Chapter 115

Lauren

The next day, Alexander was off to see where the battle between our pack and the Rouges took place.

He told me not to come, but this wasn’t just his problem anymore.

On the outskirts of the city in a warehouse, style-park and field—The battlefield smelled of blood and damp earth, the air still thick with the lingering scent of smoke.

The morning light barely cut through the overcast sky, casting an eerie glow over the wreckage.

It had been hours since the last Rogue fell, but the signs of battle were everywhere—deep claw marks gouged into the trees, scorch marks along the ground had burned through the dirt, and, most unsettlingly, the blood. Too much of it.

I stepped carefully over a broken blade, the metal glinting dully in the weak light. My boots sank into the softened ground, the mud sticky beneath my feet. Alexander walked beside me, his expression unreadable, though his fingers twitched like they wanted to be wrapped around a weapon.

Liam trailed a few steps ahead, scanning the area with the sharp focus of someone who had seen far too many battles. He was asked to lead us here, give Alexander the breakdown, seeing as he was the leader during the attack.

“The Rogues were stronger than they should’ve been,” Liam said, his exhaustion leaking through. “We nearly lost a few of our own. A lot are still in the hospital.”

I exhaled sharply, my jaw tightening. I didn’t want to talk to him, not after what he’d done to me, but that felt distant now. “How?”

Liam shook his head. “They fought like they had something to prove. Not mindless beasts looking for a fight—soldiers with a mission. Faster, stronger… coordinated. Like a pack.”

Alexander’s golden eyes flickered. “Did you see him?”

Liam snorted, kicking at the dirt. “If by ‘the ominous him,’ you mean GrimMaw, then no. If you meant some other mysterious him, I’m gonna need details. Maybe a sketch? A last known address?”

Alexander sighed. “GrimMaw, Liam.”

“Right, right. No, I didn’t see him.” Liam rubbed his neck. “Which honestly makes me more nervous. It’s like knowing there’s a spider in your room but not being able to find it. I hated that guy—always an ass when we were kids.”

Alexander smirked, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You got that right.”

I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. GrimMaw—once a respected Alpha, now nothing but a disgrace. A monster lurking in the shadows, pulling the strings of the Rogues, waiting for his chance to strike.

We had an idea of what he wanted—me, my family—but every time his name came up, it felt like a ghost passed through the room.

“And the redheaded kid?” Alexander pressed. “Did they send him to fight? Snoop around again?”

Liam sighed. “Theo, right? No sign of him. It’s like he vanished.”

Alexander’s lips pressed into a thin line. I didn’t have to ask what he was thinking.

I crouched near a set of claw marks gouged deep into the earth. Too precise. Too controlled. Not the work of exiled rogues. GrimMaw was training them—these were soldiers.

“We didn’t… lose anyone, did we?” I murmured.

Liam shook his head grimly. “No, but we came close.”

Alexander sighed, scanning the bloodied grass. “Next time,” he muttered, “I’ll be here.” He turned to Liam, offering a reluctant nod.

“Thank you for defending the pack.”

Liam waved him off, already turning away. “It wasn’t for you.”

Abigail

Sitting by the river, with a piece of bread in one hand and an apple in the other, I stretched out my legs and let the sunlight warm my face. Across from me, Theo was tearing into a piece of jerky like a starved wolf.

“You eat like a wild animal,” I said, wrinkling my nose.

Theo raised an eyebrow. “I am a wild animal.”

“Barely. More like a half-tamed mutt.”

He gasped dramatically, placing a hand over his chest. “Abigail, that was cruel. I have feelings, you know.”

“Do you, though?” I teased, taking a bite of my apple.

Theo tossed a pebble at me, which I dodged with a smirk. It was easy to forget, at least for a little while, that we weren’t supposed to be friends at all.

Even with everything, Theo felt… different.

“So,” Theo said around a mouthful of jerky. “Catch me up. What’s new in Abigail’s Pack Drama this week?”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, you know. The usual. War, destruction, mysterious strangers lurking. Your dad and the Rogues trying to kidnap me and my family. Shocked it hasn’t happened yet.”

“Sounds thrilling.” He slapped the rock beneath us. “And we’re on peace rock. You know I can’t kidnap you here.”

