Even the arm Zion had dislocated had already been reset and restored, and seeing Maxwell moving it freely as if nothing had happened.
And at so point, Zion stopped caring.
Maybe the ntion of his secret had touched sothing deeply buried within Maxwell, a mory rooted in darkness. It could be a secret tied to a trauma, sothing that had carved shadows into his mind. Zion didn’t know for certain, but judging by Maxwell’s current state, the speculation didn’t seem far-fetched.
Maxwell’s behavior was too unusual, too unsettling.
It was as if he were unraveling, using pain as a way to reset his thoughts, to drown out whatever was gnawing at him. When Zion thought back to Maxwell’s reaction in the tent, the cold silence, the tension, and how he had followed him outside just to ask for a fight, the picture beca clearer.
During the brawl, Maxwell had barely bothered to avoid direct attacks, throwing himself forward as though his own body were nothing more than a shield. He hadn’t seed to care if Zion went too far, or if a single misstep might cost him his life.
And that was what troubled Zion the most.
The more Zion thought about it, the less certain he felt. He didn’t know what to make of Maxwell anymore. And yet, fighting him had helped, cleared his head, and steadied his wolf. Letting off that steam was the only way to keep Shura from spiraling into madness.
Then a thought struck him.
Maybe Maxwell was the sa.
Maybe this fight was his way of venting, too, of giving his wolf and himself an outlet for all that pent-up frustration. The difference was in how they coped. Zion lashed out, hurting others when he lost control. Maxwell, on the other hand, seed to turn that violence inward, allowing himself to be hurt instead.
Zion didn’t understand what kind of mindset led soone to choose pain so willingly. But one thing was clear, and it was that neither of them needed just fresh air to cool down.
They needed this.
So they kept fighting.
Zion half-shifted, claws tearing and fists slamming into the figure before him, while Maxwell barely bothered to evade. He took the blows head-on, countering every strike with equal force. For every punch Zion landed, another ca crashing back at him; there was no walking away unscathed.
The commotion soon drew attention.
Warriors stationed not far from the riverbank rushed over, only to freeze in their tracks. What they saw made their blood run cold.
A Midnight Black Wolf and a Silver-Grey Wolf, both far larger than any of them, were locked in a brutal clash. Claws raked into flesh, fangs snapping to whatever they could bite into, massive bodies slamd into each other as if it were a fight to the death.
No one could intervene.
Those who tried were either crushed under the weight of the Alphas’ oppressive auras or dragged into the fray, only to be thrown aside and injured. All they could do was stand back and watch as the two monsters tore into each other, powerless to stop them.
Zion’s massive midnight-black form slamd into Maxwell’s silver-grey wolf, hurling him into the river. Maxwell staggered, barely managing to brace himself before crashing into the boulder behind him, and water splashed all over him. Even so, Zion hadn’t held back; the impact still sent Maxwell’s body smashing into the boulder, carving a small crater into the rock.
Had Maxwell not reacted on instinct, the full force would have shattered several of his ribs. And if that had happened, Zion could have easily followed up with an attack, pinned him down, and forced him into submission.
But Maxwell was an Alpha.
Even if he allowed Zion’s blows to land, using pain to numb his senses, that didn’t an he would let himself be crushed or humiliated in front of everyone. His pride wouldn’t allow it.
"Grrrr..." Maxwell growled, baring his teeth at Zion. The haze in his eyes finally cleared, as if he were shaking off a trance. He no longer looked like a puppet being tossed around; sothing in him had snapped back into place.
Zion snarled in response, a cold sneer forming in his mind.
’About ti you ca back to your senses,’ he thought. ’No Alpha would tolerate being beaten senseless. Your pride must be screaming right now, being humiliated in front of all these wolves.’
Maxwell couldn’t hear him. There was no mindlink between them.
And yet—
It was as if Maxwell felt every word anyway.
His growl deepened, vibrating with fury, and the next instant he charged. Claws flashed, slashing straight toward Zion’s face.
