Page 45 of Wolf's Reckoning
Blood. Fear. Rogue.
Killian was already waiting at the edge of the clearing in front of the pack hall, arms crossed and jaw tight. “You went quiet.”
“Had a trail.”
“Rogue?”
“Worse,” I said. “Deliberate.”
He didn’t ask questions. Just walked beside me as I headed for the hall. “Malric is still holding on,” he told me quietly, and I nodded in acknowledgment. I hadn’t felt the power shift and had suspected as much, but it was good to have it confirmed.
The door opened before I touched it. Rowen stepped out. She froze when she saw me. Not in fear. In calculation. Her eyes scanned me—boots to jaw, taking in the scent of blood and the sweat still clinging to my skin.
“Where the hell have you been?” she demanded.
“Rogue sign. East ridge.”
She blinked. “East ridge? That’s pack territory.”
“I know,” I said. “We’ve got a breach.”
Behind her, I heard voices raised—the druid andsuitors? They were talking about bonds. About legacy and choosing mates.
While the very pack they sought to control was being sent messages in blood and claw marks.
Turning, I looked at Killian. “Why are they still here?”
“Where else are they supposed to be?” Rowen snapped, her eyes narrowing.
I met her gaze head-on. “I don’t give a fuck where they go, so long as they go.Now.” I turned back to Killian. “The real fight is on the boundary.”
“I tried to ask the druid why they’re still here,” hemuttered. “She”—his thumb jerked to Rowen—“said, since it’s not official that you’re pack leader yet, then they should stay.”
I turned back to her and saw it, the spark of defiance, the flicker of something dangerous in her stare. Not fear. Not even doubt.
Rebellion.
She moved slightly, her body blocking the door to the hall as she stepped forward. “You have the scent of blood all over you.”
“And you’re maneuvering a pointless marriage while someone is literally sharpening their claws on your borders.”
We stood there a beat too long. Breath short. The distance between us crackling with tension.
Then, from inside, the druid’s voice. “Pack Leader Wolfe, if you’re finished tracking ghosts, Alpha Malric would like to see you.”
She tensed at the title. So did I, but I masked my reaction better, stepping past her as I headed into the hall. Tyler and Dex watched me as I walked past them to Malric’s quarters, their scents heavy with confusion, frustration, and even a mix of fear. They’d heard the title too.
This wasn’t about hiding who I was or my past, not anymore. This was about a war brewing in the trees. I didn’t care who hated me—so long as they listened.
It was time to take control of this pack.
Chapter 12
Rowen
I should’ve been inside.I should’ve been in my father’s rooms, spine straight, chin high, pretending that all of this was nothing more than a…a formality.
Instead, I was still standing where he had left me. Outside. Still watching the path Wolfe had just appeared from.