“Right, the magic rock,” I shot back. We’d agreed—on this rock, we weren’t enemies, and we didn’t share secrets. It was probably naive.

I giggled but sobered. “What about you? What’s going on with the Rogues?”

Theo hesitated, then leaned in, lowering his voice. “They’re getting organized. Too organized. My dad’s losing it—ranting about being the rightful king, the true bloodline, blah, blah, blah. The guy’s a nightmare.”

I frowned. “So he is planning to overthrow the Alpha King… with a bunch of traitors?”

Theo shrugged. “Somehow, he got them to listen. No clue how. I missed a lot when I ran off to find you guys.”

Silence settled between us. Neither of us would interfere in the other’s world. We wouldn’t betray each other’s trust. Whatever was said on peace rock, stayed on peace rock.

“You’re not gonna go looking for trouble, are you?” Theo flicked a blade of grass at me.

“I make no promises,” I said smugly. “But apparently, I’m something special, you know.”

“You’re special, all right.”

I elbowed him in the ribs. He laughed.

Then his gaze softened as he reached out, brushing his fingers against the marks on my face.

I stiffened—but didn’t pull away.

“I know I’ve said this, but back then, with the moon goddess shrine and stuff, I really—I never meant for that to happen to you,” Theo said quietly. “I just… I thought I was helping you. My dad always said being the strongest version of yourself was the only way to survive. I didn’t know the rumor would turn into that.”

I swallowed hard, memories of that night pouring in.

But I had survived

I met his gaze, forcing a small smile. “I know, Theo. And I trust you.”

He exhaled, relief flickering across his face.

“But,” I said, my mind wondering. “You still came to my brother and I, knew about the rumor. Where had you heard it?”

Theo thought for a minute before a prickling realization crossed his face. “Ah. My Dad.”

I blinked, my nails itching at the rock. “Do you think he… let you go? To come find me and Owen and get us to that shrine?”

Theo sighed, throwing his head back. “I don’t know. But if he did, I was played like a fiddle when I thought I was ‘sneaking out.’”

Then, in true Theo fashion, he smirked. “But tell me—if my dad is after you and your family, what’s the big secret? I mean, no offense, I get you’re Lycan, whatever that means, but I don’t see what’s so special about you.”

I smacked his arm again. “That’s a secret. Even to you.”

“Sure, sure,” he teased. “But come on? What’s not to trust about the son of your enemy?”

“Maybe the face you eat like a feral wolf.”

“That’s just natural talent.”

We laughed, the tension easing for a moment. Then Theo hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. “So… does Owen hate me now? I mean, after everything?”

“Maybe,” I said, grinning.

Theo groaned. “Great.”

“To be fair, you did kinda make my life miserable for a while.”

He sighed. “I told you, I was trying to help.”

“Well, you have excellent methods,” I said dryly. “Also, speaking of weird family things, I have a new ‘uncle.’”

Theo squinted at me. “What?”

I grinned. “Mark. He’s kind of weird, but also kinda great. Built like a wall, and… and half-ling.”

Theo’s eyes narrowed, “Like he is stuck in half transformation?” He was quiet before just shaking his head. “Your family gets weirder every time I talk to you.”

I snorted. “You have no idea.”

He ruffled my hair, making me squeak in protest. “Ugh! Theo, stop!”

“Never.”

I swatted his hand away, glaring. “You’re the worst.”

“And yet you keep talking to me,” he pointed out smugly.

I rolled my eyes as he stood up, stretching. “Time for me to head back before anyone notices I’m gone. See ya squirt.”

My eyelids lowered, annoyed. We were partially the same age.

I watched as he shifted effortlessly into his wolf form—a sleek, dark red figure against the sunlight. I clenched my fists, jealousy curling in my stomach. He had already unlocked his full form while I was still stuck waiting till I was older.

I hated that.

Maybe he was the special one to get his wolf so young.

As Theo ran off, disappearing into the trees, I tilted my head back and stared at the sky in thought.

I was supposed to get my full wolf form that night. But I didn’t. The Moon Goddess had always been there since then, in my dreams, whispering things I barely understood. But lately?

She had been silent.

My hand traced the marks under my eyes.

I couldn’t help but wonder—did that mean something?