LOGINI wanted to let Rhonen take over the patrol but decided against it. The snipers were going to struggle to tell the packs apart once we all started shifting. The longer we held off, the more accurately they could identify their targets.The air felt stagnant around me as I walked through the trees. The fading light of the sun casting shadows that somehow seemed more silent than usual.It was the calm before the storm. I could feel it in my bones.Every sound pulled my attention. I was more aware of my pack members around me. There was anxiety and fear flowing through the tethers that connected us. But there was conviction and determination as well. It was a morale that was as good as an Alpha could hope for, but it was still a heavy weight to bear.“We’ve got vehicles approaching,” a voice sounded over the radio on my hip. It was one of the human snipers. “Coming in fast. They’re going to use the sun against us.”I lifted the radio. “We need to get them into the trees,” I told him. “Ca
I let Lucas sleep. I could tell he hadn’t gotten much in days. He would need it before the fight. I should have gotten up but I wasn’t able to drag myself from the bed. Instead, I just watched Lucas sleep. Watched his chest rise and fall so calmly. It was the most at peace I’d seen him in months. It was a little strange… Knowing what we were facing.Lucas’ words sat heavy with me. Whatever hope we now had, it was just that—hope. It was no guarantee of victory. It certainly wasn’t a guarantee of our survival.My chest tightened. The weight of the coming hours finally hitting me as I was forced to imagine Lucas’ lifeless body. My breath hitched in my throat and I forced the image away. I pressed a hand to his chest. Needing to feel the rise and fall of his chest. The beating of his heart.An alarm started to sound from outside. The volume causing both of us to shoot up in the bed. We shared a look before jumping up, grabbing our clothes and pulling them on hurriedly.“It’s almost sunset
We went back to the farmhouse. When we went inside, I was surprised to find Hunter, Tarvyn, Amos, and Tarrah in the living room with Max and Uncle Rodney. They had arrived with Sutton and the human envoy. Sutton told me Helene was here too. Apparently, her and Jaden’s secret was out. So, it was no surprise when Tarrah said Jaden had dragged her off somewhere. Something I was dying to do myself with Sutton. But we had too much to do.Sutton insisted on getting my shoulder wound checked out and cleaned up. When that was dones, she and I made a point to walk through the rest of the camp, making sure everyone was getting fed, getting supplies, and getting rest where needed. I was constantly checking in with all the patrols and scouting parties. I wanted to make sure we knew every Dawn Stalker move we could. I was checking to make sure the medical supplies the humans brought were being allocated properly when I heard familiar raised voices around the barn.“…don’t get to order me around,”
I took a few steps forward. Again trying to make out what I was seeing through the hazy light of the sunrise. I heard footsteps come up behind me but I couldn’t be bothered to see who it was. My eyes stayed fixed on the vehicle coming towards us.Vehicles. Yes, there was definitely more than one. It was a motorcade of black buses and armored trucks.My heart started to race again. My chest tightening. Rhonen’s hackles raised. These were coming down our road. From the direction of Wildmore. This couldn’t be the Dawn Stalker advance. How could they have gotten past our defenses? And with such an arsenal. Pistols and rifles were one thing but armored vehicles?My feet remained planted. The lead vehicle, a truck with a large rifle attached to the roof, approached. More people had come to gather behind me but I couldn’t bring myself to look at them.As the vehicle came to a stop, the back door opened. A breeze picked up. Carrying a familiar scent toward me. A scent that almost had me fall
I took Raphe up to our apartment and got him cleaned up. Luckily, one of Lucas’ suits fit him well enough to be presentable. Soloman had said he fought hard to help them escape. You could hardly tell. He was only left with a few scrapes and scratches. Most of which were well into the healing process. It was a testament to his bloodline. His power had always been evident since I had met him. While that had waivered today, it was coming back.“So, who is it that I’ll be speaking with?” Raphe asked as he tugged on the cuff of the suit jacket.“The mayor of Dranfort—Mayor Goodwin,” I instructed. “The human territory only has one major city. That city governs all of the territory. He governs the city. He has control of their military.”“And he has two companies already marching through Silverstreak territory?”I nodded. “Yes, but he won’t give the order for them to fight with us until he is sure the lycans won’t retaliate. Under other circumstances, he is breaking some serious treaties doi
I rushed back to the packhouse. We came up near the gardens, not far from the back entrance where several vans had groups gathering around them. Somewhere within the throng, I caught sight of Tarvyn near the packhouse entrance as he ushered people out. I pushed my feet to move faster. Breaking out into a full run as I closed the distance.The closer I got the more I could see. The more I saw the harder my heart pounded. The smell of blood hit me just before the sight of blood stained clothes and bandages. People were being carried out of the vans. I started to believe the worst until Soloman’s face broke through the mix.“Soloman…” I called out, rushing in his direction. He turned just in time to see me flying at him, my arms going around his neck. “Thank the goddess.” I fought back tears. Not realizing just how worried I had been about losing him. “What happened? Are you hurt?”“I’m okay,” Soloman assured me. “Just some scratches. We were attacked on our way to the rescue vehicles at
We returned to the packhouse after searching the apartment. I let Rhonen run for a while longer, taking the time to map out a few new patrol routes for the security team. Once we were satisfied, we headed for home.I wasn’t able to access the information o
My days were slowly starting to find some routine. When Lucas had encouraged me to dive into this garden project, he really meant it. He helped me when he could, including with interviews and making final decisions on a contractor and suppliers. Within a week, we were ready to start clearing ground
Sutton had a restless night. She struggled to get comfortable enough to get any decent sleep. After a few hours of watching her suffer, I insisted on bringing her home. Ultimately, she managed to talk some sense into me and stayed for the remainder of the night.It was almost noon when I finally go
I accepted that I couldn’t go into the operating room. Settling with demanding to know what the hell happened and how. No one knew where the attacker had come from or who he was. They only remembered hearing Sutton scream. They rushed to her aid to find the stranger standing over her as she shielde







