The night air burned cold against my skin.
The castle erupted into motion the moment the messenger's words fell. Wolves rushed through the halls, steel clashing, leather armor snapping into place. The scent of iron filled the air, the promise of blood not yet spilled.
And me? I stood at the heart of the storm, the System's voice branding itself into my skull.
[New Mission: Fight beside the Alpha.]
[Failure Consequence: Death.]
I almost laughed, but the sound stuck in my throat. I wasn't a fighter. The body I inhabited had claws, yes, but I didn't have the memory of using them. And the System wanted me to march into a raid like a warrior born?
Ronan strode past me, a shadow of steel and fury. His cloak whipped behind him, his soldiers parting to let him through. He didn't hesitate, didn't waver. Wolves followed their Alpha like arrows loosed from a bow.
I forced my feet forward. I couldn't fall behind, not now.
We reached the courtyard where horses stamped and wolves growled, restless for war. Torches flared, casting long shadows against the stone. Ronan swung onto his stallion with the ease of a man born for battle. His golden eyes found me, sharp and unwelcome.
"You," he said, his voice a lash of authority. "Stay behind the walls."
My chest squeezed. The System's claws dug instantly, stabbing deep.
[Warning: Mission Failure if you refuse.]
I gritted my teeth. "No."
The courtyard fell silent around us. Even the soldiers froze, shocked that I had dared.
Ronan's eyes narrowed dangerously. "No?"
I lifted my chin. The words scraped my throat raw, but I forced them out. "If this pack bleeds, I bleed with it. I will fight."
It wasn't just defiance—it was survival.
For a long moment, Ronan only stared. His jaw tightened, his hand flexing at his reins.
She's hiding something. No wolf risks death so easily. Not her. Not Ayla.
The thought wasn't spoken, but I felt it in the way his gaze cut through me.
Then, slowly, he leaned closer in the saddle. His voice dropped, dangerous and low. "Stay close to me. Stray once, and I'll let the enemy take you."
He turned away before I could answer, giving the command. The gates thundered open.
The pack rode into the night.
—
The forest swallowed us whole.
Moonlight spilled across the treetops, silvering every branch, every blade of grass. The night smelled of pine and damp earth—and of blood, waiting just beyond the trees.
The soldiers shifted restlessly. Some carried spears, others blades. More than half were ready to shift at Ronan's word, fur and fangs instead of steel.
I kept close to him, my horse straining to keep up with his stallion's long strides. His presence filled the dark, steady and unyielding.
But the System didn't let me breathe.
[Mission Progress: 10%.]
[Objective: Kill at least one raider.]
I almost fell off the saddle. Kill? Me? The idea twisted my stomach until bile burned my throat.
But the System never asked. It commanded.
The forest broke open, and the enemy came.
Howls split the night as raiders poured from the shadows. Wolves with red cloth tied at their throats, blades gleaming in their hands. They crashed into us like a tide of fury.
The pack surged forward, answering howl with howl. Horses screamed. Steel clashed. The night shattered into chaos.
Ronan shifted in one breath, his body snapping and twisting, bones cracking into the shape of something more primal. Fur black as midnight rippled across his skin, his form towering and lethal. His golden eyes blazed like fire in the dark.
The enemy faltered at the sight, even for a heartbeat. The ruthless Alpha was a legend made flesh, and tonight, he was theirs to fear.
I should have been afraid too. But instead, something inside me thrilled at the sight. The danger. The power. The way his presence turned the tide of battle.
Then claws scraped against my leg, jerking me back to reality.
A raider leapt for me, teeth snapping, eyes wild. Instinct screamed through me, and I kicked out hard. My heel connected with his jaw, snapping his head back. But he didn't fall. He snarled, lunging again.
The System's voice thundered.
[Opportunity Detected: Kill.]
I fumbled for the blade strapped to my saddle, my hands slick with sweat. The wolf's teeth grazed my arm just as I drove the dagger forward. The steel sank into his throat.
Hot blood sprayed across my face, thick and metallic. His body dropped, heavy and limp, claws skidding in the dirt.
My chest heaved. My hands trembled.
[Mission Progress: 25%.]
I had killed.
The world blurred around me—snarls, screams, the clash of steel—but that moment seared itself into my bones. I hadn't just survived. I had ended a life.
I didn't have time to break. Another raider came at me, but before his blade fell, Ronan was there. He tore through the man like paper, golden eyes flashing as blood slicked his fur. He glanced at me, brief and sharp, as if weighing whether I was prey or ally.
She killed… She actually killed.
The thought flickered in his gaze before he lunged back into the fray.
The battle raged, blood soaking the forest floor. Wolves tore raiders apart, blades clashed in sparks. I fought like a cornered beast, each strike wild, desperate. The System guided my movements, punishing hesitation with searing pain until instinct took over.
Hours passed like moments, or maybe moments stretched into years. When at last the raiders broke and fled into the trees, the forest was littered with bodies. Smoke hung heavy in the air, thick with iron and ash.
The pack raised a ragged howl of victory.
But the System wasn't finished.
[New Sub-Mission: Discover the traitor who led the raiders to the border.]
[Time Limit: Three Days.]
My blood went cold.
A traitor. Inside the pack.
I didn't need to look at Ronan to know he was thinking the same. His golden eyes swept the battlefield, dark with suspicion. Trust was already scarce. Now it would rot entirely.
I wiped blood from my cheek, my hand shaking. The pack was victorious tonight, but I was trapped deeper in the System's snare than ever.
And when Ronan turned toward me, his gaze unreadable, his chest rising and falling with the aftermath of battle—I realized something.
If I didn't find this traitor fast, he would decide it was me.