Chapter 13: Chapter Thirteen: The Countdown Begins

The tunnels of the Crescent Fang den felt heavier than usual as if the very walls carried the weight of the pack’s uncertainty. The scent of blood from the last battle still clung to the air, sharp and metallic, reminding everyone that the rogues had nearly taken everything from them.

Alex stood before the crude symbol carved into the stone wall, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. The blood-red words beneath it"Tick tock, Crescent Fang."felt like more than a warning.

It was a promise.

Kara stood beside him, her face unreadable, but he could sense the tension in her stance. Her fingers toyed with the edge of her crossbow strap, a telltale sign that she was thinking. Hard.

“They’re counting down to something,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “And they’re making sure we know it.”

Alex exhaled through his nose, his claws flexing at his sides. His ribs still ached from the last fight, but there was no time to rest. No time to heal.

Because the rogues weren’t letting them breathe.

“They want us to panic,” he said finally. “To make mistakes. They know Lucas is losing control, and they’re pressing in, waiting for the moment we break.”

Maya approached from behind, her dark hair pulled back, her expression grim. “Then we can’t let them have that moment.”

She gestured toward the gathered wolves in the chamber, all of them whispering, eyes darting between Alex and the message on the wall.

“They’re looking to you now, Alex,” she continued, her voice softer. “Not him.”

The words settled in his chest like lead. He already knew it, but hearing it out loud made it real.

Lucas was still their alpha. But how much longer would the pack follow a leader who refused to see the truth?

Kara shifted, giving Alex a knowing look. “We’re running out of time to wait for him to make the right call.”

Alex ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. The pack needed action. Now.

“We’re not waiting anymore,” he said, voice firm. “We’re going after them.”

Maya smirked. “Finally.”

Kara cracked her knuckles. “I thought you’d never say it.”

Alex turned back to the others. “Get a scouting party ready. We’re finding their base. We end this before the countdown runs out.”

Tracking rogues was never easy.

They weren’t like pack wolves, who relied on structure, tradition, and the safety of the den. Rogues were unpredictable, moving like ghosts, leaving barely a trace. They used the city as their hunting ground, slipping between alleyways and abandoned buildings, lurking where no one thought to look.

But Alex knew his territory better than anyone.

The scouting party moved swiftly through the ruins of the industrial district. The city stretched ahead, glowing in the distance, but they weren’t heading for civilization. They were heading for the graveyard of rusted steel and crumbling factories the perfect place for rogues to hide.

Maya was the first to notice the scent. “They’re close,” she murmured, her sharp gaze scanning the empty streets.

Alex inhaled deeply. The rogue stench was faint but unmistakable wolves who lived without order, without law. The scent was strongest near a cluster of collapsed warehouses, where darkness pooled thickest.

Kara crouched beside him, eyes narrowed. “This feels too easy.”

Alex nodded. “That’s because it is.”

They weren’t just hunting the rogues.

They were walking into a trap.

The first attack came from above.

A rogue dropped down from the rafters, claws flashing in the dim light. Alex dodged just in time, feeling the sharp wind of the strike graze his cheek. Before he could counter, another rogue lunged from the shadows.

The fight exploded in an instant.

Jax slammed into the nearest rogue, pinning him to the ground with a snarl. Maya tore through two at once, her claws quick and precise. Kara fired a bolt into a rogue’s shoulder, then spun to reload.

Alex locked eyes with the biggest of them all a towering rogue with jagged scars and a wild grin.

Alpha material, Alex thought grimly. But not for long.

The rogue lunged.

Alex dodged the first strike, twisting to the side before driving his claws into the rogue’s ribs. The impact sent the rogue staggering, but he recovered quickly, snarling.

“You’re strong,” the rogue growled, circling Alex. “But you don’t know what you’re up against.”

Alex wiped blood from his lip. “Then show me.”

The rogue lunged again, faster this time. Their claws clashed in a blur of silver and red, the air thick with the sound of snarls and tearing flesh.

But Alex wasn’t just fighting to win.

He was fighting for answers.

With a final, brutal strike, he drove his elbow into the rogue’s skull, sending him crumpling to the ground.

The other rogues saw their leader fall. Their snarls wavered, their confidence shaken.

That was all it took.

One by one, they broke ranks. Some ran. Others hesitated.

Maya grabbed a rogue by the collar before he could flee. “Where’s your leader?” she demanded, her claws digging in.

The rogue bared his teeth. “You think this is over?”

Kara stepped closer, her crossbow aimed. “I think you’re going to start talking.”

The rogue let out a low, wheezing laugh. “The countdown’s almost over.”

Alex’s blood went cold.

Before he could press for more, a distant howl echoed through the ruins a single, piercing sound that sent every remaining rogue scattering into the night.

Maya released the rogue in disgust. “They’re running.”

Alex exhaled, his fists clenching.

No. They weren’t running.

They were regrouping.

And whatever they had planned, it was happening soon.

They dragged the captured rogue back to the den.

The interrogation chamber was deep in the tunnels, a place of cold stone and flickering light, where no one could hear a traitor beg.

The rogue was tied to an iron beam, his face bloodied, but his eyes still burned with defiance.

Alex crouched in front of him. “Start talking.”

The rogue grinned. “Why? The fun part hasn’t started yet.”

Alex’s claws flexed. “Tell me what happens when the countdown ends.”

The rogue chuckled. “You’ll find out.”

Kara slammed a boot into his ribs. “Enough riddles.”

The rogue coughed, spitting blood. “He’s already won.”

Alex’s pulse quickened. “Who?”

The rogue smirked, his voice dropping to a whisper.

“The real alpha.”

A shiver ran down Alex’s spine.

But before he could ask more, the rogue’s breath hitched and then stopped.

Alex’s eyes widened. “No”

Too late.

The rogue’s body went limp.

Maya cursed. “He was poisoned.”

Kara knelt beside him, eyes dark. “They knew we’d catch him. They didn’t want him talking.”

Alex stepped back, his mind racing.

The rogues weren’t just attacking anymore.

They were playing for keeps.

Hours later, another message appeared.

This time, it was carved inside the den.

Deep within the tunnels, written in sharp, deliberate lines.

"You’re running out of time."

Alex stared at the words, his heart pounding.

The rogues had been inside.

And that meant the countdown wasn’t just a warning.

It was a death sentence.