Page 60 of Moonlit Fate

“They’re moving in,” Joren said with a gasp, and my blood ran cold. “We decided to check the perimeters when we were out on our run. The Crimson Fang, they’re encroaching on both our territory and Silver Claw’s.”

My heart slammed painfully against my ribcage, calling to the blood of my alpha lineage. Atticus stiffened beside me, his body becoming a taut wire poised to snap.

“Fuck.” Anger and worry warred inside me. The rogue lands were more than just wilderness. They were a haven for those who sought refuge from the rigid structures of pack life. A sanctuary that Atticus had helped build. A place where I had found an unlikely peace during a period of chaos.

Atticus’s jaw tensed, the muscles in his neck standing out. His hands curled into fists, and his nostrils flared as if he could smell the intrusion on the air.

“Those bastards have some nerve,” he growled. It was clear that the idea of Crimson Fang trespassing these sacred boundaries struck at the very core of him, a direct threat to the safety and freedom he cherished.

For a fleeting moment, his eyes flashed, and I saw not just the man but his wolf, ready to defend his territory against any incursion. The rogue lands didn’t just belong to Atticus. They were a part of his very being.

“Why now?” I asked.

Fury lit up Atticus’s face, an ember that could ignite into a wildfire at any provocation. With his jaw set so tight, it could crush stone, he turned to me with barely contained rage. “It’s a power move. They’re testing us. Seeing how far they can push before we push back.”

The news clawed at my insides, a feral thing desperate for action. I was torn between my feelings for Atticus and my duty to the pack. Duty won out. I had to get to my father. He needed to know about the Crimson Fang’s brazen strides toward our land.

“I need to warn my father,” I said.

Atticus stepped closer. He towered over me, yet there was a gentleness in the way he reached out. “I’ll come with you.”

A laugh escaped me, short and without humor. “You think I can’t handle a few scouts from the Crimson Fang?” My bravado was a thin veil over the churn of anxiety.

Though I hoped our own scouts would have already alerted my father, Joren and the others had ventured closer to the borders than we’d ever dared set our lookouts. They had witnessed the breach by the Crimson Fang firsthand. So, despite my worry about my father’s reaction after Atticus’s display of power and the way I’d openly defied him, I had no choice but to return to the manor and face him. I may not agree with my father right now, but I still loved him and the pack. I needed to pass this information on.

“Promise me you’ll be careful.” His tone brooked no argument, the soft command wrapping around me.

“Fine, fine, I promise.” I rose on my tiptoes, pressing my lips to his in a fleeting kiss charged with the electricity of our bond. It had been a long time since I’d felt so comfortable and at ease in my own skin, but in the past twenty-four hours, that had changed. I loved my pack, but it was with Atticus’s chosen family that I’d discovered a sense of belonging I hadn’t even known I was missing. Leaving Atticus and the others felt wrong, but in my heart, I knew I had to warn my pack of the impending danger.

I pulled away from Atticus. It was madness, feeling so split between the man who made my soul sing and the pack that was my blood legacy.

“Be safe,” he said, his breath warm against my ear.

I nodded. With one last squeeze, I turned and fled into the forest.

15

ATTICUS

Joren stood tall and ready. Next to him, Lyza’s slight frame belied her formidable spirit. Hale’s hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, a predator awaiting release. Mia’s lithe form moved near me. She was focused. She knew the stakes.

“Circle up,” I said.

They formed around me, a protective ring of defiance against the encroaching threat of Crimson Fang. The other rogues who’d aligned with us, who had been patrolling, fell into place.

I stepped into the center of the circle. “Tonight, we stand on the precipice of a battle that will decide the fate of our home,” I said, looking over each of them. “The Crimson Fang seeks to claim what is not theirs to take. But we are more than just rogues. We are guardians of these lands. Remember, we are united, not by blood or by law but by choice and courage. Each of you has chosen this, chosen to stand beside me, chosen to defend what we hold dear.”

Joren nodded, his jaw set.

“Let Crimson Fang hear our howls and tremble, for tonight, the darkness itself will rise in our defense.” My voice rang outover the gathered crowd. “Our claws and teeth will tell the story of our resistance. And when dawn breaks, it will shine on a land still free. Still ours.”

A collective murmur of assent rippled through the group. We were ready to fight, to protect, and to emerge victorious from the darkness that threatened to engulf us.

“Friends, allies, will you stand with me for our home, for freedom?” I raised my fist, and the chorus of affirmation that followed was a declaration of our shared will to prevail.

My heart surged with pride. These were not mere rogues. They were warriors, each of them a true protector.

The crowd dispersed, melting into the trees. Each step I took was heavy with the burden of leadership—these people were my responsibility now—and every rustle of the leaves amplified my anxiety for the confrontation that lay ahead.

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