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Kendra pulled back just enough to cup his face, her eyes wild with emotion, tears streaking her cheeks.

“I thought—” Her voice broke, and she shook her head, pressing her forehead to his. “I was afraid I was never going to see you again.”

Rowan exhaled sharply, his hold on her never loosening. “I told you, Kendra. I’ll always come back to you.”

The camp was alive with movement as we settled back in, but it wasn’t all joyful.

It wasn’t the kind of return where men greeted each other with laughter and stories around the fire. It was somber, all of us feeling the losses. Hale, Ryan, Caleb, three good men who should have made it back with us, who should have been here, shaking off the dust and exhaustion just like we were. Instead, their bodies were gone, left in that cursed cave, drained and lifeless, nothing but memories now.

I gritted my teeth, pushing the grief back. I couldn’t let it own me. Not now.

Lia was quiet beside me, her gaze moving over the camp, scanning faces, taking everything in like she was still expecting a fight to break out. I reached for her hand, squeezing it once before releasing it. She shot me a small, tired smile, but didn’t say anything.

Rowan and Kendra were still tangled together near the cabin, murmuring softly to each other, Kendra’s hands gripping the front of his shirt like she would never let him out of her sight again. Varek had collapsed onto a crate near the fire, looking like he was two seconds away from passing out, his silver-streaked hair a tangled mess, his wounds still healing.

Commander Sorin approached me and informed me that she had kept the camp secure in our absence, ensuring that no wolf raids had broken through while we were gone. The human Resistance had fortified the perimeter, setting new traps along the outer ridge and reinforcing weak points in our defenses.

A few skirmishes had taken place; nothing major yet, but enough to keep everyone on edge. Sorin had held the line, her fighters keeping watch night and day, ready for the moment the wolves from the city decided to retaliate. For now, the camp was safe, but I knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long.

I took a deep breath and pulled Lia into my arms, fully intending on taking her back to my cabin and putting her to bed, but that wasn’t what happened next.

We should have had more time to rest.

But we didn’t.

Because just as the last light of the sun disappeared behind the mountains, one of Varek’s men emerged from the darkness.

He came alone, his hood pulled low, moving like a shadow through the trees, but I had smelled him before he even reached us: wolf, but not one of mine.

Varek was already pushing himself up from his seat, wincing slightly as he straightened.

“This is bad news, isn’t it, Gareth? I can tell,” Varek muttered.

The man stepped closer, finally pulling back his hood to reveal a face worn by travel, his dark eyes somber in the firelight. He nodded once. “It’s happening.”

Silence fell.

Lia tensed beside me, her fists clenching against her thighs.

I kept my voice even. “What’s happening?”

“The drug,” Gareth said. “They’re rolling it out.” He glanced at Varek. “Your contacts were right. Two weeks from now, the wolves in the city are going to begin distributing it to every human female they’ve taken captive.”

A muscle ticked in my jaw.

Lia inhaled sharply. “Shit.”

Varek cursed under his breath, dragging a hand through his hair. “They’re really doing it. They’re going to force every human woman to take it even though it might kill them.”

I exhaled slowly, forcing my rage to stay controlled. “And how many of them know the real cost?”

The messenger hesitated. “Some. But they’re keeping that part quiet. Most humans don’t know that the drug is a death sentence. They’re being told it’s a solution, that it’s safe, that it will help bridge the gap between humans and wolves.” His expression darkened. “But we know what happens to the women who take it, and once they start rolling it out, there’s no stopping it. If we wait too long, it’ll be too late.”

A sick feeling settled in my stomach.

Lia’s face was tight with anger, her body rigid. “So, what do we do?”

I met her gaze, then looked at the others: Rowan, who was still standing protectively near Kendra, and Varek, who was too quiet, his expression dangerous.