CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 35
I woke up to the sound of voices in the hallway. Urgent. Low. Something was wrong.

My wolf stirred immediately, alert and restless. I swung my legs off the bed and grabbed my robe, stepping out before Dolphus could even knock.

“What happened?” I asked, my voice sharp, more Alpha than human now.

He looked startled by my readiness. “You should rest more,” he said, but there was no humor in his tone.

“Dolphus.”

He sighed. “We found one of the sentries at the north ridge. Unconscious. Deep claw wounds. We brought him back.”

My heart lurched. “Claw wounds? From what — rogues?”

“That’s what we’re trying to find out. The healers say he’ll survive, but his injuries are… odd. The marks are clean, deliberate. Not a wild attack.”

“Show me.”

We walked briskly down the hall toward the infirmary. My thoughts were racing — rogues hadn’t breached Crescent borders in months. And no wolf in the pack would dare attack one of their own. Unless…

Unless someone wanted to send a message.

The scent of antiseptic herbs filled the small medical room. The sentry, a young wolf named Riven, lay pale and weak on the cot. His left arm was wrapped in thick bandages, blood still faintly seeping through.

He struggled to sit up when he saw me. “Alpha…”

I raised a hand. “Rest. Just tell me what happened.”

His voice was hoarse. “I was on patrol. Everything was quiet until… until I heard movement. It was fast — I didn’t even scent it until it was too close. The wolf was huge. Silver eyes, dark fur. Stronger than any rogue I’ve fought before.”

Silver eyes. My chest tightened.

The wolf I saw last full moon — the one that ran before I could reach it.

My hands clenched. “Did you see where it went?”

Riven nodded weakly. “Into the eastern woods. Toward the old border line.”

Dolphus and I exchanged a look. The eastern border had been abandoned for years after the treaty. It wasn’t just dangerous — it was forbidden.

Before I could respond, Rory stepped into the room. His presence filled it, commanding but cold. “I heard,” he said simply. “Another attack?”

“Yes,” I replied. “Riven says the wolf had silver eyes.”

His brows furrowed. “Silver eyes?” He seemed to think for a moment, then said carefully, “That’s not any of ours.”

“You sure about that?” Dolphus asked, a quiet warning beneath his tone.

Rory shot him a hard look. “Yes. I know every wolf under my command. None of them match that description.”

The room fell silent for a beat too long.

Finally, I spoke. “Organize a scouting team. Small, fast, quiet. I want that wolf found before nightfall.”

Rory nodded. “I’ll go myself.”

I studied him. “No. You’ll take Kellan and the border guards. Dolphus and I will join the healers in reinforcing patrol defenses.”

For a second, something flickered across Rory’s face — irritation? disappointment? — but he masked it quickly. “Understood, Alpha.”

When he left, I turned to Dolphus. “He’s too eager.”

“I noticed.”

“He wants to handle this alone,” I murmured. “Which means he either knows what it is… or he’s trying to keep us from finding out.”

“Maybe both,” Dolphus said.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Keep an eye on him when they go. I don’t want surprises.”

He nodded, and for a moment, the tension between us softened. “You’re doing fine, Alaya,” he said quietly.

I gave him a faint, tired smile. “I wish I believed that.”

By afternoon, the packhouse was buzzing with unease. Wolves whispered in corners, their eyes flicking toward the forests as if the shadows themselves could lunge at them.

Fear spreads fast — even in the strongest pack.

I stood on the balcony overlooking the training field, watching as young recruits practiced under Kellan’s supervision. Their movements were stiff, distracted. Even they could sense the shift in energy.

I couldn’t help thinking of Elias — calm, distant, haunted by the loss of his old pack. I hadn’t seen him since our conversation about the humans. Could he know something about the rogue wolf?

No. Elias wouldn’t attack his own. He didn’t even have the strength to fight anymore.

Still, the thought lingered like fog.

“Alpha?”

I turned. It was Jules, one of our senior guards. He looked pale. “A message came in. Rory’s team found tracks near the eastern woods.”

My pulse quickened. “Tracks?”

“Yes, but they vanish before the ridge. It’s like the wolf just… disappeared.”

I frowned. “Wolves don’t vanish.”

“That’s what I told him. But Rory said he’s continuing east — toward the border cliffs.”

“What? That’s too far. He knows it’s unstable terrain.”

“I tried to tell him. He wouldn’t listen.”

Of course he wouldn’t. Rory never listened when orders clashed with his pride.

I grabbed my jacket. “Tell Dolphus I’m heading out. He can meet me halfway.”

Jules blinked. “Alaya, it’s dangerous—”

“So is losing another sentry.”

I shifted into my wolf before he could protest. My fur caught the wind as I bounded through the trees, the world a blur of green and earth and heartbeat. Every instinct screamed at me that something was wrong.

By the time I reached the ridge, dusk had started to fall. The air was colder here, thinner, laced with the metallic scent of old blood and magic.

Then I saw him.

Rory stood at the edge of the cliff, scanning the horizon. He didn’t look surprised to see me.

“I told you I’d handle it,” he said calmly.

“And I told you not to come alone,” I snapped. “Where’s Kellan?”

“Back at the trail. I needed to check something.”

“What, exactly?”

He hesitated, then pointed to a mark on the ground — faint, but visible in the fading light. A symbol burned into the soil. It looked like a crescent within a claw.

My stomach dropped.

“That’s not a rogue sign,” I whispered.

“No,” Rory said quietly. “It’s an old pack mark. From before the unification.”

“Whose?”

He met my gaze, and for once, I saw genuine worry in his eyes. “The same clan that destroyed Elias’s pack.”

The world tilted slightly beneath me.

“That’s impossible,” I breathed. “They were wiped out.”

“So we thought,” he said. “But if this symbol is back… then someone wants to reopen an old war.”

Silence fell between us, heavy and electric.

I stared at the mark again — burned, deliberate, defiant. My wolf growled low in my chest, recognizing the old energy for what it was: dangerous. Ancient. Familiar.

Rory broke the silence. “Alaya… whatever this is, we’re not ready. You need to be careful. If word spreads, panic will hit faster than you can contain it.”

He was right — and for once, I didn’t sense deceit in his tone. Only fear.

I straightened, forcing calm into my voice. “We say nothing for now. Bring Kellan and the guards back. I’ll speak to Dolphus when we return.”

He nodded slowly. “Understood.”

As I turned to leave, he called after me. “For what it’s worth… I’m on your side, Alaya. Even if it doesn’t look that way sometimes.”

I looked back at him — the wind catching in his hair, his expression unreadable.

“Then prove it,” I said quietly. “Because I can’t afford to doubt you right now.”

He didn’t reply. But as I walked away, I could feel his gaze on my back — steady, heavy, and full of something that felt almost like guilt.