Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Nothing that we would see,” I say. “But a wolf?” I chew the inside of my cheek.
“Maybe. What about Nixon and Reed? Did they mention anything?”
“No.” I press my knuckles to my lips. “What if Gregory knew? What if he forced the bond with Aura not because of who she was, but what she might carry?”
Goldie’s eyes darken and everything in me chills. “And if he knew what that child could be, then he’ll stop at nothing to take her back.”
Goldie puts a hand on mine, firm and warm. “Then it’s a good thing she has you all to keep her safe.”
I exhale. The fear doesn’t leave me, but it sharpens into resolve.
Outside the window, Evan slams the back of a truck closed. Reed shouts something to Finn and disappears inside to grab more supplies, and in the center of it all, Nixon stands tall, speaking to Hunter again, side by side as brothers bound by a common cause.
41
NIXON
The bears are coming.
It’s a scene I never thought I’d witness but here I am, loading gear and supplies into trucks alongside men I’d have considered my enemies an hour ago. Bear shifters are dropping their lives to fight a wolf we count as a shared threat. It’s humbling, in a way I can’t articulate, how easily little Ahya can dissolve years of bitterness and turn hardheaded shifters into protectors.
She’s our future, and she’s becoming theirs, too.
I shake hands with Hunter and Connor, as the weight of alliance settles between us.
My family has gathered around our vehicle. “Gregory will have scouts,” Reed says, wiping sweat from his brow, his eyes scanning the tree line. “He may know we’re here already. Or, if he doesn’t, he will the second we pull up with a giant convoy.”
“That’s the point,” I remind him, clapping him on the shoulder. “We want him to know. We want him to understand what he’s up against. We want him to come.”
Reed’s jaw is tight. He turns to Scarlet. “Are you and Ahya okay?”
Scarlet, who has been quiet since our arrival at the bear compound shrugs. “Ahya’s fine. I’m… worried.”
“And that’s natural.” I step closer, brushing her hand with mine. “Don’t worry. You’ll be protected.”
She glances from me to Reed and then to Finn, who’s leaning against the truck, arms folded, gaze intense. “And you three?”
“We’ll fight.” I grin sharply to hide the dread curling low in my gut. We’re wolves. We know how to tear flesh from bones. We know how to outpace, outthink, and outlast. But this isn’t a regular wolf pack. Gregory’s pack is feral, guided by no moral compass. They act like creatures with nothing to lose.
And that makes them dangerous and unpredictable.
What will they be prepared to do for Ahya and the power she may hold?
***
The crunch of tires on gravel rolls through the quiet like distant thunder as the first convoy of bear trucks pulls into the lumberyard, their headlights flashing between rows of stacked timber and aging machinery. The sight of their arrival shifts the mood—dozens of hulking men stepping out of their vehicles with the calm authority of seasoned fighters who understand the cost of battle and are willing to pay it.
Hunter steps from the cab of the lead truck, followed by Evan and Robert, their presence solid and grounding. Behind them, more bear shifters unload crates, unroll tents and mark territory with the unspoken synchronicity of those who’ve battled and survived together. They carry weapons and armor, but it’s the quiet way they move that holds weight.
There’s a tension in the air that buzzes against my skin.
The yard springs to life with shifters humming with purpose. Bears and wolves move side by side, staking perimeter posts, erecting shelters, unloading tools and supplies. No one talks about the strangeness of it. We’ve moved beyond disbelief and into survival.
When I return to the cabin, Scarlet sits in the doorway with Ahya in her lap. The girl nibbles banana slices while her wide, watchful eyes scan the growing camp. She looks so small, but already the earth tilts around her.
Scarlet glances up at me, her mouth pressed into a tight line that tells me more than any words ever could.
“You think Gregory’s going to come to us?” Reed asks, approaching.
“We want him to come. We want him to know our power.”
Before Reed can reply, the low hum of more engines draws our attention to the road again, and I know immediately that the wolves have arrived. My father rides at the front, flanked by Chris and Macon. Their convoy rolls to a stop at the far edge of the yard, every eye trained on the unfamiliar alliance before them. The scent of our old pack hits. There’s a moment of stillness, brittle and electric, until my father steps out and approaches, taking deliberate strides. I meet him halfway, flanked by Reed and Finn, and without hesitation, my father extends his hand.