Chapter 11

Bowen

I sat at my desk in the command center of the Enforcer building, poring over maps and reports.

The increased patrols had revealed evidence of unfamiliar shifters tampering with our borders. The Enforcers were working overtime to ensure it had nothing to do with the Council. Secret communications between our pack and the Silver Fang pack had commenced, and we didn’t need anything to put our plans at risk.

I focused on the scouting reports in front of me. Some of the junior Enforcers had just relayed some unsettling news. Wolves had encroached upon our borders and invaded deeper into our territory than ever before. My gut churned with unease. The timing couldn’t be worse—not with tensions already simmering between our pack and the Council.

We didn’t have the time or mental capacity for a rogue or unsanctioned attack. Unfortunately, all the signs were there.

I scanned the reports again, noting where the perimeter was being tested and cross-referencing the locations with our patrol schedules.

Whoever it was had managed to avoid our Enforcers, which meant they’d been watching our property for some time. The first order of business would be to switch up the patrol routines. We couldn’t have them memorizing any patterns.

My comms tablet chirped. It was Theron.

“Korren’s on the other line,” he said by way of greeting. “I wanted to put you on so he can explain something to both of us.”

His tone put me on alert.

“Morning,” Korren said, his voice clinical.

“Morning,“ I replied. “I assume you’re not calling to say hi. What’s going on?”

“When I performed Myla’s initial physical intake, I noticed a strange mark on her side. At first, I thought it was an old scar, but then I noticed a distinctive pattern. I took note of it and did some research.”

We’d noticed it as well but never asked her about it. She froze when Silas touched the puckered skin, so we assumed she didn’t want to speak about it.

Now, I regretted the decision not to press for answers.

“It’s a Blood Moon pack brand,” Korren revealed.

“Blood Moon?” The unsanctioned pack was located beyond a mountain, deep in wild territory.

“Yes.” Korren’s voice was a sharpened blade. “For most unsanctioned packs, it’s common practice to brand their females in case another pack steals them.”

My wolf growled. The practice was barbaric—inhumane. It reinforced the rumors that unsanctioned packs treated their females like servants and animals. Such methods made most packs believe the Council’s sanction was necessary for survival.

The Blood Moon pack had one of the worst reputations among unsanctioned packs. They were brutal and suspicious, notorious for their savagery and lawlessness. The males were more wolf than man—almost feral.

No wonder Myla was afraid to admit where she had come from.

Many wolves carried prejudice against unsanctioned packs due to their behavior. She was probably scared we wouldn’t accept her if she revealed her sire pack.

Still, the question remained: how did Blood Moon get an Omega in the first place?

“Well, at least the breaches are starting to make sense,” I said.

“Enemies have entered our borders?” Korren asked.

Korren’s unit mate, Valor, was the Enforcers’ second-in-command. Korren would find out about the invasion attempts eventually, so there was no harm in speaking to him about it.

“Reports just came in about disturbances along our perimeter. A group of people tested our defenses and saw how far they could push into our territory without being noticed. After what you told us, I have a pretty good guess as to who’s behind it.”

“Fuck!” Theron shouted.

“Exactly. You get to Myla,” I commanded. “She is not allowed to be alone. I’m contacting Alaric and Valor now.”

I ended the call.

The Blood Moon pack wouldn’t take too kindly to us having a female they considered theirs, even if she had left them. Once they found out she was claimed, there was no telling what they would do. Sanctioned packs had started wars for less.

I summoned our head Enforcer and second-in-command. We assembled in Alaric’s office. They needed to know the details. The last time Hidden Creek engaged with an unsanctioned pack, the results were catastrophic.

“What did you find?” Alaric asked, getting straight to the point.

“We think the Blood Moon pack is responsible for the attempts to invade our territory,” I said.

“How do you know?” Valor asked.

“Because they’re coming after Myla.”

***

Beneath the canopy of the forest, the air was thick with tension. Every rustle of leaves and snap of twigs set my nerves on edge. We moved as one, silent and lethal, tracking the scent of our enemies.

After I told Alaric and Valor what Korren found, Alaric put together a hunting band to see if we could capture some of the wolves in the act.

We agreed that stopping a war before it happened was the best course of action, and acquiring a hostage would give us the upper hand.

I joined Alaric, Valor, and two other Enforcers.

We were tracking the unfamiliar scents along the west border when Valor smelled blood. Possibilities raced through my mind as we rushed toward the odor. A packmate could be hurt, but what if we were walking into a trap? Either way, there was only one course of action in this situation: find the source and find it quickly.

Valor slowed and cursed.

My muscles coiled, and I readied myself for anything.

The trespassers were long gone, and they had left a present.

Scattered across the border were pieces of bodies—rogues from the smell of them. Their blood stained the grass in a macabre display. There was a momentary pause for relief that they were not our packmates, but the threat was clear.

It was a grim sight, one that spoke of violence and chaos.

It was a message. A warning of what was to come.

Valor’s brow furrowed as he inspected the corpses. “Scent blocker,” he muttered, his voice low with concern.

My wolf snarled in frustration. Scent blocker was a rare commodity, one reserved for sanctioned packs. If the unsanctioned packs had access to it, there was no telling what else they possessed.

“Let’s clean up the bodies and get back to headquarters,” Alaric ordered. “Owen, run back and tell all patrols to be ready to use lethal measures.”

Owen nodded before shifting and taking off toward the Enforcer building.

Alaric turned to me. “Contact Silas. We’re going to need your mate.”

He was right. We were working at a disadvantage if the enemy knew more about us than we did them. We needed to fill in the gaps.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Myla was stubborn in her silence. Since the first day we met, she had been careful about what she said, giving us enough to paint a picture of where she was coming from without revealing too much information. She had slowly opened up, and we were content to let her do it at her own pace. She had reasons for hiding her past, but now, we needed to know everything she wasn’t telling us.

I contacted Silas and filled him in on the situation.

“We’ll talk to her,” he said. “She’ll give us the answers we need.”

“I know. It’s just . . .”

“Theron,” he finished.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “I’m worried. After Elle, he was so close to going rogue. We almost lost him too. This is bound to trigger memories.”

“It might. But if it does, we’ll be there. And this time around, we’re anchored,” Silas said.

He was right; the grounding presence of our mate couldn’t erase his grief, but it would soothe the worst of his pain.

“I hope so. I’ll meet you in the Enforcer building,” I replied.

We finished the cleanup as night fell and stars blinked into existence overhead. I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread that settled in the pit of my stomach. The wolves at our borders were just the beginning. The real threat lay waiting in the shadows, biding its time until the moment was right.

But we wouldn’t go down without a fight. Hidden Creek was our home, our sanctuary. And we would protect it at all costs, even if it meant facing the darkest parts of our pasts head-on.