him, my claws raking across his side as I drive him back. He snarls, his massive form twisting as he counters, his teeth snapping inches from my throat.

You won’t touch her, I growl aloud, my voice a dangerous snarl. You won’t ever touch her.

But I already have, he taunts.

The First Alpha isn’t like anything I’ve fought before. He’s a monster in the truest sense—something not born of Mother Nature, but twisted by it. His form shifts and melts into the shadows around him, tendrils of darkness curling and striking like living things. Every movement feels wrong, like he’s bending the very fabric of the world to his will.

I’m fighting a ghost, a phantom that refuses to take solid form and it’s pissing me off.

My claws swipe through him, but it’s like trying to cut through smoke. He laughs, the sound a low, guttural rumble that echoes through the clearing. You can’t touch me, Mateo , he taunts, his voice dripping with mockery. I am the dark. I am everything that exists in the shadows of this land. And you? You’re just a wolf.

I growl, my teeth bared as I circle him. My wolf is raging, demanding we tear into him, but there’s nothing to tear into. Every strike I throw lands on nothingness, the shadows reforming before I can make a dent. He lashes out with one of those tendrils and it catches my side, burning like fire as it rakes across my skin.

I stumble, gritting my teeth against the pain as I right myself. You’re not what nature intended, I snarl, my voice a dangerous growl. You’re an abomination.

He grins, his golden eyes gleaming with malicious delight. And yet here I stand , he says, his voice smooth and confident. Stronger than any Alpha. Stronger than you. Enzo had the right idea and I’ve perfected it.

He lunges, the shadows whipping around him like a storm. I brace myself, dodging one strike only to feel another sear across my back. The pain is sharp, burning deep into my flesh, but I don’t stop. I can’t. Nepheline’s face flashes in my mind—her midnight eyes, her soft laugh, the life growing inside her. I won’t let him take any of it away.

I charge him, my claws digging into the ground as I push forward. For a moment, I think I’ve got him. My claws sink into something solid and he lets out a low growl. But then the shadows twist and I’m thrown back like a rag doll, my body slamming into the ground with bone-jarring force.

You’re out of your depth, Mateo, he says, his tone almost pitying. You can’t win this. You can’t even touch me.

I push myself to my paws, blood dripping from my side as I glare at him. You don’t know what you’re talking about , I spit, my voice laced with defiance. I don’t need to win. I just need to stop you.

He laughs, the sound cold and hollow. And what happens when you fall? What happens when your pack is left without its Alpha? Without its leader? Without you, Nepheline will have nothing.

I’m not going anywhere , I growl. She has her family, her pack, her mates.

He smirks, his golden eyes narrowing. Not for long .

Before I can react, a tendril of shadow strikes out, piercing through my chest like a blade. The pain is instant and blinding, radiating from the wound and spreading through my body like fire. I gasp, my knees buckling as the world tilts around me.

He’s standing over me now, his grin widening as he watches me struggle. The answer to my question , he says, his voice low and cruel, is that when you leave an Omega with nothing, they crawl to the nearest safety net. Without you, that’d be me.

I choke on a breath, blood bubbling in my throat as I glare up at him. My vision blurs, but I force the words out, my voice a rasp. Wrong , I croak. She’s The Luna. She’ll never need you.

His grin falters, the confidence in his eyes dimming for just a moment. It’s enough.

The bond hums faintly, a warmth cutting through the cold as I let myself sink into it. Nepheline’s presence is there, steady and strong, a reminder of what I’m fighting for. I hold onto it as the world fades, my last thought a silent promise.

This isn’t over. Not yet.