He wasn't wrong. The attack during the pack run had caught us off guard.
Jonah was still limping. Sienna had claw marks down her back that Gideon said would take another day to fully close. Even Alaric, who'd never admit weakness if his life depended on it, was moving slower than usual.
“I know there is a difference between worried and challenging.” I rubbed a hand over my face, careful to avoid the cut above my eyebrow that was still knitting itself together. “And I appreciate you telling me instead of letting it fester.”
Luke blinked. Whatever response he'd been expecting, that wasn't it.
“Here's the thing,” I said. “You're not wrong to be cautious. After Calder, after everything we've been through, after what happened three nights ago, suspicion is smart. It's kept us alive.” I met his eyes. “But Rafe lost his entire pack. We went to Ash Hollow. We saw what was left. That kind of trauma doesn't fake well.”
“I know. I'm not saying he's lying about what happened to him.” Luke shifted in his chair, grimacing when the movement pulled at something still healing. “But the timing, Daniel. He shows up, and then a week later we get ambushed during a pack run? Rogues that moved wrong, just like the ones that were chasing him?”
“You think he led them to us.”
“I think it's possible. And I think you're too smart not to have considered it yourself.”
He was right. I had considered it. Had been considering it since the moment those rogues burst out of the tree line and started tearing into my wolves. Had wondered if the timing was coincidence or consequence.
“I have,” I admitted. “And here's what I decided. If Rafe is a threat, I'd rather have him inside our borders where I can watch him than outside where I can't. If someone's using him as a weapon, the best way to disarm that weapon is to make him loyal to us instead.”
“And if that doesn't work?”
“Then I'll handle it.” I held Luke's gaze. “Personally. Whatever needs to be done, I'll do it myself. No one else has to carry that weight.”
Luke studied me for a long moment. Behind him, through the window, I could see wolves moving across the grounds. Slower than usual. More careful. Gideon had set up a makeshift treatment area in the common room, and there was a steady stream of pack members checking in for follow-up care. Our healer looked exhausted, but he hadn't stopped working since the attack.
“You're betting a lot on being right,” Luke said finally.
“I'm betting on the fact that treating a traumatized wolf with suspicion and isolation is a good way to turn him into exactly what we're afraid of.” I stood, moved to the window where grayafternoon light filtered through. My leg twinged, reminder of a bite that had gone deep before I'd managed to tear the rogue's throat out. “We bring him in. We give him a place. We show him what pack is supposed to feel like. And if I'm wrong, if he turns out to be something other than what he seems, then you have my word. I'll be the one to put him down.”
“You'd do that?” Luke asked quietly.
“If he threatens my pack? Without hesitation.” I turned back to face him. “But I'm not going to treat a grieving wolf like a criminal just because his survival was convenient. That's not who we are, Luke. That's not who I want us to be.”
“Even after what happened at the run? Mason's still in bed. Sienna can barely lift her arms.”
“Even after.” My voice came out harder than I intended. “The rogues that attacked us, they were the same kind that were chasing Rafe. Which means whoever sent them after his pack is now sending them after ours. That's not Rafe's fault. That's someone else declaring war.”
Luke was quiet. Processing. I could see him weighing the options, running scenarios, doing exactly what a good Beta should do. His hand came up to touch his bruised jaw, unconscious gesture.
“Talk to Maren and Alaric,” I said. “Tell them I hear their concerns. Tell them I'm not blind to the risks. And tell them that if this goes sideways, they can hold me accountable. Every bit of it lands on my shoulders. That's what being Alpha means.”
“And if they're still worried?”
“Then they can come to me directly. My door's open. It always has been.” I allowed myself a small smile, felt the cut on my lip pull with the expression. “I'd rather have wolves who question me than wolves who stay silent when something's wrong. That's how packs survive.”
Luke nodded slowly. Something in his posture eased, tension draining out of shoulders that had been braced for confrontation and probably still ached from the fight.
“I'll talk to them,” he said. “And Daniel? For what it's worth, I hope you're right. The kid's been through hell. We all have, lately. Be nice if someone got a chance to come out the other side.”
“That's the plan.”
He gathered the patrol reports and headed for the door, moving with the careful gait of someone whose body was still putting itself back together. Then he paused with his hand on the frame.
“You're a good Alpha,” he said quietly. “Even when you're making choices I don't understand. The pack knows that. They're just scared. Especially now, with everyone still healing.”
“Fear's reasonable. It's what we do with it that matters.”
Luke left, and I stood alone in the war room, feeling the weight of leadership settle back onto shoulders that ached from more than just the fight.
