Chapter 130 Thirty-Two Days

Chapter 130 Thirty-Two Days
Logan POV.

Marcus convulses again. Worse than before. His scream becomes inhuman. Something between wolf and human and neither.

"It's happening." Rhea says. "The summoning's reaching critical point. Minutes now. We need to decide. Let him go or watch him die fighting it."

I look around the room. At the healers who couldn't help. At Caden, still being restrained. Tears streaming down his face. At Cassandra and Garrick. Faces grim. At Rune. Silver eyes filled with compassion and horror.

Through the window, I see dawn approaching. Our celebration ended hours ago. But pack members are still awake. Too afraid to sleep.

They don't know yet. Don't know their trusted member is about to betray them all.

"Let him go. Get him outside the fortress. Point him north. Let the curse take him to Viktor."

"Logan—" Rune protests.

"I know. But killing him makes us monsters. And watching him die slowly is crueler than letting him go quickly."

Marcus's eyes find mine one last time. Grateful. Terrified. Sorry beyond words.

"Thank you. For not... making me die... here..."

"When this is over. When Viktor's dead, we'll come for you. Bring you home."

It's a lie. We both know it. Once Viktor has him, Marcus is lost forever.

But the lie is kind.

Four warriors carefully lift Marcus. Carry him toward the exit. We follow. The entire group moves to the fortress walls to watch.

The moment Marcus crosses beyond our territory boundary, the curse takes full control.

His shift is violent. Bones breaking. Reforming wrong. His wolf form emerges corrupted by dark magic. Patches of black spreading through his fur like infection. Eyes glowing red with Viktor's power.

Then he runs. North. Toward the Bloodmoon Wastelands. Toward Viktor.

The movement is wrong. Not the graceful lope of a healthy wolf. This is jerky. Compelled. Like a puppet on strings being yanked forward.

We watch in silence until he disappears into the dawn light.

"He's going to suffer." Rune whispers beside me. "Viktor will torture him for every detail. Then use him as weapon in the battle."

"I know." I pull her close.

"We should have killed him. It would have been mercy."

"Maybe. But we'd have lost something doing it. Some part of ourselves we can't get back."

Cassandra approaches. Tablet in hand. "I'm mobilizing evacuation protocols. Children and elders move out within the hour. Key supplies relocate to secondary caches. Guard rotations change immediately."

"Do it."

"It won't be enough. Marcus knows too much. We've lost our defensive advantage."

"I know. But we work with what we have."

The pack is gathering on the walls now. Watching the horizon where Marcus disappeared. Understanding spreading as word passes. Betrayal. Compromise. Danger.

But also determination. They're not running. Not surrendering.

They're preparing to fight anyway.

Rune's hand finds mine. "Thirty-two days."

"Thirty-two days. And now Viktor knows exactly how we're defending."

We stand together as dawn breaks. Alpha and Luna. Watching the horizon. Knowing the enemy just gained massive advantage.

The celebration is over. The calm before the storm has passed.

Now comes the war.

And we just lost the first battle before it even began.