Lahat ng Kabanata ng Against All Odds: Kabanata 131 - Kabanata 140

* Cerberus *I stood just behind her, Zeina, my mate, my Alpha, the fire of my blood and the storm that once ruled every shadowed path of the West. She stood tall now, the furs about her shoulders like armor woven from memory and mourning. Our son, Archer, nestled against her chest, the symbol of every sacrifice made in silence, every howl swallowed in pain.But it wasn't the crowd, nor the reverent hush, nor even the trembling of the air that struck me then. It was her. Her presence. Changed. Not diminished, never that, but shifted, like river water carving a new path through earth hardened by war and grief.I had known it the moment I returned from the southern ridge days ago. When I stepped into our chamber and found her standing by the window, watching the stars with Archer sleeping in her arms. I felt it like a blade between my ribs, the absence. Not just of power, but of that wild hum that used to crackle around her like dry lightning.Zeina, the woman who once tore through enem

* Cerberus *The den still smelled of smoke from the war council, but beneath it, I could taste something sharper, fear. Not the kind that sends warriors fleeing, but the kind that burrows into their bones and starts eating away at loyalty.They had looked at me more tonight than they had at her. They didn't mean it as disrespect, not openly. But the warriors were measuring strength, as warriors always do, and to them strength is teeth, claws, and a wolf that can break an enemy's spine in a single strike.Zeina hadn't shifted in months. They didn't see the reason, the sacrifice she made for Archer, only the absence. Wolves hate absence.I'd seen the glance Kael gave her. The way Beta Aldin's jaw ticked. I'd heard the whispers they thought she couldn't hear."She's still our Alpha... but for how long?""She can't protect the borders now...""...Cerberus should take the mantle, just until Archer—"I had to choke down my growl before it rose. I wanted to bare my teeth at them, remind the

* Zeina *Morning training came harder after a night like that. My body protested with every stretch, each bruise singing its own sharp song, but I forced myself to rise before the den fully stirred. The air smelled of pine and frost, my breath clouding as I jogged to the pit.Beta Kael and Beta Aldin were already there, standing with a circle of warriors. Their eyes followed me, no mockery this time, no pity, just something sharper. Respect, maybe."You're faster," Beta Kael said as I joined them, tossing me a weighted blade. His voice carried no embellishment, just fact."Still too slow for some enemies, Alpha." Beta Aldin added, his gaze narrowing. "But... you're different now."Different. I liked the sound of that better than weaker.We sparred until the ground was churned mud beneath our boots, until my arms felt like lead and the taste of iron lingered in my mouth. My reflexes were sharper; my strikes landed more often than they missed. Kael grunted his approval once, which for

* Cerberus *By the time I reached the Alpha house, the last of the frost was gone, and steam rose from the warriors' backs like smoke from dying embers. Zeina stood in the center, shoulders squared, blade still in hand, chest rising too fast for my liking.Too long. Too hard. The warriors drifted toward the mess hall, talking low, throwing her glances that were half respect, half something else. Archer was in Donna's arms, silver hair bright in the sun, little fingers clutching that wolf carving like it was a crown.I stepped down into the pit, boots sinking into the churned mud. "Enough," I said, voice carrying in the quiet.Zeina turned, defiance already sharpening in her eyes. "Training's over.""No," I corrected, closing the distance between us, "you're over. You're pushing past the point where your body's helping you. You think pain is proof you're getting stronger, it's not. It's proof you're tearing yourself apart before you've healed."Her jaw worked, but she said nothing. Th

* Zeina *Every day my body got a little stronger, but not in the way I needed. The bruises faded quicker now. My legs didn't shake as much after drills. My arms could take the weight of the blade without that deep, bone-deep ache setting in too soon. On paper, I was improving. But the truth was colder, my wolf was still gone.The hollow place inside me where she should have been remained silent, as if my bones had been emptied of something vital and filled instead with nothing. I tried not to think about it. Tried to convince myself that strength in this form was enough, that maybe I could fight like this forever. But the lie was fraying.Cerberus didn't see it, or maybe he did, and that's why he kept stopping me before I burned myself out. He thought I was impatient. I was terrified. Because if this was all I could be now... then I was no longer what I was born to be.The sparring left me breathless, but not in the satisfying way it used to. There was no shift to push me past the li