C4

“Do not push your luck, rogue,” Gali growled, his grip on my second son tightening as the boy thrashed.

This tiny pup was completely lawless.

Yet, as Gali stared closer at the small face behind the cloth mask, his wolf stirred with a strange, heavy warmth. The sharp, piercing shape of the boy’s eyes looked exactly like Malek Thorncrest’s gaze, softening the Alpha's cold heart. If not for that sudden inner pull, he would have already ordered the pack enforcers to lock the brat in the dungeons.

“You broke pack territory laws the second you slashed my transport,” Gali demanded, his tone freezing.

“That ugly, ancient witch started the fight!” Malek snapped back, his small fangs flashing.

Sade Wintermere screeched, her painted claws digging into her velvet pelts.

Ugly? Ancient? Who was this little beast addressing?

Gali’s alpha aura flared, heavy and suffocating. “The pack laws do not care about your excuses. Destruction of an Alpha's property demands blood or retribution.”

Malek scowled, his little chest heaving. “You are not my pack leader. You are not my sire. Why should I listen to a stranger?”

Gali’s eyes narrowed, dangerous and sharp. “Where is the Alpha of your line? Where are your guardians?”

He never lowered himself to argue with pups, but he would not let their protectors escape the consequences. This armored truck was forged from rare northern silver, worth fifty million pack resources, and it was ruined on its first run into Myhill CrestHALL. He required an explanation.

Besides, Gali’s sharp eyes tracked the smoking ruins of the heavy tires.

The rubber had not been cut by claws. They had been blown apart by highly advanced, condensed fire-powder capsules.

Could a mere rogue pup handle military-grade pack explosives?

Or was a rival faction using this child as a pawn to assassinate him?

For the safety of the Blackmoor line, he needed answers.

Hearing his family brought into the threat, Malek’s aggressive posture faltered for a split second.

Every wild pup shared the same weakness they all feared the wrath of their mother. Malek was a total daredevil, a rogue who feared no dominant wolf in the territory. But Sandra? Her disappointment terrified him.

Our female lead never struck her pups, but the thought of causing her pain made Malek’s inner beast whimpering inside.

His brave act melted into a pout. “If you want to fight an adult, go find my sire. My mother is far too busy for a broken wolf like you.”

Gali shifted his gaze, his wolf rejecting the idea of dealing with rogue females.

“Where is your sire then?” Gali demanded.

“My sire? He is burning in the dark abyss of the underworld. You should run down there and meet him.”

Gali stood completely speechless, his jaw locked.

Sade seized the moment, stepping forward with a malicious sneer. “This stray is completely feral, Gali! He is wishing death upon the Blackmoor Alpha! Look at his ragged wool; he comes from a low-blood rogue den. A rotten seed from a useless pack, completely without honor!”

“You talk about honor?” Malek roared back, his tiny voice vibrating with rogue fury. “An old female like you struck a six-winter-old pup in the dark! How did your luna raise you? You are a disgrace to the moon!”

Sade’s face went white with rage. “I am only twenty-eight winters old!”

“Really? Your scent tells a different story. I thought you were eighty-eight.”

“You little..”

“Silence,” Gali cut her off, his icy command making Sade choke on her words. “If you keep trading barks with a pup, I will let the pack council judge your behavior.”

Just as Malek opened his mouth to insult her again, the communication device on his wrist hummed. My frantic scent-signature pulsed through the light.

I was panicking near the gates, unable to find him.

Malek could not bear the thought of making me worry. He glared up at Gali’s massive form.

“My pack needs me, I am done playing with you. Scent you later, broken wolf!”

With a sudden, violent twist, Malek shifted his upper torso halfway into his wolf form, slicking right out of his heavy winter coat and dropping to the stones.

“Keep the pelts! Consider it a gift from the Ashbourne line!” the boy yelled, shifting back and vanishing into the crowded stone tunnels like a ghost.

Gali stared down at the empty wool jacket dangling from his hand, his alpha aura exploding in pure fury. “Track that pup’s scent trail immediately! Bring his guardians to the Emberfang Study! And find out who supplied those fire-capsules!”

“Right away, Alpha!” Kairo Vale barked, signaling the elite trackers to storm the port gates.

Gali turned on Sade, his golden eyes flashing with deep disgust. “Why did the boy claim you attacked his pack brother?”

