Chapter 4: The Protector's Paradox

The applause from the dance felt like a mockery. The warmth that had bloomed from Felix's touch was already fading, leaving me colder and more hollow than before. The brief respite from the separation sickness was over, and the ache in my chest returned with a vengeance, a constant, throbbing reminder of the bond I was trying to deny. I stood frozen for a moment longer in the center of the floor, the ghost of his hand on my back, the scent of bergamot clinging to me like a taunt.

I needed air. I needed to escape the suffocating weight of the pack's stares and the crushing reality of my situation. Muttering an excuse about needing a moment, I stumbled away from the dance floor, ignoring the whispers that followed me. I pushed through the heavy oak doors and out onto a secluded balcony overlooking the dark, sprawling forests.

The cool night air was a slap in the face, a welcome shock to my system. I gripped the cold stone railing, my knuckles turning white, and sucked in deep, ragged breaths, trying to clear my head of Felix and the damnable bond. Serene was restless, agitated. 'Why did he leave? Our mate should stay. Protect.'

'He's not our protector,' I thought bitterly. 'He's part of the cage.'

Inside, the music started up again, a lively, pounding rhythm that spoke of celebration and a future I was no longer part of. I could just make out Liam's broad frame leading Isabella to the center of the floor. The sight twisted something sharp and ugly in my gut. I turned my back on the hall, focusing on the silent, dark trees. Out there, there were no mates, no betrayals, no soul-crushing expectations. Just survival.

That's when I heard it. A sound that didn't belong to the celebration or the peaceful night. A low, guttural growl, followed by the sharp snap of a twig from the tree line just beyond the balcony.

My blood ran cold. Every instinct, every sense honed by a life as a wolf, even an Omega, went on high alert. Serene went rigid inside me, her ears pricked forward. 'Danger. Strangers.'

Before I could process the threat, a chorus of savage howls erupted from the darkness—sharp, aggressive, and utterly alien. They were not Silvermane howls. They were the battle cries of the Bloodfang Pack, our most bitter rivals.

Chaos erupted inside the great hall. The music died with a screech, replaced by screams, snarls, and the sound of shattering glass. The elegant feast had transformed into a battlefield in seconds. Through the open doors, I saw wolves shifting in bursts of fur and fury, tables overturning, and the flash of fangs.

My own survival instinct screamed at me to run, to hide. But my feet were rooted to the spot, my heart hammering against my ribs. The bond, that cursed connection, flared to life not with warmth, but with a sharp, stabbing spike of alarm. Felix's alarm.

A massive, brindle-furred Bloodfang warrior, still in his human form but with claws extended, burst onto the balcony. His wild eyes locked onto me, the isolated, vulnerable Omega. A vicious grin split his face. "A little appetizer," he growled, lunging for me.

Time seemed to slow. I was no fighter. My strength was in creation, not destruction. I braced for the impact, a scream trapped in my throat.

But the impact never came.

A blur of silver and black shot past me, moving with impossible speed. Felix. He moved like a force of nature, all coiled power and lethal grace. He didn't bother to fully shift; he simply collided with the Bloodfang warrior, a raw, brutal impact of muscle and bone. I heard a sickening crack, and the attacker was thrown back against the stone wall, slumping to the ground, unconscious.

Felix stood over him, his back to me, his shoulders heaving. He was still in human form, but his aura was pure, undiluted Alpha fury. The air around him crackled with power. He had moved without thought, without hesitation. To protect me.

"Stay behind me," he commanded, his voice a low, gravelly growl that was nothing like his usual casual tone. It was the voice of a born leader, a protector.

My traitorous heart swelled with a relief so profound it left me dizzy. In that moment of sheer terror, his presence was the only solid thing in a world falling apart. The bond hummed between us, not with its usual torment, but with a fierce, possessive energy. He came for me. He protected me. Serene preened, a sense of rightness settling over her. 'Our mate. Strong.'

But the battle wasn't over. Two more Bloodfang wolves, now in their full beast forms, leaped onto the balcony, their yellow eyes glowing with malice. They circled us, saliva dripping from their jaws.

