LOGINFinally made it to the exit. Shifted to human. A federal agent threw her a blanket.“Where’s the rest?” Chen asked.“Still inside. Some dead. Some alive. I don’t know.” Sage was shaking. “We have to go back for them.”“We’re trying. But Richard’s people are barricaded. Using the other Alphas as shields.”The standoff lasted three hours. Finally Richard emerged. Hands up. Surrendering.“Where are the Alphas?” Chen demanded.“Inside. Alive. Mostly.” Richard smiled even as they handcuffed him. “But it doesn’t matter. I already won.”“What do you mean?”“The world saw werewolves attack humans. Saw them die fighting. Saw proof they’re dangerous.” He laughed. “Public opinion just turned against them. Permanently.”He was right. Sage saw it on the news later. The attack. The fighting. Edited to make wolves look like aggressors.Victoria died in surgery. Two other Alphas dead. Three wounded.The remaining seven gathered that evening. All exhausted. All traumatized.“What do we do now?” one as
Richard walked into the safe room like he owned it.His people herded the twelve Alphas into a corner. Weapons trained on them. One wrong move and everyone died.“Cameras are live,” Richard said to someone outside. “Broadcasting to every news outlet. The world is watching.”Sage looked at the camera being set up. This was planned. Coordinated. They wanted the world to see werewolf leadership captured.“What do you want?” Victoria asked. Her voice was steady despite the guns pointed at her.“What we’ve always wanted. A world without your kind.” Richard smiled. “But since extermination takes time, we’ll settle for control.”“Control how?”“Registration. Tracking devices. Designated living areas. Sterilization for those who don’t comply.” He counted on his fingers. “Basically everything we’d do to any dangerous animal population.”“We’re not animals.”“You shift into animals. Close enough.” He gestured to his people. “Bring her forward.”They grabbed Sage. Pulled her away from the group.
Sage called an emergency pack meeting at midnight.One hundred wolves gathered in twenty minutes. All armed. All ready.“We have intel about an attack tomorrow,” Sage said. “Multiple hate groups coordinating. Target is me, Kade, and Hope. They want to make an example of us.”“Then we evacuate,” Cole said. “Get you somewhere safe.”“Running proves we’re scared. Shows weakness.” Sage looked around the room. “We stay. We defend. We show them we won’t be intimidated.”“That’s suicide,” Beth argued. “How many hate groups? How many attackers?”“The informant didn’t say. But enough that he felt the need to warn us.” Sage touched the gun at her hip. “We have twelve hours to prepare. Fortify the compound. Set up defensive positions. Get civilians to the bunker.”They worked through the night. Building barricades. Checking weapons. Moving families underground.By dawn the compound looked like a military base. Guards on every wall. Snipers on rooftops. Everyone is waiting.Sage stood at the gate
Sage shot first.The bullet hit the human leader in the shoulder. He went down screaming.“Traitor!” she yelled at Claire.Claire shifted to wolf form. Ran toward the fence. Escaping.Riley intercepted her. His gray wolf tackled her brown one. They fought while chaos erupted around them.Kade fired from his wheelchair. Taking down humans trying to breach medical. His aim was perfect even sitting down.Sage moved through the compound despite her body screaming in protest. She’d given birth twelve hours ago. Should be in bed. Instead she was fighting for her pack’s survival.A human came at her with a silver knife. She shot him. Point blank. Kept moving.Cole appeared beside her. “Medical is secure. Margaret got Hope and the other patients to the bunker.”“How many attackers?”“Fifty when they started. Maybe thirty left. But they’re armed and organized.” Cole shifted and took down two humans trying to flank them. “We’re holding but barely.”The fight lasted twenty minutes. Felt like hou
Sage woke in the medical building for what felt like the hundredth time in her life.Margaret was beside her. Kade on the other side. Both looking exhausted.“The baby?” Sage asked. Her voice was hoarse.“Still there. Heartbeat strong.” Margaret showed her the ultrasound screen. “But you’re on strict bed rest. Any more stress and you will miscarry.”“I can’t be on bed rest. The war—”“The war will happen with or without you running around making it worse.” Margaret’s voice was firm. “You’re pregnant. High risk. You don’t get to be Alpha right now. You get to be a mother protecting her child.”“But the pack needs—”“The pack needs their Alpha alive and sane. Not dead from stress.” Kade grabbed her hand. “Cole can lead temporarily. You focus on staying pregnant.”Sage wanted to argue. But the cramping pain was still there. A reminder of how close she’d come to losing this baby.“Fine. Bed rest. But I want updates. Every day. On everything.”Cole came by that evening. Brought reports on
The bullet hit the ceiling. Marcus had aimed high deliberately. Warning shot.“Everyone down!” Cole yelled.Wolves scattered. Some shifted. Some dove for cover. Marcus’s rebels blocked the exits.Sage moved in front of Kade’s wheelchair. “What do you want, Marcus?”“What I’ve always wanted. Control.” He walked further into the room. Blood dripped from a wound on his shoulder. He looked half-dead but still dangerous. “Thought I’d let you vote? Choose your future? That’s not how this works.”“The vote is pack law,” Victoria said. She’d been observing from the side. “You can’t just—”“I don’t care about pack law. Or the council. Or any of this.” Marcus gestured with his gun. “I’m taking what should have been mine from the start.”“You lost,” Kade said from his wheelchair. “Your rebellion failed. Accept it.”“I lost because you cheated. Because she cheated.” Marcus pointed the gun at Sage. “Half-blood bitch who shouldn’t even exist. And you let her lead.”“Lower the weapon,” Victoria comm
She met Kade’s eyes. “I found out later the Alpha’s name was Richard Blackwood. I didn’t know that was your father until I saw photos in your penthouse. By then we already signed the contract.”“Why didn’t you tell me?”“Because I was terrified you’d kill me. I spent the last fifteen years hiding f
Kade woke up at noon the next day drenched in sweat and barely able to lift his head off the pillow.Sage was beside him immediately with water and medication. “Drink this. The fever broke an hour ago but you are still weak.”He drank and his hands shook holding the glass. “How long was I out?”“Ei
The Blackwood Industries building looked different at two in the morning, with most of the lights off and shadows pooling in every corner.Sage sat in the passenger seat of Jenny’s car that Riley was now driving and stared up at the tower trying to remember the access codes Kade had made her memori
Sage sat on the edge of Kade’s couch and tried to figure out where to start with a story that haunted her for fifteen years.Kade was in the chair across from her. Far enough that they were not touching but close enough that the mate bond eased slightly. The constant pain in her chest had dulled t







