Chapter 145

ASHER

The morning light filtered through the large windows of my office, casting long shadows across the polished oak desk. Yesterday had been Luca’s first birthday—a day filled with joy, laughter, and the warmth of family. But now, less than 24 hours later, the peace from that day seemed distant, overshadowed by the unsettling events at the end of the celebration. Isabella had seen her mother. Emilia. That's what she finally told us before going to bed, but she wasn't sure.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something bigger was coming, that Emilia wasn’t done with us yet. Not by a long shot.

The phone on my desk buzzed, pulling me out of my thoughts. The display flashed with the name I’d been waiting for: Marcus, the leader of the specialized team I’d commissioned to track down Emilia and the remaining werewolf hunters. I straightened in my chair, already bracing myself for whatever news was about to hit me.

I picked up the phone, keeping my voice calm despite the unease clawing at me. “Marcus,” I said, “what do you have for me?”

There was a pause on the other end, just long enough to make my pulse quicken. Then, Marcus’s deep voice cut through the line. “We’ve got a lead, Asher.”

I exhaled slowly, leaning back in my chair. “Tell me everything.”

“First off, I’m going to be straight with you—it wasn’t easy. Emilia’s careful, more careful than most. She’s been staying off the radar, moving her people in ways we haven’t seen before. They’re good at what they do. But we finally picked up her trail. She’s been using different names, different aliases, but we were able to match the description you provided with some recent activity in a remote part of northern Montana. A small town near the Canadian border. I’m sending you the details now.”

A ping on my computer signaled the incoming file. My eyes flicked to the screen as the document loaded, but I kept my focus on Marcus.

“Do you think it’s her?” I asked, my voice betraying none of the urgency I felt.

“It’s her,” Marcus replied confidently. “We’ve cross-referenced sightings, and there’s a woman fitting Emilia’s profile. She’s been spotted meeting with small groups of people—hunters, from what we can gather. They’re being cautious, no big movements, but we’ve noticed an uptick in activity. They’re planning something, Asher.”

A chill ran down my spine. “How long do we have?”

“That’s hard to say. Could be days, could be weeks. But we think Emilia’s gathering forces for a larger strike. She’s not content to just sit and hide. And there’s more.” Marcus’s tone shifted, darker now. “We believe she’s recruiting new blood. Training fresh hunters. This isn’t just about revenge or going after you or Isabella. This feels like the beginning of something bigger—an organized effort.”

I clenched my jaw, my mind racing. The threat was more serious than I’d hoped. Emilia wasn’t just an enemy from our past—she was building something dangerous, something that could come for all of us. And now that I had a family—Luca, Isabella, and my brothers—everything felt even more urgent, more personal.

“Do we know her endgame?” I asked, already suspecting the answer.

“Not yet,” Marcus said. “But we’ve intercepted a few bits of chatter. They’re talking about ‘purification’—removing the werewolf influence from humans entirely. We think Emilia’s rallying people who see werewolves as a threat to humanity. If she’s successful, it won’t stop at just your pack. This could turn into a full-scale war between humans and werewolves.”

I cursed under my breath, gripping the edge of my desk until my knuckles whitened. This was worse than I’d expected. I’d thought Emilia was out for personal vengeance, but this? This was an all-out campaign to destroy everything we’d built.

“What do you need from me?” I asked, knowing that sitting idle was no longer an option.

“We need to be ready to move, fast. I’ve got my team monitoring the area, but if Emilia makes a move, we need backup to intercept. If you want this to end, you need to decide whether you want to hit them now, or wait for more concrete evidence. It’s risky either way.”

I paused, weighing the options. Attacking now meant we could catch her off guard, but if we were wrong, if we didn’t have enough information, we could lose the element of surprise. Waiting could give us more intel, but also more time for her to gather forces, making it harder to strike effectively.

“Keep watching her,” I said after a moment. “If she makes a move, I want to know immediately. We’ll be ready to act. In the meantime, I’ll mobilize my people and make sure the pack is prepared for anything. We’re not letting this escalate any further.”

Marcus acknowledged the order. “Understood. I’ll be in touch the moment we have more.”

I hung up the phone, my mind buzzing with the weight of the decision. I sat there for a moment, staring at the now-closed file on my computer screen. The peaceful, family-filled day of Luca’s birthday party seemed like a lifetime ago. I had hoped we could finally enjoy a stretch of calm, but Emilia’s shadow loomed larger than ever.

A knock on the door broke my thoughts. Jax and Knox walked in, looking at me expectantly. I could see the question in their eyes—they knew I’d been waiting for that call.

“Any news?” Knox asked, leaning against the edge of the desk.

I nodded. “We found her,” I said quietly. “And she’s building an army.”

Both of their expressions darkened, the weight of my words settling in the room like a lead blanket.

“Looks like we’re not done yet,” Jax muttered, his tone grim.

“No,” I agreed, “we’re not.”

But this time, we’d be ready. And I wouldn’t stop until I was sure Emilia would never threaten my family again.