Alpha Jaxon Storm stood at the head of the table, arms crossed over his broad chest. He hadn't spoken since they returned from the hall.
Beta Kai cleared his throat. "You should say something."
Jaxon didn't move. "About what?" he asked
"About her," Ronan said from where he leaned against the stone column, arms folded, eyes narrowed. "She walked in like a shadow and lit the room on fire."
Kai nodded and spoke with a low voice. "She shook the foundation with just her presence."
"She said nothing about why she returned," Jaxon muttered. "Not to me, not to anyone."
"And that should worry you," Ronan said sharply. "Three years gone. No word. No trace. And now she shows up the same day rogues hit Hollow Ridge and disappear without a scent trail?"
Kai's brow furrowed. "You think she's connected to them?"
"I think we don't know anything," Ronan snapped. "And not knowing is dangerous."
"She wouldn't betray this pack," Jaxon said quietly.
Ronan raised a brow. "She wouldn't have reason to protect it either. You made sure of that."
The tension in the room thickened.
Kai tried to mediate. "Whether she's here for revenge, peace, or something else entirely, we need to figure it out fast. The council's watching."
"They've been demanding a Luna," Jaxon said bitterly. "They thought Sasha could fill that role."
"She can't," Ronan said immediately. "The wolves don't respect her. They tolerated her. That's different."
"She's livid," Kai added. "And her mother is already whispering to the elders. You can feel the power shift."
Jaxon turned to face them both. "We can't afford more division. Not now."
"Then we deal with the cause," Ronan replied. "Starting with finding out why Emery came back."
Kai said slowly, "I watched her tonight. She didn't flinch when the elders stared. Didn't bow. Didn't plead."
"She didn't come back for you," Ronan said to Jaxon. "She came back for something else. And whatever it is, it matters."
The three men fell into silence, the weight of the unknown pressing on their shoulders.
Then, quietly, almost like a thought slipping past his lips, Jaxon said, "Her eyes… They were colder than I remembered. But there was fire behind them too."
"And you still feel the bond, don't you?" Kai asked.
Jaxon didn't answer.
_ _
Emery stood at the front of the steps, staring at the house that used to be her mother's. The last place she had felt safe. Her boots crunched on the dry leaves as she walked forward, her heart pounding.
She pushed the door open slowly. It creaked. Dust filled the whole place. The smell of old wood and lavender wrapped around her, dragging back memories she didn't want.
Her mother's picture still hung above the fireplace. Faded, but smiling.
"I'm sorry I stayed away," Emery whispered, touching the frame. "I had no choice." her voice echoed in the lonely room.
She lit a small fire, swept the floor, and made the bed. It wasn't much, but it was hers. A place to breathe. To plan. To heal.
As night fell, Emery sat alone in the living room. The fire cracked, casting shadows across the walls. She hugged her cloak around her. The silence was thick.
For the first time in three years, she felt like she could breathe.
_ _
Ronan crouched low, fingers brushing the cold dirt. Blood. Not fresh. But not old either.
"They passed through here," he muttered.
Kia stood a few paces behind, sharp eyes tracking the underbrush. "Same trail as the last one. North border. Always vanishing near the cliffs."
"They're watching us," Ronan said darkly. "The rogues are not scavenging, they are coordinated."
Another scent hit the air, stronger, darker.
Kia stiffened. "They're close."
Suddenly, a branch snapped. Before either could shift, a rogue burst through the trees with fangs bared, eyes glowing red.
"Down!" Kia shouted.
Ronan spun and slammed into the wolf midair, slashing it aside with his claws. Before the first one hit the ground, two more emerged from opposite flanks.
Kia drew his twin blades, eyes flashing. "We're surrounded."
"No," Ronan growled. "We're bait."
Howls erupted, unnaturally in sync. More shapes moved in the trees, shadows weaving between trunks.
And suddenly a thunderous roar tore through the night.
Ronan and Kia turned just in time to see a massive midnight-black wolf explode from the treeline, eyes blazing steel blue.
Alpha Jaxon.
He hit the lead rogue with bone-shattering force, sending it crashing into the rocks.
Kia exhaled. "Took you long enough."
Jaxon shifted mid-stride, landing in human form bare-chested, claws still dripping with black blood.
"I felt it," he said through gritted teeth. "The pull. Something's off."
They barely had time to respond before the marked rogue appeared. It was bigger than the others, rot clung to its fur, eyes glowing violet.
Jaxon stood stilled. "That thing… isn't ordinary."
"It's cursed,"Kai said.
The beast growled low, but its mouth didn't move. Instead, a voice filled their minds—cold, twisted.
Jaxon's breath hitched..
Kia and Ronan shared a look, both shaken. The cursed rogue lunged straight for Jaxon.
The Alpha met it head-on, claws flashing, but the beast was faster than expected. It ducked under his blow and sank its teeth into his shoulder.
Jaxon roared, punching it off with brutal force. Ronan tackled it next, slashing at its back, while Kia drove his blade into its side. Still, it wouldn't fall.
The creature shrieked, a sound that chilled bone then vanished into shadow, smoke-like, as if it had never been real.
Silence fell.
Jaxon wiped blood from his mouth. "What the hell was that?"
Kia's voice was grim. "It didn't want to kill us."
"It wanted to send a message," Ronan added, jaw tight.
"I will check round, to make sure there are no rogues around." Ronan added.
Ronan's boots crunched over the frost-covered trail as he stalked through the woods, blood still drying on his forearms. The scent of ash and wet fur clung to him.
He had followed the rogue's trail east, but they were gone.
No bodies. No blood. Just silence.
Until-
He heard a faint sound.
A soft hum in the air, like wind brushing against something unnatural.
He turned swiftly.
A woman stood near a crooked pine, her cloak moving gently in the wind. She looked like a shadow made flesh, half-hidden in the falling mist. Her eyes, silver, sharp, and unreadable.
"Looking for someone?" she asked softly.
Ronan's eyes narrowed. "You again, who are you?"
The woman didn't flinch. She took a single step forward. "Someone who's seen more than you think."
Her voice was calm, almost too calm. It set his instincts on edge.
"I don't like games," he said, taking a step closer.
"Good," she replied. "Because this isn't one."
Ronan's wolf stirred beneath his skin.
She smelled… strange, not like a wolf, not rogue. Something in between.
"You're not from around here," he said slowly.
Nyra tilted her head. Her raven hair shimmered under the moonlight. "Neither are the rogues attacking your borders. But they're closer than you think."
"What do you know about the rogues?"
She smiled faintly. "Enough to tell you this: tonight's ambush was just a test. Your Alpha won't survive the next one if he keeps pretending strength is enough."
That got his attention.
He stepped forward fast, too fast and grabbed her wrist. But before he could say a word, a pulse of heat shot through his skin. His grip loosened in surprise.
Magic.
She looked down at his hand, then up at him again. "I'm not your enemy," she said.
"Then tell me who you are," he said tightly.
She leaned in slightly. "Call me Nyra."
He frowned. "Nyra what?"
She only smiled. "You ask too many questions."
"Too many people are dying," he snapped. "Forgive me for not trusting pretty strangers in the woods."
Her smile faded.
Then gently she pulled her wrist from his grip.
"You're brave," she said. "But bravery won't stop what's coming."
He stepped in her path again. "What is coming?" he asked.