I shook my head in disagreement. We weren’t showing them anything, because the decision was already made. Not by me, not by Rowen, not even by the Hollow. All we were doing was fighting them, and in doing so, they still dictated the narrative that we, this pack, were rebellious because,why would a pack with nothing to hide be fighting the Pack Council?
As I left the grove, I could hear them in my head, imagining what lies they had told other packs to make them think we were the problem. They had even used one of my own against me. Axel would have gone along with every farcical claim they made. I had no way to prove I was right and no one to ask if my suspicions were correct, because I was stuck here, defending my pack. My territory.
But they made a mistake. Not the one my arrogance thought it was, not coming after me or mine. No, it was simpler. They had given me proof—by the evidence the Council left in my pack’s blood.
Killian joined us, still shaking with rage he was pretending wasn’t ruling his emotions. “Everyone’s ready,” he said. “Every last one of them.”
Behind him, my pack gathered—bloodied, bruised, limping, but standing. The kind of pack you only get when you stop running from the truth and face it head-on.
Diesel walked up last, eyes darker than night. He looked at me, then at Rowen. “You coming?” he asked. When she nodded, he sniffed but said nothing. “So? We ending this?”
“No,” I said quietly, and I felt my pack’s confusion. “Not ending it. We’re exposing it.”
Their brows lifted, confused for a heartbeat—and then understanding dropped like a blade. Because once the truth came out—about the rogue staging, about the Council pulling strings in multiple territories, about Axel working for them all along, about poisoning…
The Council wouldn’t fall in battle, I knew that now. Icould see it clearly. Instead, they’d be brought down by their own crimes.
Rowen stepped to my side, her fingers brushing mine. “So how do we do this?”
I turned to face the area where Council forces were gathering again, unaware that the ground beneath their feet was about to shatter.
“We give them what they came for,” I said. “And then we show every pack watching who the real enemy is.” The Hollow wind rose behind us, cold and sharp, because it too knew it was time to end them. “We’re going to let them in.”
Diesel gaped at me in shock. “What the fuck did you say?”
“Let them in,” I repeated, my voice calm and measured. I met his wide stare. “Trust me.” I kissed Rowen’s temple. “Stay here. Trust me.”
Diesel’s mouth opened and closed like he was genuinely trying to decide whether to shake me or bite me. “Wolfe,” he said slowly, “in the long list of stupid shit you’ve done, this is ranking high.”
Killian didn’t look shocked. I think that worried Diesel more. Killian folded his arms. “You’re going to let the Pack Council walk into the Hollow.”
“Yes.”
“And their soldiers?” Killian asked, and I nodded. “Okay. Then what?”
I met his stare. “Then we end them without touching a single one of them.” Confusion flickered in his eyes—brief, sharp—then faded as understanding dawned. Rowen caught it too. I felt her tension spike through the bond. Not fear.
Recognition.
“This isn’t a fight anymore,” I told them. “Not the kind they trained for. Not the kind they expect. They think they can drag us into a battlefield. By fighting, by resisting, we play their game. It’s all a fucking game to them,” I added bitterly, shaking my head. “Well, they don’t realize we’re about to drag them into a trial.”
Diesel blinked. “A trial?”
“A public one,” Rowen said softly, her voice growing firmer. “In front of every pack they believe they control.”
Killian’s lips parted in something close to a grin. “You’re going to let them condemn themselves.”
“They already have,” I said. “Now they’re just going to do it where everyone can see.”
Diesel scrubbed both hands over his face. “You’re either a genius or you’ve lost your damn mind.”
“Both,” Rowen muttered.
She wasn’t wrong. I looked back toward the ridge. I didn’t feel anything from the Goddess, but my decision felt right, and that was enough for me.
The Pack Council forces were shifting—uncertain, adjusting their formation and bracing for another push. The fact that we weren’t along the boundary growling and snarling, ready to fight, was confusing them. Or perhaps they thought the Hollow was weakening.
Or broken.
