Chapter 67
Aiden
My eyes drift over the wolves scattered among the bodies. They’re not all standing. Some are slumped in their wolf form, others on their hands and knees, but every one of them is covered in blood.
Some stare blankly, like they still haven’t processed what they did. First kills. Then there are the others—buzzing with leftover adrenaline, hungry for more. But most of them just look relieved. Because they think it’s over. That we won.
I hate having to take that relief from them, but I don’t have the time or the grace to worry about their distress. I barely have the strength to do it for Julian.
He killed Oliver. Before I could stop him, before I even realised what he was doing, he opened his brother’s throat and watched the life drain out. Then he turned to me with those cold, blue eyes like nothing had happened.
I was meant to do it, to protect him and keep him safe, away from all the fucked-up shit Goddess put me through.
But it’s like being my mate tainted everything good in Julian’s life.
And I can’t even take him home because there’s a kid out there at that monster’s side, and every second we waste is a second added to his future nightmares.
“The alpha is dead?”
The question comes from the leader of the Greenwood Pack, Alpha Maverick, as he and a few others break from the masses, hunting answers to feed the rest.
“Yes,” I answer, so that Julian doesn’t have to. “But it was only one of them.”
I scent dread a heartbeat before I see shoulders dropping and hear heavy sighs.
“One of them?” Maverick says, his face a grim set of lines framed by dried blood. “We killed them all, Aiden.”
“Not all,” I snap, while frustration taunts me. “The one who started all of this—Reon—he’s still out there. Left before we even got here. Took the last of his freaks with him. And as long as he’s alive, this will happen again. They’ll be back in a couple of years.”
“Fucking roaches,” he mutters, but he nods. “So, we’re giving chase.”
“We can’t,” Idris voices, glancing back at our waiting force. “We may still have numbers, but they’re spent.”
“We’re all spent,” I bite out, fists curling at my sides. “But this won’t end until he’s dead. We need to find him. We finish it. Today.”
Silence drops as reluctant agreement turns the tide of this useless conversation.
Except the tension doesn’t dissipate. The wolves behind us, already hunched like they’re bracing for impact, fold in even tighter.
I ignore the spasm of guilt that tries to clog my throat, reminding myself of what’s at stake here.
“We move in five!” I call out, loud enough for all of them to hear.
“Not all of us,” Julian tacks on before I can take a step.
I turn to him, frowning, but his eyes are already on the heartened wolves who hang onto his words like he’s their damn saviour.
He steps out of our little imposed circle to face them.
“We’ve been fighting for hours, and we know many of you are tired.
Pushing forward now, when you’re too tired to hold your ground, will only get more of us killed. ”
“Julian,” I hiss, but he ignores me.
“You’ve risked your lives today, and we’re grateful.
You’ve all fought for what you were informed about, but none of us were prepared for what comes next.
So, if there is anyone from our pack, or another, who wants to stand down, do it.
If you are fatigued, go home. We will not think any less of you.
There is no shame in knowing your limit.
But for those who still have the strength, we leave in five. ”
Julian’s gaze stays fixed ahead while the makeshift ensemble stares back at us.
If any of the wolves from outlying packs doubt his words, their scepticism fades as they watch ours peel away one by one.
Soon, they’re separating too—every member of the Silver Banes Pack choosing to follow their alpha’s lead in staying back to handle the cleanup—until we’re left with a quarter of our original numbers.
“Right. Well—” I scrub a hand over my face as Julian steps back to my side. “Thanks to those who stayed. We’ll move soon, so replenish while you can.”
They disperse to do just that, and Julian and I stay where we are, side by side, when our closest friends approach with a witch in tow.
Kat strolls confidently through the crowds ignoring the stares.
She doesn’t care about them, but I know her well enough to recognise the concern behind her cool expression when she looks between Julian and me.
“Are you all coming too?” I ask once they stop in front of us.
“Of course,” Emitt replies without missing a beat.
“Always,” Beckett adds, squeezing Julian’s shoulder. His hand lingers for a second, but Julian’s lip still wobbles before he bites it.
“And you?” I ask, turning to Kat.
“If there’s room for a witch …” she says with a shrug.
“After what you’ve done for us,” Julian answers before I can, “especially today, there’s always room for you.”
