Chapter 112 Luca
“They changed the rules again.”
The words left my mouth before I even stepped fully into the room, and every head turned toward me like I had just dragged a storm in with me.
Elder Greta didn’t react immediately. She sat at the center of the long wooden table, hands folded, eyes steady on me like she’d been waiting for me to say it out loud.
“Tell me,” she said.
I didn’t sit. “They’re not just scouting anymore. They’re coordinating and forcing us to spread thin.”
A murmur moved around the room. Rafe leaned forward his forearms braced against the wood while Damian stood near the wall watching everything without interrupting. Lila was there too her eyes flicking between me and Greta like she was trying to read something deeper than the words.
Greta nodded once. “We suspected as much.”
“That’s not all,” I added. “They’re baiting us. Pulling us toward certain areas then hitting somewhere else.”
“Of course it is,” Damian muttered. “Hunters don’t survive by being predictable.”
I shot him a brief look. “Neither do we.”
“Then stop reacting like they want you to,” he said.
Easy for him to say.
I dragged a hand through my hair forcing myself to focus. “We tried holding the outer lines. Didn’t work. We tried tightening the perimeter but that made it easier for them to slip through the gaps. Whatever we do, they do it faster.”
Rafe exhaled sharply. “So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying we stop thinking like prey,” I replied. “We’re treating this like defense. It’s not enough anymore.”
That got Greta’s attention. “Go on.”
“They want us reacting,” I continued. “So we stop reacting. We control the movement instead. If they’re studying us, we give them nothing to study.”
“And when they hit?” Lila asked quietly.
“We hit back,” I said.
The words settled heavily in the room.
Rafe’s jaw tightened. “You’re talking about escalation.”
“They already escalated,” I shot back. “We’re just catching up.”
Damian pushed off the wall slightly. “Careful. That’s how this turns into a war instead of containment.”
“It already is a war,” I said.
Greta spoke again. “You’re both right.”
We all looked at her.
She leaned back slightly, studying the table like the answer was written into the grain of the wood. “They’ve changed tactics which means we must do the same. But brute force will only play into their hands.”
“Then what do you suggest?” Rafe asked.
Her gaze lifted again. “We outthink them.”
A small humorless laugh slipped out of me. “They’ve been planning this longer than we realized. Out thinking them isn’t exactly simple.”
“No,” she agreed. “But it is necessary.”
She gestured slightly toward the map spread across the table. Old, worn, marked with lines and symbols that had been added and erased so many times it was hard to tell what was current and what wasn’t.
“Come here,” she said.
I stepped closer and the others followed.
Greta pointed to a cluster of markings near the edge of the territory. “These were the original entry points.”
Her finger moved inward, tracing a path that cut across several lines. “Now they move like this. Unpredictable on the surface, but still guided.”
“Guided by what?” Lila asked.
Greta didn’t answer instead she tapped a different section of the map.
“This,” she said.
I frowned. “That’s not near any of the recent activity.”
“Exactly,” she replied.
Understanding hit slowly. “They’re not just targeting territory.”
“No,” Greta confirmed. “They’re targeting us.”
Rafe straightened slightly. “Meaning?”
“Meaning their movement isn’t random at all,” she said. “It’s reactive. They’re watching how we respond, then adjusting to exploit it.”
“That’s what we’ve been saying,” I pointed out.
“Yes,” she said. “But you’re still thinking in terms of boundaries.”
Her gaze locked onto mine. “They’re thinking in terms of behaviour.”
That changed everything and I felt it click into place.
“They’re mapping us,” I said slowly. “Not the land but us.”
“Correct.”
A chill ran down my spine.
“They know how we move,” Lila pointed out.
“And how we think,” Damian added.
Rafe cursed under his breath. “Then every adjustment we make just gives them more data.”
“Unless,” Greta said, “we stop behaving predictably altogether.”
I looked at her. “You’re saying we need to act against instinct.”
“I’m saying you need to act against expectation,” she corrected.
“Wolves rely on instinct,” she continued. “Hierarchy and structure. It’s what keeps you strong but right now, it’s also what makes you vulnerable.”
“So we break formation,” Rafe said.
“Temporarily,” Greta replied.
I frowned. “That’s risky.”
“Everything about this is risky,” she said calmly.
She wasn’t wrong.
“If they can’t predict us,” Lila said slowly, “they can’t trap us.”
“Exactly,” Greta said.
I stared down at the map again, my mind racing through possibilities. It could work or it could fall apart completely.
“What about communication?” I asked. “If we’re breaking structure, we risk confusion.”
“Then you simplify it,” Greta said.
Rafe nodded slightly. “We can manage that.”
Damian pushed himself fully upright now, stepping closer to the table. “And when we find them?”
Greta’s expression didn’t change.
“We observe first,” she said. “Engage only when necessary. Information is just as valuable as victory right now.”
I exhaled slowly. “They won’t give us much time for observation.”
“No,” she agreed. “Which is why you must choose your moments carefully.”
We had a plan now or at least the start of one and plans meant action. Action meant risk.
“You’ll lead the adjustment,” Greta said, looking directly at me.
I nodded. “Understood.”
Rafe glanced at me. “I’ll coordinate the subgroups.”
“Good,” I said.
Lila stepped forward slightly. “I’ll handle internal communication. Make sure everyone stays aligned.”
I nodded again.
Damian didn’t say anything at first. Then, “I’ll run point on external movement. If there’s a pattern we’re missing, I’ll find it.”
“Do it,” I said.
For a moment, everything felt like we had something to hold onto then the door burst open and everyone turned at once. A younger wolf stood there, breathing hard with wide eyes.
“They moved again,” he said.
My chest tightened. “Where?”
He swallowed. “Everywhere.”
The word hit us like a shockwave.