She exhales softly. “I can handle myself.”
“This is not about competence,” I answer, keeping my tone controlled. “It is about unpredictability.”
There is a pause on the line.
“They will escalate quickly,” she says. “Armed civilians in the woods rarely move cautiously.”
“I am aware,” I reply.
“I am heading back,” she says finally. “But Alden, this will complicate everything.”
The call ends.
I lower the phone slowly and meet Ciaran’s gaze.
“They have authorization,” I say. “Full sweeps.”
His mouth tightens. “That pushes us into daylight concealment. And night restraint.”
Another knock sounds at the door, more hurried this time.
“Enter,” I call.
A younger wolf steps in, breathing fast but trying to remain composed. “Alpha, three trucks are already patrolling the east access road. Rifles visible in racks. They are stopping at trailheads.”
Ciaran moves to the window beside me and peers through the trees. “They are not waiting for nightfall.”
The situation sharpens into clarity.
“Full alert,” I say. The words settle with weight, not panic. “Pack-wide notification,” I continue. “Double the inner boundary reinforcement. No shifting near visible roads under any circumstances.”
“That’s hard to enforce,” Ciaran warned.
I grimaced. He wasn’t wrong. “I want warnings when humans cross too deep,” I add. “If they continue, redirect them without exposure.”
“I’ll update the enforcers,” Ciaran says. “But Alden, you know if we have an internal breach, the rogue will know we are locking down and will use this opportunity to insight chaos.
“We mitigate it as best we can,” I say. “And perhaps gain new leads as to who is causing the breach.”
Ciaran nods and moves toward the door to relay commands.
As evening settles, headlights flicker through the lower tree line. Engines rumble faintly, carrying the metallic scent of exhaust uphill. Through the glass, I see silhouettes moving along the fence line, rifles slung over shoulders, gestures sharp and agitated.
A single gunshot cracks through the forest. The sound reverberates across the ridge and into the valley below. A second shot follows minutes later, then another, each echo rolling over the trees like distant thunder.
My wolf presses hard against restraint. We should be out there protecting the pack, hunting these hunters. But I can’t risk exposing the pack.
Every shot could mean a spooked deer. It could mean a warning fired into the air. It could mean a bullet traveling far beyond its intended mark.
Another shot cracks in the distance, followed by shouts too faint to distinguish.
The forest does not belong to us tonight. It does not belong to them either. It belongs to tension, to fear, and to the rogue who understands both.
I remain in the office long after the mansion quiets. Patrol reports filter in through secure channels, measured and disciplined. No wolf has been exposed. No wolf has engaged.
For now, the line holds.
Outside, the gunshots fade into sporadic echoes as darkness deepens. Inside, I keep watch, knowing the next move will not come from town.
