Chapter Ninety-One – The Hunt Begins
The plan came together quickly once the path was marked. Rowan circled three key routes branching from the main border, each one treacherous and wild in its own right.
“We’ll move in small groups,” Rowan said, dragging his fingers across the map. “Less chance of detection, more speed.”
“I’ll take the eastern ridge,” Liam offered, already calculating terrain and travel time. “I’ve got a few sharp trackers that know elevation shifts well.”
“I’ll take the west flank through the storm basin,” Luther added. “It’s thick with rock and shadow, but if she doubled back to confuse us, it’s the best route.”
“That leaves me the main trail,” Rowan said, tapping the center path Charlie had pointed out. “It’s narrow and slow, but it’s the one I’m betting she took.”
Kalen nodded. “Three teams. Three leads. Each of you take three trusted warriors. We move out at sunrise.”
The group murmured in agreement. Rowan was about to assign names when the scent of wildflowers and soft moonlight drifted into the room—Giselle.
She stepped in through the open door, her expression determined but calm. “Then I’m going with you,” she said, her voice firm as her gaze settled on Rowan.
He straightened. “Giselle—”
“I know what you’re going to say,” she interrupted, holding up a hand. “That it’s too dangerous. That you want me safe. But I’m your mate, Rowan. You don’t leave pieces of yourself behind—not anymore.”
Rowan’s wolf stirred in agreement, damn traitor that he was.
“You’ve been through enough,” Rowan said, stepping toward her. “You shouldn’t have to—”
“But I want to,” she cut in again, her jaw clenched. “This trail—the one Charlie pointed out—it feels right. I need to be with you. And if Rhea or Elia are out there, then I have just as much a stake in this as anyone.”
The room had gone quiet, everyone watching the exchange.
“She’s right,” Charlie added from the side, arms folded over her chest. “If anyone deserves to be on the front lines, it’s Giselle.”
Rowan looked at Giselle then, really looked—at the fire in her eyes, the unwavering steel in her spine. She wasn’t the girl he’d pulled from a rogue camp. She was his Luna. His equal. And he’d be a fool to forget it.
His jaw flexed. “Fine. But you stay with me. No charging ahead. No splitting off.”
Giselle gave him a small, confident smile. “Deal.”
Luther let out a low whistle. “Remind me never to argue with my mate like that.”
Liam chuckled. “You wouldn’t win anyway.”
Kalen coughed to hide his smirk, but Rowan didn’t miss it.
Rowan stepped back to the map and placed a small carved token—Giselle’s—next to his pin. The plan was set. They would leave at first light.
And this time, they were going to finish what the traitors had started.
—
The sky was still black as pitch when Rowan stepped out into the crisp pre-dawn air, the weight of what they were about to do settling across his shoulders like a cloak. Mist curled along the edges of the packhouse lawn, soft and silver beneath the faintest hints of coming light.
Giselle stood beside him, already dressed in her dark leathers, her hair braided and pulled away from her face. The faint glow of their bond pulsed between them, warm and steady. Her presence grounded him more than he could say.
Rowan glanced to the right where Liam stood with his team—three of his strongest wolves, all silent and alert. On the other side of the yard, Luther spoke quietly with his group, his large frame casting a long shadow across the grass.
Kalen moved between the teams with a final checklist, his sharp eyes scanning each warrior. He nodded once to Rowan as he passed. “No signs of movement on the perimeter. If they’re out there, they’re still hiding.”
“Then we strike while the world still sleeps,” Rowan muttered, his breath fogging in the air. His gaze dropped to the map again, the three paths etched in his mind. “The longer they’re free, the more danger the pack’s in.”
Behind him, the main doors creaked open and Charlie stepped out, dressed for training but clearly not part of the hunt so that someone is left behind to watch over the pack. She gave Rowan a small smile and walked up to hug Giselle tightly.
“Be careful,” she whispered into her sister-in-law’s ear. “And don’t let him do anything reckless.”
“I’ll keep him in line,” Giselle promised with a grin.
Charlie turned to Rowan and poked a finger against his chest. “Bring her back safe. Or I swear—”
“I know,” Rowan cut in, his expression softening. “I will.”
The teams moved into place. Rowan gave Liam and Luther a sharp nod, the kind that said everything that didn’t need to be spoken. The two alphas shifted into wolves and vanished into the dark, leading their teams along their assigned trails.
Rowan turned to his own group. Three warriors followed him: a tracker named Serin, a quiet but deadly male named Vance, and a female warrior named Mira who had proven herself a dozen times over. They formed a silent triangle around him and Giselle.
He looked at Giselle. “Ready?”
She gave a small nod, her eyes glowing faintly in the low light. “Let’s find them.”
They moved together through the trees, the packhouse disappearing behind them as the first hint of orange cracked along the horizon. The woods were still, the silence broken only by the sound of their footsteps against the underbrush. Each step forward tightened the coil in Rowan’s chest. Every shadow felt like it might hold a trap. Every gust of wind carried a possible scent.
His wolf stirred, restless and alert.
She’s close, the beast murmured. I can feel it.
Beside him, Giselle scanned their surroundings, her senses reaching out just as far. Her bond with Aeris had grown stronger, and Rowan could feel the way her power hummed beneath her skin, ready to lash out if needed.
They reached a narrow, overgrown trail that matched Charlie’s suggestion exactly—twisting, hidden from any known patrol routes, and oddly quiet.
Rowan held up a hand, signaling a halt. The warriors fanned out, scouting ahead. He leaned toward Giselle. “If they were smart, they’d keep moving. But if they underestimated us... they’ll still be resting. Vulnerable.”
Giselle’s eyes narrowed. “Then we find them before they realize we’re coming.”
He nodded, pride flickering through his chest. The woman at his side was no longer someone the Elders could cast aside. She was his equal. His Luna.
And she was going to help him end this.
Rowan turned back to the trail and pressed forward, each step pulling them deeper into the unknown—toward answers, toward justice... and toward the final confrontation that would decide everything.
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