Chapter 19

Gentry

The ground was a blur of green and brown beneath my paws as the transition from lust to rage left me off balance.

I focused on capturing the trespasser as the claws of my protective instincts squeezed me tight.

There was a flash of muted gray ahead. It veered off the common running paths and darted through the denser shrubs.

He’s heading to rogue territory , my wolf said.

Knowing he would get away made my wolf and I growl.

My senses were on high alert, and I pursued the trail to the edge of our territory to ensure he was really gone.

When I emerged from the thick underbrush, he had vanished.

But as I followed his trail, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. This wolf wasn’t a rogue; a rogue would have attacked, not fled. No, this one was different—it had to be a scout sent to gather information for its Alpha.

A realization dawned on me. The wolf was going to tell his pack about Myla. My heart clenched with dread at the thought of our mate’s vulnerability, laid bare for our enemies to exploit.

The leaves rustled, and the familiar scent of my packmates lowered my defenses. Alaric broke through the trees, followed by Leighton and Shiloh.

I shifted into my human skin.

“We were alerted about the breach,” Alaric said.

“I believe the wolf was a Blood Moon scout,” I said with certainty. “We caught him peeking through the shrubs, watching Myla.”

“Shit,” Alaric said, running his hands through his hair. “How can we be sure this is Blood Moon?”

“Theron and Myla are close by. The easiest way is to ask her to do a scent check. It should be easy to pinpoint their scent as long as we get them here quickly.”

“Then you better hurry,” Shiloh said, holding her palms toward the breached area as she inspected it. “It looks like they used a cursed object to slash through the wards.”

“How would they get one?” Alaric asked.

“Trade. The black market.” Shiloh shrugged. “There is more than one way to get a cursed object. All that matters is that they have one.”

I nodded, then retraced my steps, my mind racing with possibilities. When I reached the spring, Theron and Myla were ready to move.

“Alaric, Leighton, and Shiloh are at the location of the breach. The wolf got away,” I reported. Theron cursed, and I faced Myla. “But we may be able to identify who it was if you can scent a Blood Moon wolf.”

“I can do it,” Myla said.

Theron tensed beside her. “Is taking her so close to the border a good idea? They could be waiting nearby.”

“I know, but what other choice do we have? We can’t identify them without her, and we need to be sure it’s not the Council,” I said.

Theron grunted.

Myla put a hand on his chest. “We’ll be together. Gentry said Alaric and Shiloh are also there. They would be stupid to try something against all of us.”

“We’ll go, but I don’t have to like it,” Theron grumbled.

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” I said.

I guided them to the border, and we met up with the others. Shiloh and Leighton talked in low voices while Alaric stared into the wilderness like a sentinel. All three turned at our approach.

“I was starting to worry we’d miss our window,” Alaric said.

A shifter’s scent trail faded with time. A wolf could typically identify a scent trail half an hour after the shifter left the area, but no longer.

Valor was the only wolf I knew who could track a week-old trail.

“We came as quickly as we could,” I said.

Alaric raised a brow. “Theron got overprotective.”

“Yup,” Myla confirmed as she walked toward Shiloh and Leighton.

Alaric smirked, and Theron rolled his eyes.

Theron and I flanked Myla as she lifted her face and sniffed.

It didn’t take long before she said, “It’s Blood Moon. One of the scouts, Jared.”

“You’re sure?” Alaric asked.

“Positive.”

Alaric turned to Leighton and Shiloh. “Call the Alpha. We need an emergency meeting.” He leveled his gaze on us. “Take your mate back to your den and go on lockdown. I’ll have Bowen update you when Alpha Wynn makes a decision.”

I nodded and slipped a hand around Myla’s waist. “Come on, sweet girl. Let’s get you home.”

***

We returned to our den with heavy hearts. I felt the change in the air as we kept Myla between us, shielding her from possible attacks.

Guilt and tension pulsed along Theron’s soul thread, and the bond vibrated with regret and fear.

That wolf wouldn’t come back alone, but I didn’t know how long it would take for him to return with his pack.

We entered our den, and Theron started locking the doors and windows.

“How long do you think we have?” Myla asked.

“It’s hard to say. We’ll need to scout the unsanctioned lands to gauge how close they are.”

Myla looked down and knit her fingers together. “So, this is it.”

Theron sat next to her. “It is. But you’ll be safe.”

Her eyes bounced between us. “What about you two? Silas and Bowen will fight in the first wave, but where will you be?”

“We’ll probably be in the second wave,” Theron replied. “It depends on what our numbers look like.”

Myla’s face went pale. “What does that mean?”

“It means every capable shifter will be called to act if necessary.”

“But you’re not fighters.”

I placed my hand beneath her chin, heart aching at the uncertainty in her voice. “We protect our pack. We may not be fighters like the Enforcers, but we defend our pack when threatened. Any shifter worth his claws would do the same.”

I saw the hesitation in her eyes—the desire to keep us safe and tell us not to go. I understood, but our presence on the battlefield could be the difference between victory and defeat.

The comms unit chirped, drawing our attention.

I answered, and Bowen’s voice filled the room.

“The Alpha officially dispatched the Hand to find Blood Moon’s whereabouts. While we wait for the report, he’s ordering pack-wide training of every able-bodied male and female to prepare for the fight.”

“Pack-wide?” Theron asked. “Does that include the Omegas?”

“Yes, with the exception of pregnant females,” Bowen said.

“Will the conflict be that bad?”

“He’s not sure, but he doesn’t want anyone in the pack to be vulnerable. Scouts are stationed beyond our borders to monitor Blood Moon’s activity and provide a better timeframe. Training starts in two days.”

Theron and I glanced at each other. The currents of our bond felt like a live wire, writhing with newfound distress. It was one thing to worry about war. It was another to worry about our mate in the trenches with us.

“We’ll be there,” I said, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.

“We’ll go together,” Bowen replied. “Silas and I will be home soon.”

His voice was tight, which told me he was just as concerned as Theron and I. Training Myla wouldn’t be a problem, but we’d struggle to let her fight when the time came.

My wolf growled, rejecting the idea of his mate going anywhere near the unsanctioned pack who wanted to steal her.

“Oh, before I forget,” Bowen said. “Ezra needs you over at headquarters. It looks like it might be a long night for you.”

Alpha Wynn was preparing us for battle, and based on the way he had included the females in training, the odds weren’t in our favor.

“I’ll be there shortly,” I said, ending the call.

With grim resolve, I kissed Myla. She leaned into my lips, opening her own to deepen the kiss. I lost myself in her soft mouth, and she melted into me, allowing me to take and give as I pleased.

I groaned, pulling away from her. “Let Theron tuck you in, okay? You need to get some sleep for tomorrow.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I told Theron as I left.

***

Ezra was waiting for me in the security building, his serious expression firmly in place.

“Security duty?” I asked, wondering what the Alpha needed from us at this hour.

“Yes and no,” Ezra replied, leading the way to our back office.

The room at the end of the hall was a workshop for new technology.

“After the meeting, Shiloh told us that spells could be interrupted with a strong enough burst of electricity,” Ezra explained.

“Do we suspect the Blood Moon pack is using witches?”

“I can’t say. But we know the Council is, and with Blood Moon openly attacking us, we can’t put it past the Council to try and use the aftermath to their full advantage,” said Ezra.

“He needs us to get ahead of the curve?”

“We’re going to make the curve.”

Ezra’s tone was half-dread, half-excitement. It ignited my curiosity.

“So, what are our orders?” I asked.

“We’re going to make weapons that can stop a witch.”