Chapter 7- The Northern Ridge
The forest was darker on the northern edge of Blackridge territory.
Emily hadn't realized how different the air felt out here until she followed the Betas toward the patrol line. The camp behind them buzzed with preparation, but the deeper they moved into the trees, the quieter everything became.
Too quiet.
Even the wind seemed cautious.
"Stay close," Owen muttered beside her.
Emily nodded, her eyes scanning the forest. The ground beneath her boots was uneven, roots twisting through the soil like sleeping snakes. The moon had risen fully now, casting pale silver light through the branches above.
Her wolf stirred uneasily.
Something was wrong.
Up ahead, Jay and several warriors had already reached the ridge. They stood near the edge of the territory where the land dipped into a long stretch of rocky forest that belonged to no pack.
Or at least... to no pack officially.
Emily could see them clearly now.
Five warriors from Blackridge stood in a loose line behind their Alpha. Across the ridge, six unfamiliar wolves waited among the trees.
Bloodfang.
Even from this distance, Emily could feel the difference between them and Blackridge wolves.
Blackridge felt steady.
Solid.
Bloodfang felt sharp.
Hungry.
Jay stepped forward slightly.
"You're far from your territory," he called across the ridge.
One of the Bloodfang wolves stepped into the moonlight.
He was tall, broad, with dark hair pulled back and a long scar running down his cheek. His posture was relaxed, but there was something predatory in the way he watched Jay.
"Just passing through," the stranger replied.
Jay didn't smile.
"You passed through three warning markers."
The man shrugged.
"Maybe we were curious."
A low growl rolled through several Blackridge warriors.
Emily felt it in her chest.
Jay's voice remained calm.
"You've satisfied your curiosity."
The Bloodfang wolf tilted his head.
"Have we?"
The conversation might have continued like that for a while-two predators circling each other without striking-if the stranger hadn't suddenly gone still.
His nose lifted slightly.
The movement was subtle.
But Emily saw it.
And the moment his gaze shifted... it landed directly on her.
Every instinct in her body screamed.
The Bloodfang wolf smiled slowly.
"Well," he murmured. "That explains it."
Jay stepped forward instantly, blocking the stranger's view.
"Explain what?"
But the Bloodfang wolf ignored him.
He was still looking past Jay.
At Emily.
"Silver," he said quietly.
The word hit her like ice water.
The warriors around Jay stiffened.
Emily's wolf surged violently in response.
Jay's growl shook the trees.
"You leave. Now."
The Bloodfang wolf chuckled softly.
"Oh, we will."
But he didn't move yet.
Instead, his gaze flicked once more toward Emily.
"Be careful with that one, Alpha," he said.
His voice dropped slightly.
"Some wolves are worth starting wars over."
Jay didn't answer.
But Emily felt the rage inside him through the bond like a wildfire.
The Bloodfang wolves finally stepped back into the shadows.
Within seconds, they were gone.
But the forest didn't feel calm again.
It felt like the beginning of something worse.