101 Chapter 101
101 Chapter 101
Damien’s POV 1
The morning air was crisp as we made our way deeper into the bordends, our boots crunching softly
against the fallen leaves that carpeted the forest floor. Three days into our reconnaissance mission, and I was
already missing Sera with an intensity that caught me off guard.
*Focus, Damien.* I shook my head, trying to push away the image of her sleepy smile from this morning
when I’d kissed her goodbye. The way she’d looked in our bed, her dark hair spread across the pillows, one
hand unconsciously resting on her still-t belly where our child was growing.
“Alpha?” Lucas fell into step beside me, his voice low enough that the six warriors behind us couldn’t hear.
“The tracks we found yesterday are definitely fresh. Rogues were here within thest forty-eight hours.”
I nodded, forcing my attention back to the task at hand. “How many?”
“At least a dozen, maybe more. They’re being careful about covering their trail, but…” He paused, ncing
around at the dense pine trees surrounding us. “Something feels off. The pattern doesn’t match what we’ve
seen before.”
“What kind of pattern?”
“They’re not hunting. Not really moving with any particr purpose.” He crouched down, pointing to a set of
paw prints in the soft earth. “Look at this. They’re circling, like they’re waiting for something. Or someone.”
A chill ran down my spine. I pulled out my satellite phone, checking the signal strength. Still strong enough to
reach home base, which meant I could contact Sera if needed. The thought eased some of the tension in my
chest.
“Pack up, I ordered, my voice carrying the unmistakable tone of alphamand. “We’re moving out. Now.”
No one questioned the order. Within minutes, we had our gear secured and were heading deeper into the forest, following the rogue trail that seemed to wind endlessly through the dense undergrowth.
The first day had been almost pleasant clear skies, good visibility, and thefortable camaraderie of
warriors on a mission. We’d found evidence of rogue activity, yes, but nothing that seemed immediately threatening. I’d even managed to contact Sera twice through our mindlink, sharing brief moments of
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101 Chapter 101
connection that made the distance between us bearable.
By the third day, everything changed.
The fog rolled in sometime before dawn, thick and unnatural, clinging to the forest floor like something alive.
Within hours, visibility dropped to maybe twenty feet, and even my enhanced senses struggled to prate
the unnatural mist.
“Alpha,” Lucas called out, his voice tight with barely controlled panic. “I can’t see the trail anymore. I can
barely see you.”
I could hear the fear creeping into the voices of the other warriors as they called out positions, trying to
maintain formation in the disorienting white void that had swallowed our world.
“Everyone stop moving,” Imanded, my voice cutting through the fog with supernatural rity. “Form a
circle. Hold positions.”
The mist carried an acrid, almost chemical scent that made my wolf recoil in disgust.
“Stay calm,” I called out, injecting every ounce of alpha authority into my voice. “We’ve been in worse
situations. Lucas, can you reach anyone on the radio?”
Static was the only response when he tried, and my satellite phone showed no signal at all. We were
backup.
*Sera.* I reached out through our mindlink, desperately hoping the connection could prate whatever
was blocking our othermunications. But there was nothing.
“Listen to me,” I said, moving toward the center of what I hoped was still our circle formation. “We are not
lost. We are not trapped. This fog will lift, and when it does, we’ll continue our mission. Until then, we stay
together, we stay alert, and we trust in our training.”
A chorus of “Yes, Alpha” answered me, stronger and more confident than before,
“Good. Because I’m going to get every single one of you home to your families. That’s a promise.”
The words had barely left my mouth when the first howl echoed through the fog.
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