Chapter 224
Sometimes, being Alpha feels like standing between a storm and the people you love, daring the lightning to strike you first.
By the time I left the packhouse, the sun had started its descent, casting golden rays over the forest canopy. I walked in silence, flanked by two of our strongest warriors, Kane and Wyatt. Both were fierce, loyal, and, at the moment, unusually quiet.
None of us liked what we were heading into.
The northern border had always been peaceful. No threats, no signs of rogue passage, nothing beyond the occasional deer or wandering fox. But that flare… that damn red flare changed everything. Red was a warning. Red meant intent.
And now the cloth Ella had found—Blackfang sigil stitched into it like a slap across the face—meant this wasn’t just some lost traveler.
This was a challenge.
I hadn’t told Iris, but I knew more about the Blackfang Syndicate than I ever let on. Years ago, before I took over as Alpha, one of their mercenaries infiltrated a neighboring pack. Wiped out two families in a single night just to send a message. No reason. No remorse.
That kind of enemy doesn’t knock on the door.
They burn the whole house down.
I clenched my jaw and pushed forward through the underbrush, muscles tight beneath my jacket. My wolf was pacing, ears perked, restless. Alert. Something in the air was… wrong.
“Wyatt,” I said, keeping my voice low. “Anything yet?”
He paused and tilted his head, nostrils flaring. “Nothing fresh. Just squirrel and pine.”
“Too quiet,” Kane muttered beside me. “Makes my skin itch.”
I nodded. “Keep your eyes open. They could be cloaking their scent.”
We moved like shadows, covering a wide formation, our senses sharpened to a blade’s edge. The trees around us grew denser as we neared the spot where the flare had been seen. The air was colder here, unnatural for late spring. Even the birds had gone silent.
That’s when I saw it—barely visible, tucked beneath a fallen log.
“Stop.”
I crouched and brushed back leaves and branches. The grass had been flattened deliberately in a circular pattern. I recognized the shape immediately.
“A tracking mark,” Kane said behind me. “Faint, but recent.”
“They marked this area,” I confirmed. “It’s Blackfang code.”
Wyatt knelt beside me. “They’re watching us.”
I looked up at the trees, half-expecting to see eyes staring back. But there was nothing. No movement. No sound.
Then I heard it. A soft click.
My instincts kicked in and I shoved Wyatt down just as a dart whizzed through the air, embedding itself in the tree behind him with a sharp thunk.
“Ambush!” I barked.
We shifted immediately, our wolves rising beneath our skin in a half-form—faster, stronger, more alert. Kane rolled behind a tree, drawing a blade from his thigh holster. Wyatt scanned the treetops, eyes glowing faintly.
I remained crouched, scanning the shadows.
Then I saw them—just for a second. Three figures cloaked in black, masks covering their faces. One crouched low behind a boulder, another perched up in the tree line, bow in hand. The third vanished as fast as I saw him.
“Blackfang operatives confirmed,” I growled. “Minimal engagement. We get answers, not bodies.”
Wyatt grunted. “Prefer bodies.”
I smirked. “Later.”
I charged forward, ducking behind trees, my heart thudding hard in my chest—not from fear, but from focus. I lunged toward the one behind the boulder. He fired another dart—missed by a hair.
My shoulder hit him hard, sending us both tumbling. We rolled in the dirt, limbs tangled. He kicked, sharp and fast, a blade sliding from his wrist holster.
I grabbed his arm mid-swing, twisted until I heard the satisfying snap of bone. He hissed, but didn’t scream. Trained. Dangerous.
“What are you doing on my land?” I snarled, pressing my forearm against his throat.
He said nothing.
I leaned closer. “Talk, or I break every bone you have and leave you for the crows.”
Still silence. But something flickered in his eyes—amusement.
And then he bit down hard on something in his mouth.
“No!” I shouted, but it was too late.
His body convulsed for a second, foam spilling from his lips.
Cyanide.
Damn it.
I dropped him and stepped back, fuming. “He took a kill pill. They’re trained to die before talking.”
Wyatt rejoined me, dragging the second attacker—this one unconscious and bleeding from a head wound.
“Got lucky. Knocked him out cold,” he said.
“Good. Bind him. We’ll take him back.”
Kane jogged up behind us. “Third one’s gone. Vanished like smoke.”
I stared into the trees. “That’s because he wanted to be seen. The Syndicate’s not just scouting. They’re testing us.”
Wyatt lifted the unconscious attacker. “For what?”
“For weakness,” I said grimly. “They don’t want our land… they want our fear.”
We moved quickly after that, making sure the area was clear before heading back with our captive. The entire way back, my mind ran wild.
If the Syndicate had set their sights on us, we were in for hell.
And Iris… goddess, Iris. She had no idea how dangerous these people were.
I didn’t want to lie to her. But part of me wanted to shield her from this, even if it meant carrying the weight alone.
Back at the packhouse, we secured the captive in the underground cell—shackled, sedated, guarded by two warriors at all times.
As I climbed the stairs back up to the main floor, I heard Iris’s voice before I saw her. She was pacing the war room, arms crossed, eyes blazing.
“You left without telling me where you were going,” she said as soon as she saw me.
I held up a hand. “I didn’t want you distracted from your task. You handled the interviews, didn’t you?”
She gave me a look. “Don’t try to charm your way out of this.”
I stepped closer. “I’m not. I just didn’t want you worrying.”
She softened just a little. “Too late for that.”
I gently cupped her face, letting my forehead rest against hers. “You’re my mate, Iris. Not just my heart—my anchor. I’d never shut you out. But there are some things I need to handle first. Some things I need to understand before I bring them to you.”
She sighed. “You’re not alone in this, Roman. You never have to be.”
“I know.” I kissed her forehead. “We’ll talk tonight. I promise.”
And we would.
Because this war wasn’t just about territory. It was about power, loyalty, and what we were willing to protect.
And I would protect Iris—and our pack—with everything I had.
Even if it meant standing in front of the storm again.
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