Chapter 18 Chapter 18
Rowan’s POV
I had followed my Alpha into many battles. Yet I had never seen the forest behave like this before.
The deeper we moved into the northern woods, the quieter everything became.
It was too quiet.
Even the wind seemed hesitant to move through the towering trees.
No birds. No distant animal sounds. Just the low rustling of dozens of wolves moving silently through the darkness behind me.
Our pack.
And at the front of it all–
Him.
Our Alpha walked ahead without looking back, his pace steady, confident, like he already knew exactly where he was going.
Which, knowing him..He probably did.
The moonlight slipped through the branches above us, casting pale silver patterns across the forest floor. Every few seconds, his shadow stretched long across the ground like something alive.
Dangerous.
I quickened my pace until I was walking beside him.
"Alpha".
He didn’t slow down.
"Yes?"
"The scouts reported something strange".
He glanced at me briefly, his eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.
"Everything tonight is strange".
Fair point, but still the unease in my chest refused to disappear.
"Several packs along the ridge abandoned their territory".
That made him stop.
Finally.
His head turned slowly toward me.
"Abandoned?"
"Yes".
"That’s unusual".
"Exactly".
Normally wolves fought to defend their land. Packs didn’t just leave.
Especially not strong ones.
"Did they say why?" he asked.
"No". "But every territory they left was along this route".
His gaze lifted toward the forest ahead of us. Toward the direction we were heading, the same place every Alpha in the region was probably moving toward tonight.
'The Omega Queen'.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"They felt it".
The words were almost a whisper.
I frowned.
"Felt what?"
His wolf surfaced for a moment. I could see it clearly in his glowing eyes.
"The call".
A shiver crawled down my spine.
Even now, hours after the strange howls had echoed across the mountains, something still lingered in the air.
A pull.
A strange instinct urging wolves forward.
Drawing them toward something powerful, ancient and something dangerous.
'The Omega Queen'.
I exhaled slowly.
"If that’s true...then we’re not the only ones coming".
He chuckled softly.
"Of course we aren’t".
That didn’t sound like concern. If anything, he sounded amused.
Behind us, the pack continued moving through the forest, their paws silent against the earth.
I studied him carefully.
"You expected this".
"I hoped for it".
That answer didn’t make me feel any better.
"You want the other Alphas to show up?"
"Why wouldn’t I?"
"Because that’s how wars start".
He finally turned toward me fully.
His smile sharpened.
"Rowan".
"Yes, Alpha?"
"When has that ever stopped me?"
Right.
I had no argument for that.
Before I could respond, a wolf suddenly burst through the trees ahead of us.
One of the scouts.
He shifted quickly into human form as he approached, breathing hard.
"Alpha".
My Alpha’s attention snapped toward him instantly.
"What is it?"
The scout swallowed.
"We found something ahead".
"What kind of something?"
The scout hesitated.
"Tracks".
"Wolf tracks?"
"Yes".
"How many?"
"A lot".
That wasn’t surprising.
Half of the Alphas in the region were probably moving toward the same place.
But the scout didn’t look relieved.
He looked worried.
"How fresh?" I asked.
"Very fresh".
My Alpha tilted his head slightly.
"Define 'fresh'".
"They passed through less than an hour ago".
Silence settled between us.
That was.. sooner than expected.
My Alpha’s eyes flickered with interest.
"Did you recognize the scent?"
The scout nodded.
"Yes".
"And?"
He hesitated again.
I didn’t like that.
"Spit it out", I snapped.
The scout glanced nervously between us.
"It’s Kael".
My Alpha’s smile widened slowly. Now things were getting interesting.
I rubbed a hand over my face.
"Of course it’s Kael".
That arrogant psychopath never missed an opportunity to chase power.
My Alpha turned toward the forest again.
"He moves fast".
"Yes", I muttered.
"Unfortunately".
The scout shifted awkwardly.
"There’s something else".
My Alpha raised an eyebrow.
"There usually is".
"The tracks weren’t alone".
That got my attention.
"What do you mean?"
"There were signs of a fight"
My Alpha’s eyes sharpened slightly.
"Explain".
"Broken trees. Claw marks".
"Blood?"
"Yes".
My stomach tightened.
"Whose blood?"
"We couldn’t tell".
My Alpha considered that quietly for a moment.
Then he began walking again.
Straight toward the direction Kael’s pack had taken.
"Keep moving", he said.
The scout hesitated.
"But Alpha–"
"Now".
The command was sharp enough to end the discussion instantly.
The scout shifted back into wolf form and vanished into the trees.
I followed my Alpha as we continued deeper into the forest.
"You’re not concerned?" I asked after a moment.
"About what?"
"That Kael might already be there".
He chuckled softly.
"If he is..."
His eyes gleamed.l
"…then things just became..."
That wasn’t exactly the reaction I was hoping for.
"You realize he’s one of the strongest Alphas in the north", I said.
"Yes".
"And if he reaches the Omega Queen first–"
My Alpha stopped walking again.
Slowly, he turned his head toward me.
"Rowan".
"Yes?"
"If Kael reaches her first..."
His voice lowered dangerously.
"..then Kael dies first".
Simple.
Direct.
Terrifyingly believable.
I sighed.
"This is going to start a war".
"Yes".
"You’re fine with that?"
"Very".
Of course he was.
We walked in silence for several minutes after that.
The forest around us grew darker.
Thicker.
More tense.
And then–
My Alpha suddenly stopped.
Completely.
My wolf stiffened instinctively.
"What is it?" I asked.
He didn’t answer.
Instead, his head lifted slightly, his nose testing the air.
Then his eyes slowly began to glow.
Brighter than before.
"What do you smell?" I asked.
His voice dropped into a low murmur.
"Her".
My heart skipped.
"The Omega Queen?"
"Yes".
The word came out like a promise.
The strange pull in the air grew stronger suddenly.
Even I could feel it now.
A faint, powerful scent drifting through the trees.
Silver.
Wild.
Impossible to ignore.
"She’s close", I whispered.
"Closer than I expected".
My Alpha’s smile returned.
But this time it was different.
Darker. Possessive.
"We’re almost there".
Behind us, the pack stirred restlessly.
Even the wolves could feel it now.
'The Omega Queen'.
Just ahead.
But before we could move forward—
Another scout came crashing through the trees.
This one looked even more panicked.
"Alpha!"
We both turned.
"What now?" my Alpha asked calmly.
The scout’s chest heaved as he struggled to speak.
"You were right".
"That’s rarely news".
"The Omega Queen..."
He swallowed hard.
"..another Alpha has already reached her territory".
My Alpha tilted his head slightly.
"Which one?"
The scout hesitated.
Then he spoke the name.
And for the first time since I had known him–
My Alpha stopped smiling.