For a moment, no one spoke.
The name Varkos still hung in the air like a threat.
Aria looked from face to face.
Rowan looked tense.
Marcus looked annoyed.
Lena looked worried.
And Kael…
Kael looked furious.
Aria frowned.
"Someone please explain why everyone reacted like that."
Marcus let out a slow breath.
"Because Varkos doesn't visit packs."
Rowan finished the sentence.
"He wipes them out."
Aria felt a chill run through her body.
"All of them?"
Lena nodded.
"Every single one."
Cassian watched them quietly, clearly entertained by the tension.
Kael's voice cut through the silence.
"How big is his pack now?"
Cassian shrugged.
"Hard to say."
"That's not an answer."
"Because it keeps growing."
Alder spoke calmly.
"Last time I heard, he had nearly two hundred wolves."
Marcus groaned.
"Fantastic."
Rowan rubbed his temples.
"That's basically a small army."
Aria looked at Kael.
"And he's coming here… for me?"
Kael didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Her chest tightened.
"I never asked for any of this."
Kael looked at her.
"I know."
His voice softened slightly.
"But it's happening anyway."
Cassian pushed himself away from the tree.
"Well," he said lightly, "this has been fun."
Marcus frowned.
"You're leaving?"
Cassian grinned.
"Oh no."
He pointed toward the forest.
"I'm staying to watch."
Rowan rolled his eyes.
"Of course you are."
Alder ignored Cassian completely.
Instead, he focused on Kael.
"You don't have the numbers to face Varkos directly."
Kael folded his arms.
"We won tonight."
"Against rogues."
Alder's voice remained calm.
"Varkos's wolves are trained."
Marcus muttered,
"Great. Professional killers."
Lena looked at Kael.
"What's the plan?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
He looked around the clearing at his pack members.
Some were injured.
Some were exhausted.
But they were still standing.
Then he looked at Aria.
His voice was steady.
"We prepare."
Rowan raised an eyebrow.
"That's the whole plan?"
"For now."
Marcus sighed.
"Very inspiring."
Kael ignored him.
He turned toward the rest of the pack.
"Everyone inside."
Several wolves immediately started moving toward the house.
Rowan clapped Marcus on the shoulder.
"Come on."
Marcus groaned.
"I just wanted a quiet week."
Lena followed them inside.
Soon only four people remained outside.
Kael.
Aria.
Alder.
And Cassian.
The night had grown colder.
The wind moved quietly through the trees.
Aria hugged her arms slightly.
"This is my fault."
Kael turned to her immediately.
"No."
"But if I wasn't here—"
"Stop."
His voice was firm.
Aria looked up at him.
"You didn't choose this."
"But everyone around me is paying for it."
Kael's golden eyes softened slightly.
"That's what packs do."
Aria didn't answer.
Alder stepped forward quietly.
"Your father would have said the same thing."
Aria looked at him.
"You knew him."
"Yes."
"What was he like?"
Alder thought for a moment.
"Strong."
"Every Alpha is strong."
Alder shook his head.
"No."
His voice held quiet respect.
"Your father fought five Alphas the night Moonveil fell."
Marcus's earlier comment echoed in her mind.
He fought like a monster.
Aria swallowed.
"And he still lost."
Alder nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Silence returned.
Cassian suddenly spoke.
"You're forgetting the most interesting part."
Kael's eyes flicked toward him.
"Which is?"
Cassian smiled.
"Varkos isn't coming alone."
Aria frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Cassian looked amused.
"Varkos collects powerful wolves."
Alder's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You think he has one?"
Cassian shrugged.
"I know he does."
Marcus's voice echoed from inside the house.
"Can we stop adding new problems?!"
Cassian chuckled.
Kael's patience was clearly fading.
"What kind of wolf?"
Cassian's red eyes gleamed slightly.
"Not a normal one."
Alder's voice turned serious.
"A hybrid?"
Cassian nodded.
"Something like that."
Aria felt the tension rising again.
"What kind of hybrid?"
Cassian looked directly at her.
"The kind that hunts Lunas."
A cold silence spread across the yard.
Kael's voice dropped into a low growl.
"Enough riddles."
Cassian smiled.
"Fine."
He pointed toward the forest again.
"Varkos keeps a tracker."
Aria frowned.
"A tracker?"
"Yes."
Cassian's expression darkened slightly.
"A wolf who can smell Luna blood from miles away."
Aria felt her stomach drop.
"Then he already knows where I am."
Cassian nodded slowly.
"Exactly."
Kael's jaw tightened.
Alder spoke quietly.
"Which means we don't have until tomorrow night."
Everyone looked at him.
"What do you mean?" Aria asked.
Alder looked toward the trees.
His silver eyes sharp.
"If the tracker is already close…"
The wind suddenly shifted.
Carrying a scent across the clearing.
Alder's expression changed instantly.
Cassian's smile widened.
"Well…"
Kael noticed.
"What is it?"
Alder spoke one quiet word.
"Too late."
A low growl echoed from the forest.
Not far away.
Deep.
Predatory.
And coming closer. 🐺