Chapter 155 You Came For Us
Jolie pov
We peel out, vehicles racing down the access road while rogues provide covering fire. Behind us, I hear Ironwood screaming orders, guards mobilizing too late to stop our escape.
"They bought it." Ryder laughs through comms. "They actually thought you came to negotiate instead of running a rescue operation."
"People see what they expect to see." I grin. "They expected the Moonfire Luna to be arrogant and demanding."
"That was brilliant." Phoenix is almost giddy. "We pulled off a rescue without firing a single shot."
"Yet." Luna warns. "They'll pursue. We're not clear until we reach Iron Fangs territory."
But no pursuit comes. Maybe Ironwood is too embarrassed to admit he got played. Maybe the Council is too scattered to organize a response. Maybe they're just cutting their losses.Either way, we make it back to the compound with Knox and Cass alive.
Doc rushes out to meet us. "Medical bay, now. Both of them need immediate attention."
We carry them inside. Knox's broken leg needs setting, Cass's blessed silver burns need treatment to prevent infection.
"You came for us." Cass says as Doc starts working on his burns. "You actually came."
"Of course we came." I grip his uninjured hand. "We don't leave pack behind."
"Could have." Knox grits his teeth as Doc sets his leg. "Would have been smarter. We were captured doing our jobs no one would have blamed you for cutting losses."
"I would have blamed me." I squeeze Cass's hand harder. "You stayed behind to protect us. That earned a rescue. Always."
"That's the difference between us and the Council." Ryder stands in the doorway. "They see wolves as disposable resources. We see pack as family worth dying for. You two proved it by staying behind. Jolie proved it by walking into a Council facility to get you back."
"She really did that?" Knox asks. "Walked up to the front gate and demanded our release?"
"Created the distraction of a lifetime." Ryder grins.
"That's my Luna." Cass manages a pained smile. "Too smart for her own good."
"Rest." Doc orders. "Both of you. No moving, no missions, just recovery. Doctor's orders."
"Yes sir." They say in unison.
I leave them with Doc, heading back outside where the refugees are settling into their new home.
Wolves who chose freedom over fear. Who walked away from traditional packs, Council control, and conditioning. Who bet everything on the Moonfire Luna keeping them safe. The weight of it settles on my shoulders.
"Are you okay?" Ryder appears beside me.
"We just rescued Knox and Cass." I watch the compound buzzing with activity. "But we also declared open war on the Council. Exposed their Academy, burned Nightshade Estate, freed dozens of wolves who'll need ongoing support. We won today. But we also started something we might not be able to finish."
"Then we finish it together." He pulls me close. "You're not alone in this. You have pack, allies, and wolves who'll fight beside you. That's not nothing."
"It's not enough." I lean against him. "Not to take down every Council facility. Not to free every Academy student. Not to rebuild wolf society into something better. We need more wolves, more resources, more time."
"So we build it." Luna joins us. "We use what happened today—the exposure, the defections, the proof that divine wolves can win—to recruit more allies. Spread word through wolf society that the Council is vulnerable, I know that change is possible."
"And we hit them while they're reeling." Gio adds. "The Montana facility like we planned, then Nevada. Then California. We free every captive, destroy every operation, until there's nothing left of their breeding program."
"That's ambitious." I point out.
"So is rebuilding wolf society." He shrugs. "But someone has to do it. Might as well be us."
I look around the compound. At refugees finding shelter. At Academy graduates learning to feel again. At pack members recovering from injuries earned protecting others. This is what we're fighting for. Not revenge, not power. Just the chance for every wolf to choose their own path instead of having it chosen for them.
"Okay." I straighten my spine. "We finish what we started. We free the captives, destroy the facilities, and rebuild wolf society into something that values connection over control."
"That's a hell of a mission statement." Knox calls from the medical bay. "But if anyone can pull it off, it's our Luna Kane."
"We pull it off." I correct. "Together as a pack ."
"Pack." They echo back at me.