Adrian's pack fighters reported a powerful new alpha in the war. Turning, he saw a lone wolf in the distance, and his body froze. It was the wolf from his nightmares.
His beta, Patric, contacted him through the mind link: "Adrian, I'm on my way. As ordered, our main fighters are heading to the pack house."
But Adrian's gaze remained fixed on the black wolf. He'd always thought the wolf's eyes were mysterious.
"Who are you?" Adrian asked.
"Your death," the wolf replied.
The voice was familiar, shockingly so. He'd assumed it was a male, but it was his ex-wife, Natalia—an alpha she-wolf!
Rage contorted her face as she charged. Adrian's fighters tried to stop her, but her power was evident. As she drew dangerously close, she let out a growl that shook the surrounding wolves, but Adrian remained frozen in shock.
Natalia didn't hesitate; she leaped onto him. The surrounding battle ceased as they watched one massive black wolf attack another. When Natalia clawed at his neck, Adrian snapped back to reality, shoving her away.
"You deserve to die," she snarled through the mind link, then clawed at his ribs. The sharp pain numbed him.
"You came here to kill my brother. How could you? Now see who will kill whom," she hissed, continuing her attack.
Suddenly, a brown wolf shoved Natalia away from Adrian. It was Beta Patric. Before Natalia could react, a gray wolf—Gamma Benjamin—pounced.
Remembering Benjamin's protectiveness toward Adrian, Natalia glared. "I'm here to kill your Alpha. Let me, and you all live."
Benjamin growled, "Traitor! You'll have to kill his four officials first."
"As you wish, Gamma," Natalia mocked, biting his neck. But Adrian intervened, pulling Benjamin away.
Natalia advanced, a manic pleasure in her eyes as she saw Adrian's fear. Their gazes locked—her blue eyes meeting his red ones.
"All these years, you've hurt me. Today, I'll show you how much I hate you."
Her words stopped Adrian. She clawed at his chest; blood flowed, but he remained still, infuriating her. She dug her claws deeper.
Patric and Benjamin lunged, but Adrian's glare stopped them. Their eyes widened in disbelief at his inaction. Patric growled at Adrian, who growled back, refusing to move Natalia.
In agony, Adrian shut his eyes as Natalia bit his leg. Releasing her grip, she was about to kill him when the faces of his children, Noah and Aria, flashed in her mind.
"H–How can I kill my children's father?" She felt herself teetering on the brink of death.
Suddenly, she was pushed back again. She saw Patric and Benjamin, enraged. Adrian stared at her, and a piercing howl echoed. It was her brother.
She ran toward the sound, forgetting Adrian. But if Adrian was there, who was attacking her brother? She reached the pack house to see someone stabbing Jason's leg with a wooden stake.
She growled, but recoiled in shock when the attacker turned.
"Alpha Leo?"
The passage ends abruptly. There is significant repetition and inconsistencies in the narrative flow. The final portion requires substantial editing for clarity and coherence.