Page 14

CHAPTER 14

S ilas

The fire burned low, embers popping and swirling up into the dark sky. The camp was quiet, save for the rustle of wind through the trees and the distant sound of my wolves patrolling the perimeter.

Lia and Kendra had turned in for the night, leaving just the three of us—Rowan, Varek, and me—seated around the fire. The unease between us had settled into something more like a cold truce, but I could feel it still simmering in the air. Three dominant wolves sitting too close to one another, all of us used to being the one in charge, did not make for a relaxed atmosphere.

Varek sat opposite me, the fire casting shadows over his angular features. He had stripped down to just his undershirt and his pants, leaning forward with his forearms on his thighs, his face blank. Rowan sat to my right, silent and waiting for whatever came next.

“Tell me more about these things, these burrowers,” I said finally, breaking the quiet.

Varek exhaled slowly, tilting his head toward the fire. “We don’t know much, really.” He dragged a hand through his dark hair, like he was remembering something unpleasant. “My men called them burrowers, but the locals call them Nyktos .”

I frowned. “Nyktos?”

The corner of Varek’s mouth twitched upward, but there was no humor in it. “Yeah. Best we can tell, it means something like those who dwell in darkness or night born.” He rolled his shoulders. “Fits, considering no one’s ever really seen one.”

Rowan narrowed his eyes. “You’re telling me an entire wolf outpost got wiped out, but no one saw what did it?”

Varek met his gaze. “No one left alive did.”

I raised my eyebrows, waiting.

Varek leaned forward, clasping his hands together between his knees. “They come from underground. When they attack, they don’t come in waves or fight in formation. It seems like they don’t move like anything we’ve ever fought before.” The firelight gleamed off his glassy eyes. “They hunt. They pick us off. They play with us. And when they’re done, there’s nothing left but husks. Every team we’ve sent after them has disappeared.”

A shiver ran through my spine.

“Husks?” Rowan asked in a rasp.

“They drain everything,” Varek explained, his expression sharp. “Not just from wolves—humans, animals, livestock, any living thing that crosses their path. They suck bodies dry, like they never had any blood to begin with.”

The fire popped like it was sharing an opinion.

I frowned, shifting slightly, my instincts alert. “So, any weaknesses that you discovered?”

Shaking his head, Varek frowned. “None that we know of.”

“Fire?” Rowan asked.

“From what we’ve been able to gather from the broken radio communications we have received, it doesn’t seem to scare them,” Varek admitted. “Bullets? Sure, they drop, but whether they die or just vanish back into whatever pit they crawled from, we don’t know. There haven’t been any bodies left for us to examine.”

“So how the hell do we fight them?” I asked.

Varek exhaled through his nose. “We just need to catch one .”

Rowan let out a low, humorless chuckle. “Oh, that’s a great idea. Let’s just casually stroll in there, capture an apex predator that no one has ever seen or survived to talk about, and have a conversation with it.”

Varek grinned. “I like you, Blackwood. You get sarcasm.”

Rowan stiffened, glaring at him.

Varek just laughed.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Enough.” My voice came out sharp, commanding. “We don’t have a choice. If these things are real, if they’re moving closer to the cities, to us, then we need to learn how to kill them before they get here.”

Rowan huffed out a loud breath, but nodded.

Varek tilted his head slightly, watching me with that calculating look of his, and the wolf inside me bristled.

I met his gaze. “Look, I know it’s tense between us, us being three Alphas and all. But if what you’re saying is true, then we don’t have the luxury of fighting amongst ourselves.”

“Truce, then?” he offered.

I hesitated. Then I reached out, clasping his forearm. “Truce.”

After a moment, Rowan cleared his throat. “What else do we know?”

“We think they’re nesting in the mountains to the south,” Varek said, rolling his shoulders. “Old cave systems and abandoned mines—deep enough that the sun never touches them. The perfect hiding place.”

I frowned, rubbing a hand over my jaw. “You said they can’t go into the sun?”

Varek nodded. “The few times they’ve been reported to have been seen above ground during the day, they retreat fast. They don’t like the light.”

Rowan shook his head and stared into the flames. “So, if we find a way to expose them, we might have a chance.”

Varek smirked. “That’s the idea.”

I didn’t like it. Truth be told, I didn’t like any of this, but whoever had any control over the point in history in which they were forced to live out their lives? This mess was our lot and nothing could be done to change that. My philosophy had always been to act with honor and integrity and do my best with the hand I’d been dealt.

Fighting other wolves? That, I knew. That, I could predict. But this? Hunting something none of us had ever seen, something that wiped out elite fighters like they were nothing—that was a whole different kind of battle.

Varek studied us for a long moment, then sighed, shaking his head. “It’s likely too dangerous to take your mates with us.”

The fire popped loudly again between us, sending up sparks, apparently outraged on our mates’ behalf.

Rowan bristled beside me. His entire body went rigid, his muscles coiling for a fight.

I didn’t blame him. My own instincts flared up at the suggestion, a low growl crawling up my throat before I could stop it. The idea of leaving Lia behind, of not being by her side to protect her, made something savage inside me snarl.

“Relax, Alphas .” Varek emphasized the word, chuckling like he enjoyed needling us. “I could clearly scent them on you both. If it makes you feel better, you’re both about as subtle as goddamn wrecking balls.”

Rowan’s blue eyes flashed, his canines lengthening just slightly. “Watch yourself, Dain.”

Varek held up his hands. “I’m just saying—neither of you are in control of your instincts as much as you think you are.”

I let out a quick breath, reining myself in. “This isn’t about our instincts, whatever the fuck you mean by that,” I muttered. “It’s about keeping them safe.”

Varek’s smirk faded. “Exactly.”

I thrust my chin out and tilted my head back. He was right. I hated that he was right.

Lia was human. She was strong, but she wasn’t like us. She didn’t have a wolf’s senses or speed, or more important, a wolf’s ability to heal from wounds that would kill a normal person. If she came with us—if she went into those caves—she wouldn’t stand a chance if one of those things got to her. I wasn’t willing to take that risk.

I exhaled, forcing my voice to sound calm. “Lia stays here. Kendra too. They’ll be safest here. Jax will watch over them both.”

Rowan didn’t look pleased, and bristled at my order, but I could tell he was already thinking the same thing.

Varek grinned. “Smart choice.”

I scowled. “Don’t fucking push it, Dain.”

Varek just laughed again, leaning back on his elbows. “Oh, I like this already. We leave in the morning. Make all the preparations you need tonight.”

I sighed, already dreading the conversation I was about to have with Lia. If I knew her at all, and I did, she wasn’t going to take this well.