“In that, I failed you,” I told them. “I was reluctant to use my Will. I thought words and actions showed loyalty.” I didn’t look Killian’s way. “But an old wolf from Stonefang fooled me. The children we let get close to us fooled me.” I turned slowly, making eye contact with every shifter. “I will not be a fool again.”
“If you are guilty of being a fool, so are we all,” Killian said, very dryly. “They tried to fool us. They failed.”
“Exactly.” Brand stepped into the circle to stand next to me. His eyes scanned my face. “No one’s ever called me a fool and lived, Alpha. Be careful with your words.” Once again, a slight easing of tension as a ripple of laughter spread among the gathered. Brand shifted his focus to the pack. “But they’ll come again. And they’ll come harder.”
Silence. Not fear—focus.
“We are not waiting for their next move,” I said, picking up the thread. “We prepare. We train harder than we everhave. We fortify every ridge, every path, every blind spot. And when they hit us next time”—my wolf surged up, sharp and vicious, and I let it bleed into my voice—“we hit back.”
A ripple of energy surged through the group. Wolves straightened, shoulders squared, eyes sharpened.
Killian stepped up next to me. “Training rotations stay doubled,” he said. “The youngest on perimeter duty pair up with Stonefang hunters. No lone shifts.”
Diesel pushed off the log. “If you’re tired, too bad. If you’re bleeding, shift and heal, and then get back in formation. And if you even think about doubting yourself”—he grinned, sharp and unpleasant—“I’ll run drills with you personally.”
Every shifter in the circle blanched. Appropriate reaction. I felt a little queasy myself at the thought.
Cody stepped forward last, his expression calm but unreadable. “We hold the Hollow because we stand together. No fear. No retreat.”
I nodded. “Exactly. We don’t run. We don’t bend. And today,” I said, sweeping my gaze over them, letting them feel the certainty in me, “we move from recovering to preparing.”
“If you and Diesel are here,” an older shifter asked, “they can’t cross?”
“No.” I licked my bottom lip, trying to think of a diplomatic way to shut down his next question.
“You’re not hiding in here for the rest of your days,” Diesel snapped, diplomacy not his strongest suit. “The barrier that is provided by your alpha is strategic and allows you to prepare.Nothide. There is no hiding from this fight.”He eyed the older wolf speculatively. “You’ll train with me, then you’ll understand.”
The wind moved through the clearing.
“Remember,” I said quietly. “We’re not the ones who should be afraid. They are.”
A low growl spread through the circle, not of fear but of agreement.
“This fight is coming,” I told them. “It’s been coming for months. Now, we know the face of our enemy.” I shook my head. “Not the face we thought it would be. They’ve been planning this for a long time. But wewillface them, and we’ll meet them standing.”
Diesel cracked his knuckles. “Good. You heard your alpha. Now we train.”
And just like that, the clearing turned into movement—wolves shifting, sparring, forming groups, checking weapons, searching for either Cody or Killian to get guidance. Purpose burned through them like fuel.
Diesel slung his arm around the old shifter’s neck. “Show me what you got, old timer,” he said cheerfully, leading him away.
“Goddess,” Axel said, coming to stand beside me. “I think I feel sorry for him.”
“Diesel will go easy on him,” I said, hoping it was true.
“Diesel will eat him for breakfast.”
I winced. “Or that.”
Axel pointed his thumb over his shoulder. “Rowen said to tell you she’s headed to the druid’s tent. Something about a tree, and I admit, I tuned out when she started talking to me about rites.” He shivered. “Just the thought of the druid naked and chanting, well…”
I shot him a puzzled look. “Why is the druid naked?”
“Only Rowen is naked?” Axel asked in surprise.
“Why is anyone naked?” I asked him. “What do you think it means when they say they’re going to perform rites?”
“I assumed…” He frowned. “I dunno. Sex and stuff.”
