Chapter 3

I had three days left before I left for the North.

Before dawn broke, the border alarm shattered the silence.

A scout wolf burst into the Alpha estate, armor soaked in blood.

"The vampires are crossing the Blackwater River—we need the Moon Tower barrier now!"

Silence dropped like a hammer.

Every head turned to Lila, draped in her Watcher cloak.

Her face went pale. She took half a step back without thinking.

Then my father, my mother, and Kael—all their eyes slid past her and landed on me.

Mother rushed over, her voice low. "Mara, get to the Moon Tower. Activate the barrier."

I raised an eyebrow. "Lila's the Moon Watcher. She should be the one going."

Kael grabbed my wrist and yanked me into a corner, out of sight.

Father, Mother, and Lila trailed behind like shadows.

"The pack is facing a crisis—this isn't the time for your tantrums!" Kael snapped. "You're the only one who can drive the barrier!"

Father let his Alpha pressure bleed out, faint but sharp.

"You're a Fenraven. Protecting Blackrock is the Alpha family's duty—non-negotiable."

I looked at the Watcher robe on Lila's shoulders.

The title was hers. The glory was hers.

Only when danger came knocking did responsibility magically become mine.

Mother took my hand, softening her tone. "We know you've been wronged. Once we push the vampires back, the family will make it up to you."

She paused, like she needed to be clear. "But the silver fir pack stays as it is. Everything else is up for discussion."

A laugh almost slipped out of me. Almost.

Compensation. Again.

When Lila took my room, Mother promised me a forest cottage next year.

When Kael gave Lila the moonstone necklace Grandmother left me, he said he'd buy me a new one.

When I was sixteen and Father made me the barrier mage in Lila's place, he swore I'd get the silver fir pack when I came of age.

None of those promises ever came true.

"I'll activate the barrier."

I pulled my hand back. "But you'll say it in front of the entire pack—I'm the Moon Watcher."

Mother's face went rigid.

Before my father could speak, Lila was already unpinning her cloak.

"If it matters this much to you, sister, I'll give it back."

Tears welled up on cue. She held out the cloak and Seal, right to my face.

"I'll give up being Alpha heir if you'll just save the pack."

Her fingers stayed curled tight around the fabric's edge.

Kael grabbed Lila's hand.

"Enough!"

He looked at me like I'd disappointed him.

"Lila is a white wolf—once in a century. If she's not Alpha, Blackrock will never regain its standing."

"You're really going to steal her Watcher title? Mara, do you even care about family honor anymore?"

I laughed. Turned to walk away.

Footsteps pounded behind me.

A second scout wolf staggered in, three claw marks gouged deep across his chest—bone visible.

"The vampires crossed the Blackwater. If the barrier doesn't go up now, the outer villages are lost."

I stopped.

I could walk away from the Fenravens.

But the pack—the pups, the families—they had nothing to do with this.

I turned to head for the Moon Tower.

A gasp ripped through the air behind me.

Mother swayed, face pale, collapsing into Lila's arms.

Then Alpha pressure crashed onto my shoulders like a mountain.

My knees slammed into the ground. My wolf spirit howled in agony.

Father looked down at me.

"Restrain her. Take her to the Moon Tower."

I didn't even get a word out before guards hauled me up and dragged me through the gates.

The stone door ground shut behind me, sealing me in the tower's base.

I pressed my palms to the core array.

Not because of my father's order.

But because beyond the barrier—there were innocent wolves who had no part in this.

Runes awoke one by one, draining my wolf spirit raw.

Silver fire seared through my veins. Every layer I lit felt like my soul was being torn open.

I ground my teeth and pushed the last of my strength into the final rune.

The barrier flared to life.

I collapsed at the center, unconscious.

I don't know how long I was out.

No healer came. No family member checked on me.

I pulled myself up along the stone wall and stumbled out of the Moon Tower.

Deafening cheers crashed into my ears.

Lila stood in the middle of the crowd, Watcher's cloak and Moon Seal gleaming under the moonlight.

"The Watcher saved us!"

"The white wolf's blessing—that's why the vampires couldn't breach the pack!"

My eyes burned. My voice came out hoarse—I tried to shout over them.

"It was me who activated the—"

A hand clamped over my mouth. Dragged me into the shadows.

Mother.

Her voice was as cold as her face. "This is Lila's moment to build her prestige. Don't you dare steal it."

Father shot me a flat look from the side.

"A few words of praise. And you still can't see the bigger picture?"

I looked at them.

No anger left. Just hollow.

Three more days. Then I was gone.

They didn't need to know.

They didn't deserve to.