ARAYA POV
The messenger arrived at dawn, three days after Ronan's wolf had yielded to my son.
I was in the war room with Ronan and Gareth, reviewing reports of pack tensions that hadn't fully settled despite Lucian proving his worthiness. The Church was quiet—shocked into temporary silence by Drogath's submission—but I knew that silence wouldn't last. Religious fervor didn't die just because one Direwolf had bared its throat.
Then the door burst open.
Petra stumbled in, blood staining her scout leathers, exhaustion carved into every line of her face. She'd been on border patrol along the southern reaches—the territories closest to Thornhaven.
"Alpha." She dropped to one knee, breathing hard. "We have movement. Major movement. The vampires—"
"Slow down." I moved around the table, helping her to her feet. "What about the vampires?"
