Page 26

26

CALLUM

I t’s well past midnight when I slip through the back alley door and down into the undercellar. One of the old meeting halls, long abandoned—no markings, no pack sigils, no paper trail. Just dust, brick, and shadows.

I should be tired. My body is tired. But my mind is still back in the woods. Still with her .

That kiss.

Not like the one at the cabin, when adrenaline made us stupid and grief made us reckless. That night, we were heat and survival and teeth on skin. It felt like trying to breathe underwater. Like we had minutes left to live and no time to waste.

But tonight?

It was slower. Raw. Real. It scared her—and it scares me, too. Because if that was her reaching for me without the bond pushing her then I’m already too far gone. And I don’t know what the hell I’ll do if I ever have to let her go.

The others are already waiting when I enter.

Elias leans against the wall, arms crossed. Devon and Sura sit on stacked crates, both barely out of puphood but loyal to me in a way that matters. And across from them, two wolves—reformists from the edge packs, here under shadow and risk along with a few werewolves who are just as tired as we all are. Of all of this.

No names tonight. No titles.

Just cause.

“Nice of you to show,” Elias mutters, pushing off the wall.

“Nice of you to start without me,” I shoot back.

He grins, but it fades fast. “You okay?”

I shrug. “Define okay.”

“Yeah,” he says. “That’s what I thought.”

I face the group, all eyes on me now. Waiting. Hoping. Or doubting. Could go either way.

“I know we’re here under risk,” I say. “So I’ll get to it. Typhon’s Brood made a move. Again.”

Devon stiffens. “How bad?”

“Human casualties,” I say. “Four dead. Two turned. One missing.”

Sura hisses. “Fuck.”

“They want war,” I say. “And they’re getting real close to starting one.”

One of the wolves—tall, lean, pale eyes like broken ice—narrows his gaze. “And you think you can stop them with handshakes and peace talks?”

I meet his look without flinching. “I think we can stop them by not falling for the same trap we always do—in fighting.”

“Easy for you to say,” he snaps. “Your pack’s not the one being hunted by rogue shifters with torches and propaganda. You don’t have wolves turning up gutted in alleyways because someone thought they ‘looked Bolvi.’”

That word lands hard. Even Elias winces. I feel my whole body tense. “Don’t bring her into this.”

His mouth twitches. “Didn’t say I was.”

“You didn’t have to,” I growl. “You said enough.”

Elias steps between us, palms raised. “Hey. We’re not doing this. Not here.”

“Then what are we doing ?” Sura asks. “We talk circles. We say we want peace. But meanwhile, the Brood’s building an army and we’re—what? Drawing chalk lines in the dirt?”

“They’re moving faster than we thought,” I admit. “Recruiting in broken districts. Offering power. Revenge. Freedom. I don’t think anyone thought one awakening was going to trigger all of this. It’s brought courage to those we had hoped to stay low. Only bring risk to themselves.”

“They’re offering war,” Devon spits.

I nod. “And we’re going to stop them before they light the whole damn world on fire.”

“ How , Callum?” Elias asks. “Because I’m with you. You know I am. But if you’ve got a plan, now’s the time to drop it.”

I take a breath. Let the weight of the night settle into my bones. Then I speak.

“We divide. Quietly. No more Hollow meetings, no council alerts. We send scouts—not soldiers. Eyes in the outer rings. Wolves who trust wolves. Shifters who trust me . We find where the Brood’s planting roots, and we cut them out before they flower.”

“And the girl?” the wolf asks coldly.

My jaw clenches.

“She’s not a liability,” I say. “She’s not a weapon. She’s a person . One who didn’t ask to be dragged into this, but who’s stuck in it anyway.”

“And you think you can protect her?”

I meet his stare. “I will protect her.”

He doesn’t push again. Just nods once.

Approval or surrender—I don’t know.

The meeting dissolves not long after that. They file out one by one, leaving Elias and me behind. The quiet hangs between us, thick with unspoken thoughts.

“You told her,” he says finally.

I nod.

“She kiss you?”

I glance at him.

He smirks. “Yeah. Thought so.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“It never is.”

“I don’t know what she wants,” I admit. “But I know what I feel. And I’m not walking away from it.”

“I didn’t ask you to.”

I look down. “This thing… it’s more than just a bond, El. It’s like I’m built from her name. And it’s terrifying.”

Elias claps a hand on my shoulder.

“Welcome to fate, asshole. I pray to gods it never happens to me.”