LOGINGwen lifted her head from the mattress slowly. She was still holding her mother’s hand."Fine," she said automatically.Dr. Hallow studied her for another moment. Then she pulled the chair closer and sat down beside Gwen."Well, you do not look fine to me at all," the doctor said quietly.She looked at Beatrice for a moment, at the unconscious woman on the bed. Then she turned back to Gwen."You really don’t need to be so hard on yourself, you know that?" Dr. Hallow said. "Your parents wouldn’t have wanted this for you at all."Gwen looked at her mother’s peaceful face. At the machines keeping her alive."Well, I don’t really have a choice, do I?" Gwen said. Her voice was flat. Emotionless. The numbness had settled into her completely, making it impossible to feel much of anything.Dr. Hallow was quiet for a moment. Then she reached out and squeezed the hand that wasn’t holding her mother’s."You need to take care of yourself so that you’ll be able to take care of your mother when she
"We assume they’re here to take something," Duncan said. "Territory. Resources. Political advantage. Or...." He paused, looking at the elders directly. "We assume they’re here because of something they want from Greywatch. Something they couldn’t take directly without causing a war.""The omega," Elder Mateo said again, more certain this time. "They’re here because of the omega."Duncan wanted to deny it. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that Mateo was right.Why else would all three of them come in person?"Prepare for the worst," Duncan said, finalizing his decision. "But don’t make any moves that would escalate tensions with the Fenwicks. We host them with respect. We provide security and accommodations. We treat them as honored guests.""While preparing for them to attack?" Elder Rivers asked skeptically."While preparing for them to do whatever they came here to do," Duncan corrected. "Whether that’s attack, negotiate, or something else entirely."Elder Theodore set the letter d
Luke handed Duncan the sealed letter and left without another word.The office fell silent.Duncan held the parchment in his hands, feeling the weight of it. The Fenwick seal was unmistakable, three intertwined wolves, dark and powerful, pressed into the wax. This was official correspondence from one of the most powerful pack families in the werewolf realm.The three elders watched as he broke the seal.Duncan unfolded the letter carefully and began to read.His jaw tightened as his eyes moved across the page. The words were formal, written in the careful script of an educated alpha, but their meaning was crystal clear.He finished reading and set the letter down slowly on the desk.Cold sweat was beading on his forehead.Fear was crawling up his spine with icy fingers."What does it say?" Elder Mateo asked, his voice cutting through the silence.Duncan didn’t answer immediately. He simply picked up the letter again and handed it to Elder Theodore, his hand slightly unsteady.Elder Th
Duncan nodded. It was a delicate balance...showing strength without appearing suspicious or defensive.By midday, he made his way to the omega work areas.The omegas were scattered across multiple sections of the compound, each team assigned to different preparation tasks. Some were cleaning and organizing the guest quarters. Others were preparing the kitchens and dining areas. Still others were organizing the storerooms where supplies would be kept during the Summit.Gwen was part of the team cleaning the guest quarters.Duncan spotted her working on one of the upper-level suites, scrubbing surfaces with focused intensity. Her movements were efficient, economical, directed toward completing the task. But even from a distance, Duncan could see the exhaustion in the set of her shoulders. The way she moved suggested her body was struggling to keep up with the demands being placed on it.She’d volunteered for the extra shifts. Of course she had. He’d heard from Petra that the omega who’d
Around her, the other omegas were still murmuring, some worried, some resigned, some trying to calculate whether extra wages would be worth the additional exhaustion.But Gwen barely heard them.Her mind was spinning. Extra wages. More pay. How much more? Would it be enough? Could she actually cover the medical bills? Could she save her mother?The questions were endless, but underneath them all was a spark of something she hadn’t felt in weeks.Possibility."You’re dismissed," Petra said. "Except for those who want to volunteer for the longest shifts. See me before you leave."The assembly began to disperse. Omegas filtered out slowly, talking in low voices, processing the news. Some looked worried. Some looked resigned. Some looked calculating.Gwen stood rooted to the spot.Her exhaustion was still there. The dreams were still haunting her. The confusion about what was happening to her body was still present. But underneath it all, there was this new thing. This possibility.Emma p
"Gwen," Emma said. "Petra called an emergency assembly. Everyone needs to be at the facility by 8 AM instead of the usual 9 AM. Something’s happening."Gwen nodded slowly, processing the information. Emergency assembly. Early start. Something important."Okay," she said. "Thank you for telling me.""Are you alright?" Emma asked, concern flickering across her face. "You look....""I’m fine," Gwen said, cutting her off gently. "Just didn’t sleep well. I’ll be there by 8 AM."Emma nodded, though her expression suggested she didn’t entirely believe that Gwen was fine. But she didn’t push. She simply turned and left.Gwen closed the door and stood in the darkness of her apartment for a moment.She had maybe forty minutes to pull herself together enough to be presentable. Forty minutes to drag her exhausted body through a shower and into work clothes. Forty minutes to appear functional when she felt like she was falling apart.She moved to the communal bathroom.The water was cold, it was a







