Chapter 82

**A Rogue Threat**

*Luna’s POV*

The smell of blood was in the air. It blended with the clear air of the western boundary, subtle yet distinct. As I took in the gory scene in front of us, my senses sharpened and my inner wolf snarled.

Alpha Magnus sent a perverse message by scattering the rogues' corpses in a purposeful pattern. I had only seen this sign of war in old manuscripts, and it was burnt into the soil.

A caution.

A pledge.

The adversary was no longer lurking in the dark. They were present.

Inna was standing next to me, his posture stiff, all of his muscles tensed. He whispered, his voice tinged with rage, "They're testing us."

I gave a nod. "And attempting to convey a message."

One of our soldiers, Jarek, came forward. "What are your orders, Beta?"

The pack was watching me and awaiting my order. It was a moment that made everything clear: because of my relationship with Inna, I was more than simply a healer or the Beta. I was as much their leader as he was.

I replied, "Burn the bodies." "Let our message be conveyed by the ashes."

A loud cry echoed through the woods as the smoke spiraled into the sky and the flames blazed. A scout with a pallid face ran toward us.

"They're on their way!"

The first wave of rogues rushed through the woods before I could even respond.

With brutal ferocity, the conflict broke out. Growls reverberated across the meadow, bodies clashed, and claws sliced through the air. I felt my wolf's raw strength flash through me as I transformed mid-lunge.

With his teeth snapping only inches from my neck, a rogue sprang at me. I whirled, slamming him into the ground with his own momentum, then digging my claws into his side. He let out a yell, but I killed him before he could recover.

Beside me, Inna was a natural force that tore through the opposition like a hurricane. He had a huge, dark, and unrelenting wolf. Before they could strike him, every rogue who approached him collapsed.

The rogues battled with reckless desperation, despite our competence. This raid wasn't the only one. It was a full-scale assault.

Then I noticed *her.*

A tall, muscular outlaw with sharp yellow eyes. She was different from the rest since she had a *purpose* and intellect behind her eyes.

She was observing me.

Ignoring the confusion surrounding us, she took a step forward. She tilted her head, thinking, "You're stronger than I expected." However, strength alone is insufficient.

I waited in my wolf shape, my muscles taut.

She grinned. "Let's examine your true nature."

Then she *disappeared.*

She was behind me before I could even react, since she moved so quickly. Her claws touched my side, but I managed to duck at the last second.

Even though I was in pain, I didn't let that stop me. I turned and aimed for her ribs.

She grabbed my wrist.

*Not possible.*

Her strength was unearthly, and her grasp was like iron.

I came to the icy conclusion that this was no ordinary rogue. There was *more.* about her.

She leaned in, her words no more than a whisper, before I could release myself.

"Remind your Alpha that the real war hasn't started yet."

Then she was gone with inhuman quickness.

The conflict was finished. The outlaws had fled.

However, the uneasiness in my chest just inte

nsified.

For this was hardly a triumph.

It was a *warning.*