Page 81 of Taken By The Wolves

And we will defend her with everything we are.

40

SCARLET

The bear clan has moved from disbelief to debate. They pace in tight circles, talk in low, urgent tones of plans, strategies, territory lines and about nature and what it means to go against it. A collective pulse beats in the room. War is coming, and they’ve stopped pretending it’s avoidable.

At the center of it all, Ahya plays on the rug in front of me. She seems relaxed and unbothered in her human form, but I can sense the flicker of something in her eyes, like she’s listening somehow. Absorbing all of it, even if she doesn’t understand.

Nixon stands like a fortress next to us, one hand resting on the back of a chair he refuses to sit in. Hunter stands across from him, nodding as they speak.

“She should stay here,” one of the older bears says. “This is a compound. It’s fortified and guarded. If Gregory’s planning an assault, he won’t get through our defenses.”

“My extended family won’t breach your borders,” Nixon says. “And we need everyone we can gather.”

“Bears won’t cross into wolf territory,” a rugged looking bear shifter growls.

“Unless we have to,” someone says, and a ripple of laughter spreads through the room.

Nixon visibly stiffens. This is the kind of bullshit both sides need to drop if there is going to be any chance of peace. He glances around, eyes catching on Reed, then Finn, then me. There is a storm behind his gaze, filled with focus and control. This is the deadly side to him that I’ve yet to witness; clawing closer to the surface.

“There’s space in our warehouse.” He pauses, daring someone to interrupt, but they wait. “More than enough. It’s structurally sound, and easy to defend. We built it up when we thought we’d be expanding our business, but now we’ll use it for something more important. If you want to fight for this child, you do it on our land. With us. As one force. Bear and wolf.”

I crane my head to study everyone as silence drags between the group.

One of the younger bears crosses his arms. “About damn time someone gave us a real excuse to take Gregory down.”

There are a few grunts of agreement.

“He’s a plague on our borders,” another mutters. “Raiding food stores. Picking off patrols. That bastard killed three of our outer scouts this winter alone.”

“And now we know he has a rogue bear running with him,” Hunter adds, jaw clenched. “A traitor turned against his own kind.”

Nixon’s brow furrows. “A bear in his pack? Are you sure?”

Hunter’s mouth forms a grim line. “Two of my patrolssaw him. Big. Brown. Mean as hell with a scar from his eye to his nape. His name is Bruno.”

My blood chills.

Could it be connected?

Could what happened to Aura… not have been a random act of brutality, but something planned?

Nixon looks back at me like he’s already thinking the same thing.

“Let’s go,” Connor, the bear alpha says, and the hall bursts into motion.

Everyone scatters. Some pull vehicles from garages, others gather supplies. Reed and Finn are deep in conversation with Robert and Evan, pointing toward a map on the far wall. Evan rolls up a tarp and heads outside. Reed grabs an empty crate and helps a bear shifter with long dark hair fastened low to load bottled water.

It’s happening fast.

But inside I’m unraveling.

I pick up Ahya and step out of the chaos and follow Goldie, who’s gathering extra blankets into a large duffel bag. I can tell her thoughts are somewhere else entirely.

Leaning in close, I say. “I need to ask you something.”

She glances over, lips pressing into a thin line. “Anything.”