로그인Sage 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
Sage’s white wolf launched at Marcus before anyone could react.She hit him hard. They went down in a tangle of fur and teeth. She got her jaws around his shoulder and bit down until she tasted blood.His wolves moved in. Fifty of them surrounding her.She didn’t care. Kade was chained behind her dying and she’d tear through all of them to save him.Marcus threw her off. She hit the cave wall. Stunned.He shifted to human. Grabbed the silver knife. “Bad decision.”She shifted back. Gasping for air. “Let him go.”“No. I think I’ll kill you both. Right here. Right now.” Marcus walked toward her. “But you first. Make him watch.”He raised the knife.Then the cave entrance exploded.Not literally. But it felt like it. Wolves poured in. Fifty of them were wearing council colors.Victoria at the front. “Stand down, Marcus!”“You tracked me.” Marcus spat. “Of course you did.”“Sage warned me about your attack. About everything.” Victoria’s voice was cold. “You’re under arrest for treason aga
Sage’s miracle came from an unexpected place.One of the imprisoned wolves was a female named Rachel. Mid-thirties. Quiet. Had been in the cage for two weeks.She waited until the guards changed shift at three AM. Then whispered to Sage. “I can pick locks.”“What?”“The silver chains. I can pick them.” Rachel held up a small wire hidden in her hair. “But I need time. And a distraction.”Sage looked at Kade. He was barely conscious. The silver poisoning was affecting him worse than her. He’d been shot with silver bullets too recently. His body couldn’t handle more exposure.“How long?” Sage asked.“Ten minutes per lock. There are four of us. Forty minutes total.” Rachel looked at the guards. “Can you distract them that long?”“I’ll figure it out.” Sage touched Kade’s face. “Stay with me. Just a little longer.”He mumbled something. His skin was gray. Fever burning through him.She started screaming. “Help! He’s dying! Please, someone help!”The guards came over. “Shut up.”“He’s having
Sage was supposed to stay in bed for three days but by the second morning she was going crazy.Margaret had cleared her for light activity. The silver bullet wounds were healing faster than normal thanks to her hybrid nature. Human enough to process the silver. Wolf enough to heal quickly.She foun
“Do you both enter this bond willingly?” the elder asked.“Yes,” Kade said.“Yes,” Sage whispered.“Then we begin.”The elder spoke in the old language. Words Sage didn’t understand but felt in her bones. He called on the moon and the earth and the ancient pack bonds that connected them all.Then h
The next attack came two days later at the worst possible time.Sage was at the clinic with Jenny treating a line of patients that had been backed up since the warehouse ambush. Three injured wolves. Two human patients with the flu. One kid with a broken arm.It was noon, bright daylight. The last
The peace lasted exactly three days.Sage was at the clinic treating a patient with a sprained ankle when Riley burst through the door with blood running down his arm.“We need to talk,” he said. “Now.”She finished wrapping the ankle and sent the patient home, then turned to Riley. “What happened?







