LUCAS
"Too many strange things are happening," my beta mutters, watching our latest group of scouts head off after their report.
"It's unnerving." Vester raps his knuckles against the map in front of us. "Five missing scouts. Ryder's missing in action. There's been no news from Jericho's side in a week. The Aspen scout massacre. Ivy…"
"Sothing's happening. We need to figure it out."
My fingers rake through my hair as exhaustion settles deep in my bones. The map is little more than a blur in front of my unfocused eyes; I need more sleep. But I don't have ti for that.
"We need more teams in these sectors." Vester points to the eastern quadrant. "Three of them went missing sowhere here."
"Three teams of four." Kellan traces a path with his finger. "If we space them out—"
A sharp electronic trill cuts through the air. We all jump, the foreign sound of a ringtone jarring after months of silence. Kellan pulls his phone from his pocket.
"It's Rowan." He taps the speaker button. "Beta Goldstein."
"Beta Ashbourne." Rowan's calm voice fills the tent. "I received your ssage about Ivy."
"Alpha Shadowpine is not available?"
"Alpha Shadowpine is investigating unusual rogue activity in our territory. He should return tonight to speak with you directly."
The muscles in my jaw tighten. More rogues. More problems. It isn't just us. We're all in danger, but working blind. "Beta Goldstein, Ivy's condition remains uncertain. Our Luna and best healers are working to determine the cause."
"I see. That's unfortunate." The calm in the beta's voice is betrayed by the slight crack in it.
It's tempting to keep more information to myself. After all, we have no proof of anything. Only wild theories. But Clayton—and his pack—are our allies. They deserve nothing less than transparency. "We suspect magical involvent."
No apology follows my words. It isn't the ti to say, "I'm sorry your pack mbers have suffered such tragedies under our protection." That conversation belongs between alphas, not their seconds. The politics of our world demand certain protocols, even in tis of crisis.
"I understand." Rowan's tone stays asured, diplomatic. "Please take care of her. The Aspen Pack places its trust in your judgnt."
"Beta Goldstein," Kellan says, as I motion for him to take over, "We still have no leads on your lost wolves, but we're still searching."
"We appreciate it. Thank you for your efforts."
"There's sothing else." Rowan's voice drops lower. "We've had several casualties from feral rogues in our territory. They're not acting normal. Much like the issues you've reported happening there."
My fingers press against the map, leaving indents in the paper. It sounds like this taint has spread farther than we realized. "Define not normal."
"They're attacking without provocation, without pattern. No interest in territory or resources. It's pure aggression. We are doing our best to keep it contained." A pause. "But that's not the strangest thing to happen this week."
Kellan and Vester exchange glances. My wolf stirs, sensing the weight in Rowan's words. Aurum has been silent of late. Sleeping, like a hibernating bear.
"Earlier today, we received a visit from what appeared to be Fae representatives. They're searching for soone." The staticky words are hesitant. Cautious. "The description matches your Luna."
Ice floods my veins. Aurum's hackles raise as he growls in the back of my head. "What exactly did they want?"
"They weren't specific. They requested a eting with Alpha Shadowpine tomorrow. We're not certain of their intentions."
The urge to destroy sothing rises in my chest. The re thought of anyone hunting Ava sets my teeth on edge. But I can't let that show. Not now. "Did they identify themselves?"
"No. They maintained anonymity. All wore cloaks." Rowan's voice carries a note of unease. "Though one detail stood out—their leader. Extraordinarily large, even by our standards."
"Nas?"
"None given. Clayton will attend the eting, but..." Rowan trails off.
"But you don't trust them."
"No. Sothing feels off. I thought you should know, given your Luna's... unique situation."
My jaw clenches. More threats. More unknowns. As if we don't have enough to deal with already. "Keep updated on the eting's outco."
"Of course, Alpha Westwood."
The call ends, leaving the tent in heavy silence. My wolf paces beneath my skin, agitated by this new developnt. Anyone seeking Ava is a potential threat until proven otherwise.
"Lucas," Kellan starts.
"I know." I straighten, pushing back the protective rage. "Double the patrols around Ava. No one approaches her without clearance."
To their credit, both of my subordinates nod without a word. Even though she's probably drowning in guards already. We could send out several scouting parties with the amount of n we have guarding Ava. And Lisa.
Shaking off that thought, I glance down.
The map spreads before like a maze of failures. Every X marks another dead end. A missing patrol, corruption that hasn't been cleared, scenes of attacks, rogue spottings, and other pieces of this twisted puzzle we can't solve. My fingers trace the route where Ryder disappeared. "This timing is shit."
Vester shifts his weight. "You still want to lead the search party for Ryder?"
My thoughts drift to Ava, to the mysterious Fae seeking her. But they're in Aspen territory, not here. Clayton can handle them for now. And Ryder is one of mine. My responsibility. Even more than that, he's a friend.
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"Yes. We leave in an hour." I'd planned to leave in the morning, but sothing inside of is intent on urgency. I tap three locations on the map. "These are our priority search zones. Alert our best trackers."
"What about the refugees?" Kellan asks.
"You'll oversee camp operations. Keep Ava—" I catch myself, correcting the personal to professional. "Keep our Luna protected. Increase the guard rotations."
"And Jericho?"
"Just keep our ears open. Hopefully he checks in soon." But we all know there's sothing wrong. "I'll head direct to his location. See if I can contact anyone there."
"I don't like splitting our forces," Kellan mutters.
Neither do I. But there's too much to be done, and if I can find Jericho, I also need to have a chat with those vampires staying with him. We need to consolidate our allies once and for all.
Sothing's coming for us.
"We need answers. Ryder might have found sothing important before he disappeared. And Jericho's vampire contacts could shed light on what's happening."
"The taint spreading, the aggressive rogues, now Fae looking for Ava..." Kellan shakes his head with a groan. "It's all connected sohow. I just know it."
"Which is exactly why we need to move now." I roll up the map, my decision made. "Vester, gather the search team. Full tactical gear. We don't know what we're walking into."
My delta nods and exits the tent. I turn to Kellan, lowering my voice. "If anything happens while I'm gone—"
"I'll protect her with my life." His gray eyes hold steady. "You know that."
"I do." I clasp his shoulder. "Keep them safe."
He smacks his fist against mine. "Be careful out there. Sothing's not right with any of this."
My wolf rumbles in agreent. Every instinct screams that we're missing sothing vital, that all these scattered pieces form a picture we're not seeing. But standing still won't bring that picture into focus.
"I need to tell Ava I'm leaving." The words taste bitter. I hate leaving her, especially now. But sotis being Alpha ans making choices that tear at your soul.
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