Chapter 148: The First Wave - Halley's POV

The camp stills.

The howl echoes through the trees again, closer this time. They’re sharper and more frantic with each one piercing the air.. Every wolf within earshot snaps to attention. Warriors freeze mid-movement. Conversations die mid-sentence. Even the wind seems to recoil.

Rook is already moving. “Everyone get into position!”

Wolves scramble. Bodies shift. The air thickens with fur and adrenaline.

Sam takes a half-step in front of me on instinct, but I keep pace with him. I refuse to be shepherded behind anyone. Not tonight, not ever again.

“Scouts should’ve had more distance,” Cale mutters under his breath as he pulls a blade from his belt. “Whatever’s out there is fast.”

“Or familiar with our borders,” Rook growls.

That sends a colder shiver through me. It means there was possibly a rat within my adoptive father’s pack as well. There are more than just a few against us.

Dad moves to Reed’s side, both of them tense and braced for a fight. I barely recognize the man who said he couldn’t save me. Now he watches the treeline with the same protectiveness he always had over me. I guess some things don’t break, even when the truth comes out.

Another howl cuts through the forest. This one ends abruptly.

Sam’s grip tightens on my wrist. “That was a warning. They’re chasing one of ours.”

I swallow, my heart pounding so hard it hurts. “We have to help them.”

“We will,” Rook says. “But we need eyes first—”

A body bursts into the clearing, stumbling, and blood streaking down one arm. He’s one of Rook’s scouts.

He collapses to his knees. “They… they’re coming. I barely escaped. I don’t know what kind of wolves these are, but they’re not… not like us. They move too fast and seem feral.”

Sam crouches beside him. “How many?”

The scout wheezes and tries to get air to his lungs. “At least a dozen. Maybe more. They’re spread out and moving in small groups. They’re testing us and trying to find a weak spot. I don’t know if the other scouts are okay. I lost sight of them.”

My jaw clenches. “Did you see any of the council or just these fast wolves?”

The scout nods weakly. “Just the feral ones. I don’t know… what is going on.” He huffs for breath. “I think they knew that this would end badly for them.”

Cale curses quietly. “They probably have warriors of their own.”

“Then we stop waiting,” I say.

Sam’s head snaps toward me. “Halley—”

“No,” I cut in. “They’re not going to pick the battlefield. They’re not going to get to decide when or where they attack. We need to take initiative and get to them before they get to the heart of the territory.”

“We move now,” I say, and the certainty in my voice surprises even me.

Rook doesn’t question it. He never does when it comes to instincts in the field. He just nods once and turns toward the woods.

He barks out orders to his men while Cale gathers his. Sam and I get everyone we can that can fight with us, but leave plenty that can protect the children.

Cale whistles sharply, signaling his wolves, and they break off at a run. Sam stays glued to my side, steps matching mine perfectly as we sprint toward the trees. The night air is icy and metallic, thick with the scent of blood and something else. Something wrong.

The forest is too quiet and only filled with the sound of our steps as we rush in.

Branches whip past as we move deeper, farther away from the camp but not yet to the true border. Sam stops me with a hand against my waist, pulling me behind a thick rise of underbrush.

“Smell that?” He murmurs.

I inhale sharply. Something about the scent is different and unexpected. It smells… wolf but not.

“They’re close,” Reed whispers behind us, voice trembling with adrenaline.

We fan out carefully, staying in wolf patterns, even those of us still in human form. Rook signals silently for us to remain low and ready. Wolves creep through the shadows on either side of me, their bodies low, and their ears pricked forward.

A twig snaps up ahead.

Sam shifts subtly, moving half in front of me. He’s not blocking me, but guarding beside me. The forest goes unnaturally still.

There’s no wind, no rustling leaves. Only tension.

Then, a blur shoots across a path ahead of us. It’s too fast, too silent, and feels wrong. Another blur follows it. This one scales a pine and clings to it easily.

Sam inhales sharply. “What the—”

The shape crouched on the tree trunk growls. Not a normal wolf growl. It’s guttural, warped, almost like two voices scraping together.

My stomach drops. “That’s not a normal wolf.”

Reed whispers, horrified, “Are those even wolves?”

The creature leaps to another branch, moving parallel to us. Its eyes glint in the moonlight. They’re silver, not gold. Not natural. Its limbs are too long in wolf form, and its movements are too jittery and unstable yet impossibly fast.

Rook’s voice is tight. “Those aren’t feral. They’re altered.”

Sam stiffens beside me. “Altered how?”

Rook doesn’t answer because three more creatures drop from the trees in front of us.

And they’re still wolves… sort of. They’re twisted, wrong, like someone tried to force an evolution that nature never meant for us to be. My wolf snarls inside me, recoiling and furious all at once.

“What did the council do?” I whisper. “Why would they make them?”

The nearest altered wolf’s head snaps toward me at the sound of my voice. Its ears twitch in an unnatural stuttering motion. Its snarl is wet and trembling, like its body can’t contain the rage inside it.

It creeps forward on long, shaking limps. Sam shifts back, placing himself between me and the creature. I grab his arm, shaking my head.

“Don’t.”

He hesitates, his gaze flicking to mine. Then he nods, stepping to my side instead of in front of me. Rook slowly raises two fingers, catching my attention.

He wants us to hold on.

The altered wolf twitches violently, its muscles spasming uncontrollably. Then without warning, it comes toward us.

Rook roars, “Now!”

We surge forward. Sam lunges, Reed shifts mid-air, and they both slam into creatures with bone-cracking force. Cale’s flank crashes through the underbrush from the north at the perfect moment, cutting off a second wave.

I move straight toward the creature charging me.

My wolf rises with a snarl, flooding my limbs with fire as I prepare to shift. My strength spikes hard, instinct guiding my body. The creature leaps.

I duck under it, sliding across the forest floor, and drag my claws through its underbelly. Thick, dark blood sprays the ground. It’s almost black.

The creature screeches, stumbling awkwardly on the landing. Then it turns to me with too human eyes.

“What are you?” I gasp.

It twitches again. Its jaws hang open too wide, unhinged at an angle that should be impossible.

Sam is suddenly at my back, breath harsh. “Behind you!”

I pivot just as another altered wolf lunges, its claws outstretched. The man I’ve called father all my life slams into it, taking the blow meant for me. I see the creature’s claws protruding from his back as they crash on the ground.

“Dad!”