I go through the motions of my morning routine—shower, coffee, drive to headquarters—with the ring burning a hole in my pocket. I couldn’t bring myself to leave it at home. Couldn’t bear to let it out of my sight.
The office is buzzing with anxiety and uncertainty when I arrive. People cluster in small groups, speaking in low voices. Very different from the usual morning energy.
Sienna finds me at my desk before I’ve even logged on to my computer.
“Did you hear?” she asks, her voice pitched low.
“Hear what?”
“Darius called an emergency meeting. Everyone’s required to attend in fifteen minutes.”
My stomach drops. “Everyone?”
“Every single person in the building.”
We file into Conference Room B—the huge one that is usually reserved for pack-wide announcements. It’s standing room only by the time Darius arrives, Ethan at his side.
Kain isn’t with them. I scan the crowd but don’t see him anywhere.
Darius doesn’t waste time with pleasantries.
“I’ll keep this brief,” he says, his alpha voice carrying easily over the murmurs. “Due to security concerns I cannot fully disclose, I’m implementing a temporary lockdown protocol. All employees are to complete their current projects and leave headquarters by three o’clock this afternoon. Tomorrow, this building will be closed. No one comes to work. No exceptions.”
The room erupts in shocked whispers.
“I understand this is unusual,” Darius continues, his tone severe. “But I need everyone to trust me and follow these instructions exactly. Complete your work, go home, stay there. Further updates will be sent via the pack emergency system.”
“Is the pack in danger?” someone calls out.
Darius’s expression doesn’t change. “The pack is being protected. That’s all you need to know.”
He takes no other questions. The meeting ends, and we’re all herded back to our desks with orders to prioritize and wrap up.
The hours crawl by in a haze of forced productivity. I respond to emails I barely read. File reports that don’t matter. Watch the clock tick toward 3:00 p.m. like it’s a countdown to doomsday.
My phone buzzes at 2:47 with a text from Violet.
You’re staying with me tomorrow. Darius’s orders. Pack an overnight bag. A car will pick you up at 8 a.m.
I stare at the message, my throat tight.
It’s really happening. Tomorrow. The Covenant is coming tomorrow.
At exactly three o’clock, I gather my things and head to the parking lot with everyone else. The atmosphere is subdued. Worried. People are scared even if they don’t know why.
As I drive home, I notice them.
Pack warriors. Dozens of them. Stationed on street corners, outside apartment buildings, near the territorial borders. All dressed in civilian clothes—jeans, hoodies, casual jackets. But I see the way they stand. The way their hands hang loose at their sides. The way they scan their surroundings, ready to shift at a moment’s notice.
The entire pack is preparing for war, and we’re pretending it’s just another day.
I park in my building’s lot and see two warriors leaning against the entrance, talking as if they’re just friends hanging out. One of them nods at me as I pass.
Protection. Or witnesses. Maybe both.
Inside my apartment, I set my bag down and pull the ring from my pocket. It may be small and battered, but it’s precious to me. I slip the ring onto my right hand. It’s not quite round anddoesn’t fit the way it’s supposed to, but I don’t care. I just need it close. Need to feel it on my skin.
I need to feel the promise of it.