Sade put on an innocent face, her voice trembling artificially. “How could my wolf harm a child, Gali? His brother saw my expensive pelts and tried to trick me for pack resources. Ask my guards if you doubt my word. The boy is a thief and a liar, just like the rogues who raised him. Bad blood breeds bad pups. His mother must be a feral bitch.”

Gali shot her a look so cold her breath caught in her throat. He turned his back on her without a single word, leaving her standing in the dust.

Meanwhile, Malek had sprinted back to my side near the transport terminal.

I had no idea what kind of madness had just occurred at the outer gates, nor did I know my second son had just insulted the most dangerous Alpha in the north. Watching him pant for breath, I knelt down to check his face.

“Malek, where did you run off to? My wolf was frantic looking for you.”

Malek saw my worried expression and realized I was still completely oblivious to his little war.

His eyes crinkled behind his mask, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. “Do not worry, Mother. The city looked so massive, my beast got curious and I went to sniff the border walls. The market is very loud!”

“It is loud because this is the capital of the territory, my boy. But large packs bring dangerous hunters. You cannot shift and run without my permission. What if a rogue collector caught your scent? What would your brothers and I do without you?”

Puffing out his chest, Malek growled playfully. “Relax, Mother. If a collector ever tried to trap me, my claws would tear them apart! Look at who our mother is! I am far too fast to be caught by these city wolves.”

“You and your wild stories,” I sighed, but my voice held no real anger. I pulled him close, my heart overflowing with absolute devotion for my pups.

Malek nudged my hand. “Come on, Mother, do not fret. I am back in the den safe and sound. Let us find some fresh meat. My wolf is starving, and I know Kairo and Leori need to feed their beasts too.”

Malek kept glancing over his shoulder, terrified that the nasty female or the big Alpha might track his scent back to me.

I smiled, easing his tension. “Alright, my wolves. I will take you all to a tavern right now.”

“Yes!” the three boys chimed together.

Kairo Vale immediately stepped forward, grabbing the heavy leather luggage from my hand. “Let me carry the load, Mother.”

Malek quickly snatched my travel pack. “A beautiful female should walk freely. Let the males of the pack handle the heavy cargo.”

Leori reached up, slotting his small fingers into mine. “I will guard your flank, Mother.”

Treated like a revered Luna by my own sons, a radiant smile broke across my face as I led my small pack out of the crowded station.

None of us noticed a dark pair of eyes watching our movements from the high stone ledges.

The cloaked figure watched us slip into the shadows of the city, a cold, unnatural smile twisting their face like a phantom in the night.

Carrying heavy packs through the grand markets was too dangerous for three hungry pups, so I checked us into a small, broken-down stone inn near the lower-tier borders.

I had no pack alliance or steady work yet, so our resources were dangerously low. A proper room inside Myhill CrestHALL was out of the question.

My immediate plan was to get Gali Blackmoor to sign the rejection decree, secure the boys' registration under my name alone, and flee this dangerous capital for a quiet, neutral forest town where the weather was mild. There, I could find an omega job.

“Mother, are we sleeping in this den tonight?” Kairo asked, his nose wrinkling at the scent of old dust.

Knowing my eldest son loved a clean nesting area, I pulled him close to comfort him. “Our resources are tight, Kairo, and we cannot afford a grand chamber right now. It is rough for your inner wolves, I know. But do not worry; I will scrub the stone, lay down our own mountain furs, and we will not stay long. Once the Alpha signs the papers, we will build a real home.”

Kairo looked at me with a look of pure, hidden helplessness, thinking about the millions of pack resources sitting in his secret rogue bank account. His mother was wonderful, just far too protective and naive.

Two winters ago, when he brought his first massive earnings from his secret trade networks to our cave, I had nearly fainted at the sight of five thousand gold pieces. I couldn't comprehend a young pup gathering that much wealth, assuming a rogue hunter was using the gold as bait to capture my children.

That fear had cost me weeks of sleep, draining the light from my eyes.

When Kairo earned his second fortune a cool million from selling advanced armor designs to distant Alphas he hesitated for moons before deciding to hide the truth from me, terrified my wolf would break from the stress. As his wealth grew, the resources simply piled up in the neutral banks, completely untouched.

When we descended the mountains and he saw my empty pockets, he had secretly forced Malek to hand me five hundred silver coins, claiming it was a lucky prize from a market raffle.