Zion might have been taunting Maxwell, looking down on him, but he wasn’t foolish enough to stand still and take the hit. He sprang sideways, narrowly evading the slashing claws.
But Maxwell pivoted hard.
His tail whipped around and cracked across Zion’s face, stunning him for a split second, and that was all Maxwell needed. He lunged forward and clamped his jaws around Zion’s right leg.
Zion tried to wrench free, but it was useless. No matter how hard he pulled, Maxwell refused to let go. Growling, Zion raised his other massive paw and slamd it into Maxwell’s face again and again.
Still, Maxwell didn’t release him, his bite locked tight, unyielding, like a pit bull refusing to loosen its grip.
"Alpha Zion! Alpha Maxwell! What’s happening?!" Alpha Hue burst onto the riverbank, having rushed over the mont the warriors, who were breathless and frantic, reported the clash. He moved without hesitation, fully aware that this was no friendly sparring. The violence in the air made that painfully clear.
The instant he arrived, the oppressive weight of their auras crashed down on him, which was raw, aggressive, and murderous. It felt as though two sworn enemies were eting for the first ti, each intent on tearing the other apart.
Yet deep down, Alpha Hue could already guess the cause.
With their fated mate in such a condition, this level of tension was inevitable. For Alphas, aggression born from fear and protectiveness was not only understandable, but it was also instinctive.
But for things to escalate to this extent, Alpha Hue couldn’t help but feel that sothing was off. This didn’t seem normal, not even for Alphas driven by a threatened fated mate. Still, he wasn’t entirely certain.
This was the first ti he had ever encountered a she-wolf with multiple mates, and he had no experience to judge whether this kind of violence ca from mutual bla, pent-up frustration, or sothing far more complicated.
He couldn’t rely on his own experiences to understand their mindset.
All he could do was try to stop the fight and demand an explanation, hoping, perhaps naively, that they would listen.
Yet even though both Alphas clearly heard his voice, neither could bring themselves to stop. Adrenaline surged through their veins, emotions raging out of control, and above all, their aggression refused to subside.
Zion and Maxwell continued to fight.
Water exploded in every direction as the two massive wolves tore into each other, their bodies crashing and surging through the river. Watching them, even Alpha Hue felt a deep sense of helplessness. He knew that even if he shifted and tried to force himself between them, he wouldn’t stop the fight; instead, he would only beco another casualty.
Compared to their strength, his own was lacking. He doubted he would even survive two moves before being accidentally killed.
Letting out a troubled sigh, Alpha Hue glanced around, restless and anxious, feeling like an ant trapped on a hot pan, desperate to act, yet painfully aware that there was nothing he could do.
Before long, Alphas from the neighboring packs, those who had already been evacuated, arrived after hearing the commotion. They froze at the sight of the two enormous wolves battling in the water. Part of them felt awe at the sheer majesty and raw power on display.
But fear quickly followed.
The oppressive weight of Zion’s and Maxwell’s auras alone was enough to make even fellow Alphas feel heavy and restrained, as though their bodies might refuse to move. Facing them directly would be suicide; they wouldn’t even have ti to react before being torn apart.
And so, no one stepped forward.
No one was foolish enough to throw themselves between two monsters locked in a fight to the death.
"Alpha Hue, what should we do?" One Alpha asked as he bit the insides of his cheeks.
"I–I don’t really know..." Alpha Hue replied, his gaze never leaving Zion and Maxwell as they battled in the river, water exploding around their massive forms.
Zion lifted a foreleg, claws flashing as he prepared to strike again, only to accidentally hit sothing solid.
A fish.
It had been swimming peacefully beneath the surface, minding its own business, before two massive wolves jumped to its location, and it didn’t even have ti to swim away before being launched straight out of the water. For a brief, absurd mont, the fish arced between Zion and Maxwell, glistening in the air.
Both wolves froze.
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