I didn’t see Aiden the next day.
Or the one after.
He was out scouting with the warriors, preparing for whatever threat lay beyond the mountains. But I felt his absence like a hollow space in my chest.
Every time I turned, expecting to see him watching from the shadows, my heart sank a little deeper.
And then, three nights later, the camp alarm sounded.
Howls.
Chaos.
The scent of blood.
I bolted upright, heart racing.
Outside, torches lit the night. Warriors clashed steel against steel. And from the ridge above the camp, a single figure stood, silhouetted against the moonlight.
The Gamma.
He wasn’t alone.
Behind him—dozens of rogues.
Beta shouted orders, drawing his blade. “Protect the women! Guard the southern flank!”
I moved instinctively, grabbing the dagger I’d been give
