The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

25 Points

Chapter Sixteen

“We found out that we were mates five years ago,” Asher said at last, his voice tight, stripped of its former authority. “The night she turned eighteen. The bond snapped into place like it was always meant to be there.”

“But her wolf never emerged.” His jaw flexed, eyes darkening with something that looked dangerously close to regret. “Nothing. No shift. No link. No strength for a Luna bond.”

Talon felt Fenrir stir violently inside him.

“I am the Alpha of this pack,” Asher said, lifting his chin as if repeating the title might justify what followed. “I needed a strong and capable Luna. One who could stand beside me, protect the pack, bear the bond without breaking. I had no choice.”

The words landed like a blade.

“I rejected her.”

Silence followed-thick, suffocating, deadly.

Inside Talon’s mind, Fenrir snarled, his fury shaking their shared consciousness.

‘Is this wolf stupid?’ Fenrir growled. ‘Even from a distance, I can feel her. Her wolf is there. Alive. Watching. Waiting.’

“Why would our mate hide her wolf?” Talon’s hands curled slowly into fists, and he asked quietly, his voice calm but edged with something lethal.

‘I do not know, Fenrir replied, his tone dark and possessive. ‘But I know this-she is ours. And no one, especially this weak-minded Alpha, will ever take her from me.’

A low, dangerous smile curved Talon’s lips. ‘Agreed,’

Talon stepped forward, forcing Asher to meet his gaze. The air between them crackled-two Alphas, two powers, but only one truly unyielding.

“Alpha Asher,” Talon said coldly, “by your own admission, you rejected her five years ago. You severed the bond. You cast her aside.”

His eyes burned gold as Fenrir pressed closer to the surface.

“So tell me,” Talon continued, voice sharp as steel, “what right do you think you have now to claim her?”

Asher stiffened, but Talon did not give him time to answer.

14

Chapter Sixteen

+25 Points

“The Moon Goddess gave her to me,” Talon declared. “And unlike you, I will not hesitate. I accept her fully as my mate, as my Queen Luna. Wolf or not.” His voice dropped, dangerous and final. “Her strength does not depend on whether she shifts. Her worth does not depend on your standards.”

Talon’s gaze flicked briefly toward the shadows where his mate stood unseen-felt rather than seen-before snapping back to Asher.

“And as for being a ‘capable Luna,” Talon added, a sharp edge of sarcasm cutting through his words, “from what I can tell, she is more than capable of leading and protecting a pack.”

A pause.

“Far more capable,” he finished coolly, “than the Luna you chose over her.”

The challenge hung heavy in the air.

Fenrir purred with dark satisfaction.

‘Touch her, his wolf vowed, ‘and I will end him.’

“I will not let you take her away from me.”

Asher’s voice cracked through the clearing like a snarl barely held in check. Rage burned openly in his eyes now-no longer masked by Alpha composure or political restraint. Veins stood out along his neck and temples; pulsing as his wolf slammed violently against the surface, claws scraping inside his chest.

“She is my mate,” he continued, stepping forward despite the danger radiating from Talon. “I renounced my rejection. The bond still exists. You cannot take her.”

His wolf surged, forcing his shoulders to tense, breath coming harsh and uneven. This wasn’t strategy. This wasn’t leadership.

This was desperation.

Talon opened his mouth to respond-Fenrir already coiled tight and ready, violence humming beneath his skin, but before a single word could leave him, hurried footsteps echoed behind

them.

A sharp, feminine voice cut through the charged air.

“What do you mean… renouncing your rejection?”

Everyone froze.

Hazel came rushing into the clearing, her silk gown gathered in her fists as she skidded to a

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