Page 28

CHAPTER 28

S ilas

The journey back to camp took two weeks.

Two weeks of moving through dense forests, over jagged ridges, and across winding rivers swollen from recent rains. The terrain was brutal, unforgiving, but we kept moving. None of us wanted to linger too long in one place, not after what we had just been through. Especially after losing Ryan, Hale, and Caleb.

We traveled in silence more often than not, exhaustion pressing down on us, the weight of our losses settling in our bones. Even Varek, who usually had something snarky to say, had little to offer besides the occasional grunt as he adjusted the thick strap across his shoulder, shifting the dead Nyktos we were bringing back as proof and for examination. We’d taken turns carrying the bundle wrapped in canvas, but Varek was the one who insisted on bearing the burden mostly by himself.

Lia stayed close to me the entire time, her presence grounding me in a way I hadn’t even realized I needed. She was stronger now, a little different.

It wasn’t just that she had shifted for the first time, though that had been monumental in itself. It was the way she carried herself now, the way she moved with quiet confidence, the way her pretty green eyes scanned the trees, always watching, always ready. She had always been a survivor, but now?

Now she was one of us, and I had never been more proud.

On the day we reached my encampment, we arrived when the sun was low in the west, casting long shadows over the treetops. The air smelled of pine and damp earth, the familiar scents of home mixing with the crackle of campfires, the scent of cooking meat drifting through the breeze.

Jax was the first to spot us.

He was leaning against a supply crate near the edge of camp, arms crossed over his chest, looking bored out of his mind. The second he saw us, his gaze landed directly on Lia.

He narrowed his eyes in her direction and Lia met his gaze, smirking right back.

“Rowan!”

Kendra’s voice split the evening air, high and jubilant, just as she burst out of her cabin.

Rowan barely had time to react before she threw herself into his arms, her body colliding with his so hard that he stumbled back a step before catching her.

His arms wrapped around her waist as she clung to him, hers wrapping tightly around his neck, her face buried against his neck, shoulders shaking with joyful tears.

He turned them around, his back to us, as he pressed his forehead into the crook of her neck, holding her like he was afraid to let go.

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.

“We don’t have a choice,” I said. “We march on the city.”

Rowan crossed his arms. “This isn’t just an ambush or a skirmish. This will start a war. A brutal one. You realize that, right?”

I nodded. “I do. We’ll need allies.”

Varek looked between Rowan, Sorin, and me. “I have contacts. There are wolves in the city who don’t support the council, who will fight with us when the time comes.”

“Then we make it happen,” I said. “We gather forces, we make our move—before the drug is released.”

Lia swallowed hard. “And if we fail?”

I turned to her, reaching for her hand, gripping it firmly. “We won’t.”

She held my gaze for a long moment, searching my face, before she nodded.

It was settled.

We had two weeks. Two weeks to prepare. Two weeks to gather an army. Two weeks to march on the city. Two weeks before every human woman in Wolf City was sentenced to death.

Whether we won or lost, we were going to make damn sure the council knew that we weren’t going down without a fight.