Katerina’s eyes flash purple before she swallows and nods.
I want to ask her why she saved us, why she even bothered with us when we’re more work than it’s worth at this point, but it doesn’t matter right now. She’s here, on our side, and that’s enough. It means Reon’s time is running out.
He’s out there, fucking running, as if he can outrun what he’d done—what he’s still doing—all in the name of freedom. Freedom—there’s no such thing. There’s only this shitty life and the demons you’re caged in it with.
“Aiden,” Julian murmurs, pulling my gaze to him, quelling the red haze at the edges of my vision. His frown is tight. “We’re not going into this on emotion.”
It’s the same words I just said to him, but it’s harder receiving them than saying them.
“I know,” I grit out, but I can hear the growl that comes with it. I clear my throat, try again. “I know.” Still rough. Still jagged. I inhale, hold it, release it. “I know,” I repeat, and this time, it sticks.
Julian nods, his support brushing against me through our bond, it’s warmth like a passing touch over my heart. It dulls the phantom itch under my skin, but doesn’t erase it.
Nothing will until I set eyes on Reon myself.
Julian shifts into his massive white wolf that ensnares everyone’s attention. The rest follow, warriors and fighters shifting one by one until we’re perched on hind legs and ready to put an end to this, once and for all.
I shift last. Bones crack and rearrange, muscle stretching under fur, until I’m on four legs. Julian lifts his head and howls—a warning, a call to arms … a mourning song. It echoes around us, and I hope Reon hears it. I hope he knows exactly what it means.
Then I take off, my mate at my side, and the hunt begins.
The scent of rogues hits hard as we race through unclaimed lands—barren, cracked, lifeless. A strange contrast from what we’d crossed through, which was rich with life in comparison.
It’s as if their stench has grown physical roots here, poisoning the soil. The terrain morphs into dense Tanglewood and mountains loom in the distance. I already hate the idea of having to climb one—then a flash of sharpened wood catches my eye.
I skid to a stop, compelling the wolves at my side to do the same, as they ready for a fight, but it’s not that. I pad closer, eyes narrowing when I catch the gleam of carved spikes jutting from the dirt. The closest wolves leaps over, barely missing the skilfully hidden bear trap.
I toe closer, catching the reek of wolfsbane as Julian joins my side.
They’re setting traps now? he growls through the bond.
Guess so, I grumble, watching him paw around the surrounding leaves until the mechanism’s fangs snap shut. I miss when they just came at you swinging.
Julian huffs and shifts smoothly onto two feet, shouting to those outside our pack link. “Traps! We can assume there are more of them ahead meant to slow us down. Let’s move off course, but keep your eyes to the ground and ears open.”
“They’re not too far,” Katerina calls down, floating above the rest of us. Her magic keeps us hidden, and while a few wolves still look like they’d rather be gutted than owe her anything, none of them are stupid enough to complain while we’re this exposed. “I can feel them.”
“Lead us back if we get too far off course?” Julian asks.
She nods before drifting ahead, spurring the others back into motion before Julian shifts again.
I run beside him, keeping closer than usual, and ask what I know he’s already thinking.
What if he was leading us into a trap? I don’t say his name, knowing it’s too soon.
He wasn’t, is all he says.
We run forever. Or what feels like it. Miles blur underfoot as we chew through their lead, saving just enough energy to keep from burning out. But it’s already midday, meaning there’s no cover of night, no ambushes or advantage.
We’re going into this blind, without any intel. We have no plan past find him, kill him. But stopping isn’t an option, not until I have him.
“I see them,” Katerina announces, descending with a frown that tightens my gut.
We coast to a stop in a thick nestle of trees that grow wildly with roots sprawled over each other above ground. Stepping between them, we blend into the shadows, closing in on the small commune masquerading as a base.
Unlike their camp before, there is only one structure here, and its foundations are made of steel, not wood. Not a pack camp, but a stronghold. Or what’s left of one. It’s tattered, clearly having been abandoned at some point.
The stained windows are covered by a flapping tarp, but rogues man every inch of it. Even the roof crawls with sentries with fucking bow and arrows, and with no way of telling how many are inside, a frontal assault isn’t on the table.
We can’t just attack. We’ve lost enough today as it is, Julian says through our link as he surveys them.