Caleb’s P.O.VTonight, they came in droves—howling, snarling, and ripping up earth as they charged into our territory like a tsunami of death. I’d barely escaped the claws of one when I felt the first one slam into me, claws dragging across my ribs and the weight of it sending me flying backward into a tree.The bark cracked. My bones ached. But I didn’t have time to register the pain. I was back on my feet, my own growl erupting from my throat as I launched back at it with everything I had.“Caleb, left!” I heard Nolan’s voice rip through the chaos, and I turned just in time to see another rogue going straight for me. My claws sank into its throat before it could pounce, hot breath fanning my face as it died, twitching in my grip. We didn’t hold back—we couldn’t. Every one of us fought with desperation carved into our bodies. Jade, bleeding from a gash above his eye, took on two at once with a wildness I’d never seen in him.Liam had a broken arm, I was sure of it—he wasn’t shifting
Caleb’s P.O.VThe wind tore at my face as I sprinted behind my father, Alpha Camden, the pounding of our boots barely audible over the distant, unmistakable sounds of chaos—snarls, howls, the sickening crunch of bone against earth. Every stride I took was in sync with the sharp, purposeful rhythm of the others at my side: Beta Raymond, stoic and ever-watchful even now, his fists clenched tight; Jade, his face pale but his eyes burning with that unyielding fire he always carried into battle; and Shane, whose calmness in these moments was almost unsettling, like the quiet eye of a hurricane before everything exploded.None of us had shifted yet—we couldn’t. Not until we saw for ourselves. Not until we knew what the hell we were walking into.“Caleb,” my father barked over his shoulder, his voice steady despite the frenzy ahead, “once we get eyes on the field, you stay close to Raymond. You do not engage until I give the signal. Understood?”I nodded, breath hitching in my throat, but my
Aurora’s P.O.VJust then, the door swung open with a weighty creak. I turned instinctively, and there they were—Alpha Camden and Beta Raymond, stepping into the room like thunderclouds. Their presence silenced everyone immediately, even the soft chatter between Mia and Millie came to a halt. There was a sharpness in Alpha Camden’s gaze, a flicker of something fierce and protective simmering just beneath the surface, and Beta Raymond looked just as determined, jaw clenched and posture stiff like a coiled spring ready to snap. “Everyone, listen,” Alpha Camden said, his voice cutting through the thick air like a blade. “Something’s happening. We don’t know what yet, but Maya,” he turned to her, his expression softening only slightly as he looked at his mate, “we need you to look after the pack while we handle it.” Maya, to her credit, nodded with steely calm, even though I caught the brief flicker of worry in her eyes. That woman could hold a mountain on her shoulders and still manage
Aurora’s P.O.VHe stepped in, calm in the way only Caleb could be. He looked around, then turned to me. “That’s a good thing.” I stared at him, uncomprehending. “What do you mean that’s a good thing?” “If he’s not here, it means someone came to get him,” Caleb said gently. “Someone got to him before the alarms went off. He’s with them. And if they were following the protocol, they’ll take him to the safe zone. That’s where we’ll find him.” I wanted to believe him. I really, really did. And on some level, I understood—he was probably right. Caleb always knew how to read the chaos, always had a way of staying three steps ahead when my world started spinning. But understanding didn’t stop the ache in my chest, the way my mind kept leaping to worst-case scenarios like it was desperate to torture me. Caleb came to me then, both hands gripping my shoulders, his eyes searching mine with that intense, quiet certainty I had grown to lean on. “We’ll find him,” he said. “You hear me, Aurora
Aurora’s P.O.VI still remember the way Caroline’s voice lowered when she first mentioned the rogue wolves. It wasn’t just fear—it was the sort of trembling dread you carry in your bones, like a memory you wish you could unhear. We’d been sitting by the stream behind the old training fields, the wind tugging at her blonde hair, and for a moment, it had almost felt peaceful—until she said it. “They’re not like us anymore,” she whispered, eyes darting around as if speaking of them aloud might summon them. “Rogues… they’ve lost their minds. They’re not wolves anymore, and they’re not human either. Just... beasts. They’ve lost their abilities to turn back into their human form.” I had blinked at her, waiting for her to laugh and say she was joking, but she didn’t. She stared at the water, her fingers tightening around a small stone until her knuckles turned white. “They’ve been exiled, abandoned, some broken from birth or ruined by loss. And once they give in to that madness, give in to
Aurora’s P.O.VThe air between Caleb and I was thick with unspoken words, the kind of silence that was charged with a sensual energy that was undeniable and irresistible. I had never thought about sex or dating before, but when Caleb rescued me and brought me into his world, everything changed. Now, I couldn’t even think about looking at another man, not in the same way that I looked at Caleb.Maybe it was the mating bond speaking, but there was something magnetic about him, something that drew me right from the moment that I had laid eyes on him in the high school hallways. And now, in the quiet of the night, with only the dim light of the packhouse flickering in the background, I couldn’t hold back any longer. When he leaned in, his breath mingling with mine, everything else disappeared. I couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t think of anything except him. His lips were soft at first, gentle, almost tentative, as though he was testing the waters. But then something shifted—something in