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Rowan crossed his arms. “That’ll take planning. Supplies. They’ll need to move fast.”

“They will,” Silas said. “And Jax knows what’s at stake. He’ll keep them safe.”

Kendra let out a low whistle. “So, youarecoming with us?”

His gaze snapped to her. “Did you think I wouldn’t?”

She shrugged. “You seem like the kind of Alpha who doesn’t like leaving his territory.”

Silas grimaced without humor. “I don’t, but I like sitting back while the world burns even less.”

I gulped audibly. “So, what now?”

Rowan looked at Silas, then at me and Kendra. “Now, we figure out how the hell we get back into the city without getting ourselves killed.”

Silas’s golden eyes gleamed. “And how we destroy that drug before it destroys everything else.”

The four of us stood in silence, the weight of what we were about to do settling over us.

This wasn’t just a simple mission.

It was the beginning of awar.

CHAPTER13

Silas

The morning air was frigid. It was the kind of cold that settled deep into your bones and refused to leave. As I walked around camp, the scent of blood and smoke still clung to the air, a visceral reminder of the attack and our continued vulnerability. Those soldier wolves could attack at any time, and we weren’t ready.

Then came the howl. It wasn’t one of ours, and my blood ran cold.

I was already moving before Jax’s voice rang out across the camp. “Alpha! We’ve got incoming—north ridge!”

I reached the perimeter in seconds, Rowan close at my side, both of us scanning the tree line where my wolves had gathered, tense and bristling. The wind shifted, and I smelled them.

Wolves.

A whole slew of them.

Standing just beyond the tree line, their figures barely visible between the tree trunks, was an organized unit of trained fighters. They weren’t some ragtag hunting party or a squad of enforcers here to round up humans. These wolves stood in formation, coordinated and disciplined.

At the front, one man stood alone, holding up a white flag.

What the actual fuck?

I heard the murmurs ripple through my wolves, confusion and distrust settling over the camp like a fog. No one raised a white flag unless they knew they were outmatched.

And no wolf ever surrendered to humans.

“That’s not a normal scouting party.” Rowan spoke for my ears only.

“No,” I muttered. “It’s not.”

A low growl rumbled through the wolves gathered behind me. Jax stepped forward, eyeing the lone man with suspicion. “It’s a trick,” he spoke quietly into my ear. “We should take him out before his pack has the chance to move.”

I shook my head. “If they wanted a fight, they would have attacked already, while we were unprepared.”

Jax frowned, but didn’t argue.