Chapter thirty three
The tension in the air was palpable as the pack worked through the night, reinforcing defenses, sharpening weapons, and setting up additional patrols along the perimeter. The scent of freshly dug earth and raw wood filled the clearing as wolves worked tirelessly, reinforcing barricades and preparing for what everyone knew was coming.
Orion’s forces had been spotted at the border, but they hadn’t attacked. Not yet.
It was a message. A challenge. A reminder that he wasn’t finished with them.
Kai stood near the training grounds, watching as warriors drilled in tight formations, their movements precise, their focus unwavering. They were strong, capable. But Kai knew that wasn’t enough. This wasn’t a battle against another pack. Orion was something else, something unnatural.
A hand brushed against his wrist, grounding him.
Lucian.
“You’re too tense,” Lucian murmured, his voice low but firm.
Kai exhaled sharply. “Can you blame me?”
Lucian didn’t answer immediately, his sharp blue gaze scanning the clearing, assessing, calculating. “They’re ready.”
Kai shook his head. “You don’t know that.”
Lucian turned to him, his expression unreadable. “No one is ever ready for war. But that doesn’t mean we wait for it to come to us.”
Kai swallowed hard, his fingers clenching at his sides. “And what if that’s exactly what Orion wants?”
Lucian’s jaw tightened.
Before he could respond, a sharp howl rang through the air.
Every wolf in the clearing went still.
A scout sprinted toward them, panting, his face pale. “Message,” he gasped. “From Orion’s forces.”
The entire pack converged near the northern perimeter, where a single wolf stood at the edge of their land. He was tall, broad-shouldered, his stance rigid, his face expressionless.
He wasn’t alone.
Behind him, two wolves knelt in the dirt, their bodies bruised, their heads bowed.
Kai’s stomach twisted.
They were theirs. Two of the freed wolves who had only recently started adjusting to life outside of Orion’s control.
Lucian stepped forward, his voice cold. “What do you want?”
The standing wolf tilted his head. “Not much. Just to deliver a message.”
Kai’s pulse roared in his ears.
The wolf turned his gaze directly to him.
“This one’s for you, Kai.”
Silence stretched, thick and suffocating.
Kai forced himself to stay still as the wolf reached into his jacket and pulled out a piece of rolled parchment. He tossed it onto the ground between them.
No one moved.
Kai’s throat was dry. He could feel the weight of Orion’s presence in that simple piece of parchment, the phantom of his power lingering even in his absence.
Lucian bent down, picking it up carefully before unrolling it.
His expression darkened instantly.
Kai stepped closer, his eyes scanning the message.
You have something that belongs to me.
I’ll be coming to collect.
Kai’s blood ran cold.
Lucian exhaled sharply, crumpling the parchment in his fist. “Get out.”
The messenger smiled faintly. “You should know better, Alpha. This is just the beginning.”
Kai was already moving before Lucian could stop him, his hand closing around the wolf’s collar, yanking him forward. “Tell Orion if he wants me, he can come get me himself.”
The messenger didn’t flinch, didn’t react.
He only smirked.
Then, without another word, he shifted, fur exploding over his body as he took off into the woods.
Lucian let out a sharp growl but didn’t pursue.
The two kneeling wolves remained on the ground, trembling, their breath uneven.
Kai knelt beside them. “You’re safe,” he murmured.
One of them, a woman with streaks of silver in her hair, shuddered. “We never even saw him,” she whispered. “He didn’t need to be there. We could still feel him.”
Kai’s stomach twisted.
Lucian turned to Mira. “Get them inside. Make sure they’re looked after.”
Mira nodded, already moving to help.
Kai stood slowly, exhaling sharply. “We can’t just wait for him to come to us.”
Lucian turned to him, his blue eyes unreadable. “And you think walking into his trap is the better alternative?”
Kai clenched his fists. “If we wait, he gets stronger.”
Lucian’s jaw tightened. “And if we go to him, we risk losing everything.”
Kai knew that. Knew it wasn’t that simple.
But standing still had never been his style.
Before he could argue further, Anna’s voice cut through the tension.
“There’s another option.”
They turned to her.
She stood near the treeline, her expression tight, her fingers curled into her sleeves.
Kai frowned. “What do you mean?”
Anna hesitated. “We go inside his forces.”
Lucian stiffened. “Absolutely not.”
Anna’s eyes flashed. “You don’t even know what I’m suggesting.”
Lucian’s jaw clenched. “I know enough.”
Kai exhaled. “Explain.”
Anna swallowed hard. “Orion has more than just fighters. He has spies. Recruits. Wolves that are still choosing to join him, thinking he’s their best option.” She looked at Lucian. “If we infiltrate his forces, we can learn how he’s growing stronger. How he’s still controlling those who should be free.”
Lucian’s expression darkened. “And you think he won’t recognize you?”
Anna’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Not if we do it right.”
Kai realized what she was saying before she even said it.
“We pretend to be recruits.”
Anna nodded.
Silence followed.
Kieran let out a sharp breath. “That’s a suicide mission.”
Anna met his gaze. “Not if we play it smart.”
Lucian turned away, rubbing a hand over his jaw, thinking. Kai could see the war in his mind, the battle between risk and necessity.
Kai exhaled. “She’s right.”
Lucian turned back sharply. “Kai—”
“If we don’t take this chance, we’ll be fighting blind,” Kai interrupted. “Right now, we don’t know how Orion is doing what he’s doing. How he’s keeping his influence over those wolves even after we break his hold. If we don’t figure it out, this war is already lost.”
Lucian’s fists clenched.
Anna stepped forward. “I can lead it,” she said. “I know how he works. I know how his people think.”
Kai swallowed hard. “I’m going too.”
Lucian’s gaze snapped to him. “Absolutely not.”
Kai met his eyes, unwavering. “I’m not asking.”
The air between them was heavy, charged with unspoken tension.
Kai knew Lucian wanted to refuse. Wanted to protect him.
But Kai wasn’t someone who could just be protected.
Not anymore.
Lucian exhaled sharply. “You won’t be going alone.”
Kai arched a brow.
Lucian’s gaze flickered to Kieran and Rhett. “If you’re doing this, you’ll have backup.”
Kieran sighed. “I knew you were going to say that.”
Rhett grinned. “Looks like we’re going undercover.”
Kai swallowed, his heart pounding.
This was happening.
They were walking straight into enemy territory.
And if they failed?
Orion would never let them go.