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By morning, the clearing looked almost peaceful. Dew glistened across the grass, and the first gold of dawn crept over the trees. If it weren’t for the huge wolf lying motionless in the center of the reinforced pen, it might’ve been easy to forget the unease from the night before.
But no one in the packhouse had slept well. Not after what we’d seen in those eyes.
Asher stood beside me at the fenceline, mug of coffee in his hand, jaw tight as he watched the creature.” Still hasn’t shifted?” He asked.
“No.” I said, crossing my arms. “And it doesn’t look injured enough to stop it from doing so. It just won’t.”
The wolf’s chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. Its fur shimmered a deep charcoal color in the morning light, muscles rippling even in rest. It wasn’t just big. It was unnatural in scale, easily twice the size of a
normal shifter.
Behind us, footsteps approached. David and two of our high–ranking guards, Liam and Kira, came down
from the patrol path. Liam held a case with tranquilizer rifles; Kira carried a small pouch of wolfsbane
darts, sealed tight.
“Keep them out of sight.” I said immediately. “It reacts to everything. We don’t need it riled up.”
David nodded. “They’ll stay covered. But we’re not taking chances. We’ll rotate shifts. Two guards by the
pen at all times, one on the roof for high–ground view. You and Asher need rest.”
Asher sipped his coffee and gave a quiet grunt. “We’ll rest once we’re sure it’s not going to break out.”
Kira glanced between us, lowering her voice. “You really think it’s a rogue? It doesn’t smell like one.”
“No.” I said softly. “It doesn’t.”
We all watched the wolf for another few seconds in silence before I turned back toward the house. “Just
keep your weapons loaded, but out of sight. If it gets violent, you’ll have to act fast. No kill shots unless
absolutely necessary.”
“Understood.” David said firmly.
By the time Asher and I headed back toward the packhouse, the smell of breakfast drifted through the air. Bacon, eggs, and toasted bread. Normal smells. Comforting. The pack’s rhythm moving as it always did, even when the world felt slightly off balance.
Inside, I found Gage and Arlo already sitting at the table. Gage looked bleary–eyed but alert; Arlo was halfway through a plate of pancakes. The twins sat opposite them with Emily wedged neatly between, her hair brushed smooth and her expression unreadable.
“Morning.” Gage greeted, voice thick with fatigue. “You two stay up the whole night?”
“Most of it.” Asher answered, sliding into the chair beside him. “No change. The wolf’s stable for now.”
”
CHAPTER 170
Emily set her fork down. “You’re sure it’s secure?”
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“Positive.” I said, taking the seat across from her. “We reinforced the pen and stationed guards. No one gets near it unless I say so.”
She nodded but didn’t look relieved. Her gaze stayed distant, focused somewhere past the table. The twins‘ eyes followed her every movement, their usual easy confidence replaced by a subtle attentiveness
that didn’t belong to them.
“Emily.” I said gently. “You didn’t sleep well either, did you?”
Her eyes flicked to me. “I kept thinking about that thing. I’ve never seen a wolf that size before.”
“None of us have.” Arlo said, stretching his shoulders. “We checked every record we have. Nothing
matches.”
Gage leaned forward. “We’ll figure it out. Maybe it’s some mutation, or a result of old bloodlines resurfacing. Could even be a genetic throwback.”
“Or something made it that way.” I added quietly.
Silence pressed on the table. Even the twins went still. Emily’s hand tightened around her mug.
“We’ll keep watch.” I said, trying to move the tension along. “Asher and I are scheduling shifts with the guards. The rest of you should focus on recovery and routine patrols.”
Emily nodded, but her tone was light, almost dismissive. “That’s good. Still, I think it’s better if we don’t get too close. Some things shouldn’t be studied.”
Her words hung oddly in the air, deliberate but soft. The twins both nodded almost instantly. Gage’s brows
lifted in confusion.
I caught Asher’s glance across the table. One that said You saw that too, right?
