Chapter thirty five

The moment Kai and the others stepped into Orion’s camp, the world around them shifted. This was nothing like the rogue camps or scattered outposts they had encountered before. This was organized, structured, a fully operational base brimming with wolves who had pledged themselves to Orion’s cause.

Tents and wooden barracks sprawled across the clearing, illuminated by torches and controlled bonfires that burned through the darkness. Groups of wolves trained in the open spaces, their movements efficient, their eyes sharp. Others patrolled the perimeter, moving with rigid discipline. These weren’t just bandits or strays—this was an army. And from the sheer number of them, Kai knew one thing for certain.

Orion was preparing for war.

They had expected a collection of rogues, a disjointed group of desperate wolves gathered under Orion’s banner. What they saw instead was a machine, a force that had been trained, conditioned, prepared.

Kai clenched his jaw, keeping his expression neutral as they walked through the camp, every step measured. The scent of wolves was overwhelming, mixed with the metallic tang of blood and sweat. If they weren’t careful, if they slipped even once, they were dead.

Anna moved beside him, her posture tense but steady. She had been here before. This had once been her reality. And now she was walking straight back into the jaws of the beast.

Rhett walked a little ahead, his easy smirk in place, but Kai knew him well enough to see the way his fingers twitched at his sides, how his muscles were coiled just beneath his relaxed stance. Kieran, on the other hand, was unreadable—silent, controlled, his golden eyes scanning the area without betraying a single emotion.

Selene led them deeper into the camp, her sharp gaze flicking over them every few moments, assessing, calculating. She hadn’t said much after their little test, but Kai could tell she was watching them.

Waiting for them to slip up.

Kai had already noticed something disturbing—some of the wolves here should have been dead.

His stomach turned when he saw a tall, scarred wolf standing near one of the barracks, barking orders at a group of younger recruits. He recognized the man immediately—Damon. A wolf from a neighboring pack that had been wiped out months ago. They had assumed Orion’s forces had killed them.

But no.

They had been taken.

Anna tensed beside him. She had seen it too.

Kai swallowed hard, keeping his voice low. “They’re not just recruiting strays. They’re taking wolves from fallen packs.”

Anna’s fingers curled into fists. “And turning them into soldiers.”

Kai exhaled slowly. Orion wasn’t just growing his army—he was building something unnatural.

Selene finally stopped near a large structure at the heart of the camp, motioning toward it with a slight tilt of her head. “This is the central barracks. Recruits stay here until they’re assigned.”

Kai studied the building. It was reinforced, stronger than the surrounding structures.

A prison disguised as a home.

Selene turned to them, her expression unreadable. “You’ll be watched. Closely.” Her eyes locked onto Kai’s. “Orion doesn’t trust outsiders.”

Kai didn’t blink. “Neither do we.”

Selene smirked, but there was no amusement in her eyes. “You’ll meet the rest of the recruits at dawn. Try not to get yourselves killed before then.”

With that, she turned and walked off, disappearing into the maze of the camp.

Kai exhaled, feeling the weight of her presence linger even after she was gone.

Rhett let out a low whistle. “Charming, isn’t she?”

Anna shot him a glare. “We need to be careful.”

Kieran nodded, his voice quiet but firm. “She already doesn’t trust us.”

Kai ran a hand through his hair, forcing himself to breathe. “We just have to blend in.”

That was easier said than done.

The moment they stepped into the barracks, every set of eyes turned to them.

The inside was dimly lit, with rows of bunk beds lining the walls. Wolves occupied nearly every inch of space, some sharpening weapons, others murmuring in low voices. The air was thick with tension, and Kai could feel the weight of suspicion in every stare.

They didn’t belong here. And everyone knew it.

A large wolf with dark eyes and an old wound across his cheek pushed off from where he had been leaning against the wall, his gaze locked onto Anna.

“Well, well,” he drawled. “Didn’t think I’d see you again.”

Kai’s muscles tensed.

Anna’s expression didn’t change, but Kai could see the slight shift in her stance, the way her shoulders stiffened. She knew him.

“Dax,” she said evenly.

Dax smirked, stepping closer. “Thought you were dead.”

Anna tilted her head. “Disappointed?”

Dax chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “Didn’t think Orion would let you walk away.” His dark eyes flicked to Kai, then to Kieran and Rhett. “And now you’re back—with company.”

Kai met his stare without flinching. “Problem?”

Dax grinned. “Not yet.”

Kai didn’t trust him. Didn’t trust anyone in this room.

Anna exhaled, then turned to the others. “We need rest.”

Dax watched them for a moment longer before stepping back, smirk still in place. “Sleep with one eye open.”

Kai didn’t respond. He didn’t need to.

They claimed a few empty bunks in the far corner, where they could keep their backs to the wall.

Kai didn’t even pretend to relax.

He could feel it.

The weight of something wrong in the air.

Orion wasn’t here.

But his presence was.

It was like the very ground carried his energy, like he had left his mark on this place.

Anna sat on the edge of her bunk, rubbing at her arm absentmindedly. The mark Orion had left on her had never faded completely.

Kai swallowed hard. “Can you feel him?”

Anna exhaled. “Yes.”

Kieran’s jaw tightened. “He knows we’re here.”

Kai wasn’t surprised. Orion had always been a step ahead.

He lay back on the bunk, staring at the ceiling.

For the first time since entering the camp, a real thought hit him.

They weren’t just walking into enemy territory.

They were already trapped.