I step onto the stone and let the pack settle.
“This was not an accident,” I say. My voice carries easily across the clearing, firm enough to quiet even the restless younger wolves. “The rogue carved an Alpha Challenge mark into our patrol wolf,” I continue. “He wanted this message delivered. He wanted you to see it.”
A low growl ripples through the crowd.
“He will not get what he wants,” I say, letting the words land with deliberate weight. “He will be hunted and killed before the Blood Moon.”
The reaction is immediate. Rage. Relief. Hunger for action.
Brynn’s eyes remain steady, but I see approval flicker there before she masks it. Marek nods once, jaw set. Lydia’s mouth tightens as if she is already calculating what it will take.
Gideon steps forward slightly. “A promise is not a plan.”
Ciaran moves to my right, posture rigid and ready. He is my anchor in the clearing, the one wolf I trust to hold the line when the pack surges.
“Double the patrols,” I say. “Enforcers lead. No lone movement beyond the inner boundary. Anyone who sees the rogue signals immediately.”
Wolves nod, shifting into readiness.
I turn slightly toward Ciaran. “You protect Cassidy.”
The name cuts through the pack like a blade.
Several heads snap toward each other. A few murmurs rise, quick and sharp. Gideon’s expression changes subtly, interest sharpening into something colder.
He steps closer, voice smooth. “Why.”
The single word holds accusation and curiosity in equal measure.
“She is an outsider,” Gideon continues. “A human. Insignificant. Why divert protection to her when our own bleed.”
My wolf surges so hard my vision sharpens.
The insult lands like a hand around my throat. I feel the shift threatening to break my control, bone and muscle itching for the wolf’s answer. My teeth grind together as a low growl rises in my chest, vibrating through my ribs, and I can’t hold it back.
The pack goes still.
Gideon holds my gaze, testing.
I step down off the stone slowly, closing distance until we are within striking range. My voice drops lower, roughened by the wolf pressing against it.
“Tread carefully,” I say.
Gideon’s brows lift slightly. “Is that a threat.”
“It is a warning,” I reply.
Ciaran moves half a step closer behind me, a quiet signal that he is ready if control slips. Brynn’s staff taps once against stone, subtle but firm, a reminder that this is a clearing and not a battleground.
Gideon’s gaze flicks briefly toward the watching wolves, then returns to mine. “You risk the pack for a human,” he says, voice mild.
“I protect what is under my authority,” I answer. “If you cannot understand that, then you have forgotten what leadership requires.”
The words land harder because they are spoken in front of witnesses.
Gideon holds the stare for another beat, then inclines his head slightly, retreat disguised as courtesy.
“As you say, Alpha,” he replies. He steps back into the crowd, and the tension loosens by degrees rather than fully releasing.