I cleared my throat. “We’ll handle it. The guards are prepared with tranquilizers, not bullets. We’re not looking to hurt it, just contain it.”
Emily smiled faintly, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re always so careful. That’s good leadership.”
I couldn’t tell if it was a compliment or a warning.
After breakfast, we met with the guards outside the east wing. Liam and Kira had already set up a patrol rotation map. Eclipse had been merged with our main pack grounds months ago, and since the reconstruction, the territory stretched wider than before. The younger wolves still called it “the new
compound,” but to us, it was home.
Asher ran through the shift assignments while I checked the dart supplies. “Keep the rifles hidden in the west shed.” I instructed. “No open carry. We don’t want the wolf to sense threat or aggression. If it smells wolfsbane too strongly, it might start fighting the fence again.”
Liam nodded. “Got it. What about the others? Should we restrict anyone from wandering too close?”
< CHAPTER 1/0
+26 Pointe
“Yes.” I said. “Especially the younger ones. No curiosity patrols. No photos, no recordings. This stays internal.”
Kira raised an eyebrow. “You think someone would actually post it?”
I gave her a dry look. “It’s happened before.”
The team laughed quietly, easing the tension for a moment.
When the meeting broke, I lingered near the field. The wolf hadn’t moved. Its eyes tracked the guards faintly, but there was no aggression. Still, the air around it felt charged. Heavy. Like the silence before thunder.
Asher came to stand beside me again. “David says the twins are taking Emily into town this afternoon. Supplies and lunch.”
“Good.” I said automatically, then frowned. “Wait. Did she ask to go?”
He hesitated. “Yeah. Apparently she wanted to ‘clear her head.”
I muttered under my breath. “Convenient timing.”
“She’s keeping something from us.”
“I know.” I said quietly. “But I can’t accuse her of anything without proof. All we have are instincts.”
He nodded. “Instincts kept us alive this long.”
We stayed there in silence, both watching the wolf through the fence.
Hours passed. Afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees, streaking gold across the pen. The guards rotated smoothly, rifles tucked beneath tarps on the ground, darts loaded but hidden. Every so often, the
wolf’s ears twitched, tracking faint sounds in the distance, birds, wind, footsteps, but otherwise, it didn’t
move.
Then, as the light began to fade, its body stirred. Not violently, just a shift. A long, deliberate lift of its head, nose turning toward the woods.
Kira tensed immediately. “You smell that?”
I inhaled deeply. Nothing but pine and dust. “What smell?”
“Something faint.” She whispered. “Like…”
A low rumble broke from the wolf’s throat, deep enough that it vibrated through the ground beneath our
feet. The sound wasn’t rage. It was warning.
Asher’s voice was calm but firm. “Everyone step back. Slowly.”
The wolf rose to its feet, massive shoulders rolling. Its eyes were brighter now, glowing faintly amber under the setting sun. It faced the treeline, not us, muscles bunching beneath its fur.
“What’s it looking at?” Kira whispered.
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CHAPTER 170
I didn’t answer. Because I didn’t know.
The forest was quiet…too quiet.
And then, faintly, a scent hit my nose. One that didn’t belong here.
Emily.
My pulse quickened. “Asher…”
“I smell it too.” He said under his breath.
+25 Points
Before either of us could move, the wolf lunged…not at the fence, but toward the direction of her scent. Its roar split the air, powerful enough to shake the branches above us.
The guards lifted their rifles, waiting for my order.
“Hold your fire!” I shouted. “Don’t shoot!”
The creature stopped just short of the barrier, panting hard, its eyes wide and fixed on the treeline. Its
entire body trembled…not with fury, but something else. Recognition.
And then it looked straight at me.
For the first time, I saw something like panic in those golden eyes.
Whatever, or whoever, that wolf had once been, it knew Emily.
And it was afraid.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
SUMMARY (~1000 Words in English)