This time, there was no hesitation. Felix let out a roar that was half-human, half-wolf, and finally shifted. The transformation was swift and brutal, clothes shredding to reveal a magnificent, dark-furred wolf, larger and more powerful than any I had ever seen, save for Liam. His True Alpha potential was on full display.

He launched himself at the two invaders.

And I… I didn't just cower. Something primal awoke in me. The bond wasn't just a tether of pain; it was a conduit. As Felix moved, a strange clarity descended upon me. I could feel his intentions, sense the openings he was creating. It wasn't telepathy; it was an instinctual knowledge, a dance we both knew the steps to without ever having practiced.

"Left!" I cried out, as I sensed one wolf trying to flank him. Felix reacted instantly, pivoting to block the attack.

He lunged for the throat of the wolf on the right, and as that wolf recoiled, I saw my chance. I didn't have strength, but I had speed and surprise. I grabbed a heavy clay pot containing a small ornamental tree and, with a strength born of sheer adrenaline, hurled it at the second wolf's head. It wasn't a lethal blow, but it distracted him for a crucial second.

That was all Felix needed. With a powerful snap of his jaws, he disabled the first wolf. Then, in a move of breathtaking synchronization, he used the body of the first as a springboard to launch himself at the second, taking him down with brutal efficiency.

The balcony fell silent, save for our ragged breathing. The entire fight had lasted less than a minute. We stood there, surrounded by fallen enemies, the bond between us singing a hymn of victory and perfect, seamless unity. We had fought not as two individuals, but as one entity. It was the most natural, the most right thing I had ever experienced.

Felix, back in his human form, his clothes torn and body splattered with dirt and a few scratches, turned to look at me. His chest was rising and falling rapidly. His grey eyes were wide, blazing with the aftermath of the fight and something else… something like awe, and a dawning, terrifying realization. He had felt it too. The perfect synergy. The undeniable truth of what we were together.

"Scarlett," he breathed, taking a step towards me, his hand reaching out. The protective fury was gone from his face, replaced by a raw, unguarded emotion that made my breath catch. In that moment, the rest of the world—the chaos in the hall, Liam, Isabella, the betrayal—all of it faded away. There was only him, and the bond, and the staggering potential of what it meant.

My own hand twitched, wanting to reach back. The hollow ache was gone, replaced by a warmth that felt like coming home. The urge to step into his arms, to let this connection heal everything, was so powerful it was a physical pull.

But then, a cold, sharp voice cut through the moment like a shard of ice.

"Felix."

We both flinched, the spell shattered. Liam stood in the doorway to the balcony, fully shifted back to his human form, a few superficial scratches marring his perfect features. His expression was a carefully controlled mask, but his eyes were chips of glacial ice, fixed on the space between Felix and me. Isabella hovered behind him, her face pale but her eyes gleaming with a vicious curiosity.

"The threat is neutralized," Liam said, his voice dangerously calm. "The pack needs its future Alpha. Stop dallying with the help."

The words were a deliberate, cruel dismissal. The help. I was nothing. An afterthought. A distraction.

I saw the shift in Felix instantly. The raw emotion in his eyes shuttered, replaced by a familiar, guarded neutrality. The Alpha power that had radiated from him moments before receded, tucked away. The reckless younger brother was back. His outstretched hand dropped to his side, clenched into a fist.

He gave a curt nod to his brother. "Just ensuring no stragglers caused problems." His voice was flat, devoid of the warmth it had held seconds ago.

He didn't look at me again. He simply walked past me, joining Liam and Isabella at the doorway. He didn't look back.

The warmth from the bond evaporated, leaving me colder than ever. The hollow ache slammed back into my chest with a force that made me gasp. The brief, shining moment of connection, of perfect understanding, was over. Extinguished by a single word from his brother.

I was left alone on the balcony, surrounded by the evidence of a battle we had fought together, the scent of his protection still clinging to the air. But the protector was gone. He had returned to his family, to his place by his brother's side.

And I was once again, and always would be, just Scarlett. The Omega. The help. The problem to be managed.

The bond inside me didn't just ache now; it wept.