Nn POV
The first impact rattled my bones.
Not from the force of a blow, but from the sheer weight of bodies colliding-wolf against wolf, muscle and magic mming together at the edge of Silver Fang territory. The ground shook beneath my feet as our lines met the rogues in a brutal, thunderous crash.
This was no skirmish.
This was war.
The reality of it settled hard into my bones. I''d known plenty of battle, plenty of fights, but everything about this was different. Amplified.
I shifted the instant my boots left the earth, pain ring briefly along my side as my bodypleted the change. The injury I''d taken weeks ago screamed its protest, but adrenaline drowned it out.
My wolf surged forward, massive and dark, teeth bared as I mmed into the first rogue foolish enough to test our line.
ws raked. Teeth snapped.
The air was thick with the copper tang of blood and the ozone crackle of magic colliding with wardsid deep into thend itself.
Silver Fang warriors fought in disciplined formations-rotating lines, controlled aggression, nothing wasted. We''d trained for this. nned for it.
The rogues gained no ground. They were forced back toward the boarder rapidly, although they fought with ferocity.
It was clear that our preparations had paid off.
And still something felt wrong.
I tore through another rogue, snapping his shoulder with a twist of my jaws and flinging him aside hard enough that he skidded across the frozen ground. He didn''t rise.
Good.
But he wasn''t dead.
That realization hit me like a de between the ribs.
I pulled up short, senses ring as I took in the battlefield not as an Alpha, but as a strategist.
Too many rogues were pulling their strikes.
They lunged, snapped, engaged-then disengaged. They fought to upy space, to apply pressure, to keep us locked in ce. They grappled and threw, injured and disabled, but rarely went for the throat,
It was false ferocity, all growl and snarl with little bite.
That wasn''t how rogues fought.
Rogues killed. They always did. Savage, reckless, fueled by hunger and desperation.
This-this was controlled.
"Alpha!"
I snapped my head toward the shout. One of my captains shifted back into human form long enough to sprint to my side, blood streaking his face.
"They''re pressing the left nk, but they''re not breaking through," he reported. "It''s like they''re... testing us."
Testing.
The word echoed ufortably in my mind.
I scanned the field again, forcing myself to look beyond the chaos. The rogues hade in force, no question
about that—but not in numbersrge enough to overrun us entirely. Enough to demand our full attention. Enough to keep us here.
Enough to keep me here.
A cold certainty began to coil in my gut.
"Cassian," I growled into them, ducking beneath a snapping set of jaws and mming my shoulder into the rogue''s chest hard enough to send him flying. "Report."
Static crackled for a heartbeat too long.
Then: "We''re holding," Cassian said, his voice tight but controlled. "Minimal casualties. Same pattern on our end -aggressive engagement, low kill intent. I don''t like it."
Neither did I.
My gaze snapped toward the tree line beyond the rogues, then farther still-toward the Fang territory sloped back toward the packhouse.
Toward Ellie.
Toward my sons.
ant rise where Silver
The storm howled overhead, clouds churning unnaturally fast, lightning flickering without thunder. The goddess''s power-Ellie''s power-pressed faintly against my senses even from this distance, like a taut wire pulled too tight.
They weren''t attacking us.
They were upying us.
This was a distraction.
I mmed another rogue into the ground, pinning him long enough to snarl directly
into his face. "Where is she?"
His eyes flickered-not with hatred, but with something closer to grim satisfaction.
That was all I needed.
I shoved him back hard enough that his head cracked against a stone and whirled back toward my warriors.
"This is a distraction!" I roared, letting my voice carry unnaturally far, Alpha power riding the sound. "Hold the
line-but don''t ovemit! Defensive rotation only!"
Several heads snapped toward me. Understanding spread quickly through the ranks.
“Cassian,” I snapped into them again, urgency bleeding through despite my control. “Pull back your most mobile units. Now."
"Why?" he demanded.
“Because they''re not here for us," I said. My blood ran cold as the truth settled fully into ce. "They''re targeting something else."
I turned, heart mming against my ribs, and looked back toward the heart of my territory.
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Cede is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a ir for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cede''s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.