LOGINKendrick kept one arm firmly around her shoulders, guiding her away from the training grounds after Rowland left. Kendrick knew he had to keep Rina safe now that Rowland was furious again.
“Stay with me,” Kendrick whispered, his voice low and steady. “Let me take you to another quarters in the pack house where he won't have access to you.”“Won't that make him even madder? I'm worried he might start another trouble and the alpha will get involved again,” Rina said. The worry was clearly in her eyes, but Kendrick squeezed her shoulders gently.“I'm sure my father would not want to be concerned on this matter anymore. Whatever Rowland and I decide to do moving forward is between us.”Rina nodded, though her body shook. She clung to him, pressing her cheek to his chest as if it was the only place she could breathe.They moved through the open yard, and the crowd that had witnessed the clash parted silently. Some bowed their heads, some whispThe field was quiet again, but the silence did not bring peace.Smoke still rose from burned ground. The smell of blood stayed in the air, thick and hard to ignore. Warriors moved slowly, collecting weapons, lifting bodies, speaking in low voices. Every step felt heavy, as if the land itself was tired.Kendrick stood near the command tent, his armor stained, his hands resting at his sides. He had not removed his sword. Not yet. His face was calm, but his eyes were not.Rina approached him without rushing. She had changed clothes, but there was still dust on her skin. Her hair was tied back tightly. She carried herself with quiet strength, but her shoulders were tense.“The wounded are settled,” she said. “No one was left behind.”Kendrick nodded. “Thank you.”She studied him for a moment. “You have not rested.”“There will be time later,” he replied.“There must be time now,” Rina said softly. “If not for rest, then for thought.”Before Kendrick could answer, a messenger came running
The first warning came with the wind.Scouts returned at dawn, their faces pale, their steps rushed. The Crystal pack was already awake, but the air changed when the report spread. Rowland’s forces had reached the outer lines. Not whispers. Not threats. Bodies and boots and weapons moving together.The war had arrived.Kendrick stood on the eastern rise, looking down at the forest path that cut toward Crystal land. His warriors gathered behind him in steady lines. No shouting. No panic. Only tight jaws and ready hands.“They are closer than expected,” a scout said.Kendrick nodded. “They were pushed forward.”“Or driven,” the scout replied.Kendrick did not answer. He lifted his hand, and the signal was sent.Horns sounded across the land. Low and long. The sound rolled through trees and stone, reaching every den and hall.Rina was already moving.She stood near the inner grounds, where families gathered in confusion. Mothers pulled children close. Elders leaned on staffs. Fear sat he
The spy was brought in at dawn.He was young, thinner than most warriors, with tired eyes and hands bound behind his back. Dirt marked his clothes. Fear sat on his skin like sweat. He had been caught near the eastern ridge, close enough to see the Crystal pack borders, close enough to run if luck favored him. Luck had not.Kendrick stood across from him in the lower hall. The room was plain. Stone walls. One table. Four guards by the door. No fire burned. The cold was allowed to stay.Rina watched from the side. Raymond leaned against the wall. Khan stood with his arms crossed. Lucas remained quiet, his eyes sharp, missing nothing.The spy swallowed hard.“You know why you are here,” Kendrick said.The boy nodded.“You were not wandering,” Kendrick continued. “You were watching.”“I was sent,” the spy said quickly. “I swear I did not touch your borders.”“Who sent you,” Kendrick asked.The spy hesitated.Khan stepped forward. “Do not make this harder than it is.”The boy looked betwee
Morning came slowly over the Crystal pack, but rest had not touched the land. The night before had been filled with pacing guards, low voices, and the sound of weapons being checked again and again. Fires burned longer than usual, casting long shadows on the walls of the pack house. Wolves moved with care, eyes sharp, ears alert, as if the ground itself was listening.Inside the council hall, the air felt thick.Kendrick stood at the center of the room. His back was straight, his shoulders firm, his face calm. Yet those who knew him well could see the tension beneath the surface. His wolf was awake. His mind was awake. Nothing about this moment allowed rest.Rina stood beside him. She wore a simple gown, pale in color, fitting her place as Luna. Her hands were folded, but her fingers pressed tightly together. Her posture was steady, but her eyes carried weight. She was not just Luna. She was a mother. She was a woman who had already lost peace once and was now watching it slip again.
The Sauna pack woke that morning to a strange stillness. It was not peace. It was the kind of quiet that comes when people are unsure of who truly rules them. The elders gathered in the lower hall, their voices low, their faces tight. Warriors stood at their posts longer than needed, watching, listening, waiting.Doria Welsh sat in the high seat for the first time without hesitation.She did not ask permission. She did not look to the elders for approval. She sat straight, her back firm, her chin lifted. The baby rested in her arms, wrapped in soft cloth, sleeping without care for the weight being placed on his existence.A warrior stepped forward. “The patrol routes you ordered changed last night.”Doria looked at him. “Yes.”“That area has always been guarded by elder command,” one of the elders said carefully.Doria turned her gaze to him. “It is now guarded by mine.”The hall fell silent.Another elder cleared his throat. “These decisions are usually discussed.”Doria replied, “Di
The Sauna pack grounds were tense and restless.Smoke hung in the air from fires that had burned through the night. Guards stood at every corner. Warriors moved with unease, holding their weapons but unsure of who they were meant to fight.Rowland stood near the central hall with his men around him. His presence alone pressed fear into the pack. His eyes moved over the people as if counting them, judging them.The elders stood together, whispering among themselves. Their faces showed strain and worry. The siege had worn them down. Hunger and fear had made them weak.Before Rowland could speak again, Doria stepped forward.Her movement caught attention at once.She lifted her head and walked into the open space between Rowland and the elders. She did not bow. She did not lower her eyes.Rowland turned to her slowly.“And who are you to step forward,” he asked.Doria did not flinch. “I am Doria Welsh.”Some murmurs moved through the crowd.“I speak for the Sauna pack,” she said clearly.







