Back in Oakhaven, Kaelen felt a sudden chill, as if the world had shifted. He gripped his rifle, scanning the horizon. Something was wrong. Ariana was in trouble—he could feel it in his bones.
"Gareth," he called, already moving. "Get the pack ready. We're going after them."
Gareth didn't argue. "How many?"
"All of them," Kaelen said, his voice steel. "This ends now."
As he rallied the werewolves, Kaelen's mind raced. Lucian had set a trap, and Ariana had walked into it. But Kaelen wasn't just fighting for Oakhaven anymore—he was fighting for her, for Elder, for everyone who'd stood with him. Lucian wanted a war? He'd get one.
The pack gathered, their howls rising into the dawn. Kaelen led them north, into the Blackwood, where the shadows waited. Whatever Lucian had unleashed, Kaelen would face it. For Oakhaven. For Ariana. For the future they'd build from the ashes.
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