Chapter 76: First Blood
ARIA POV
Blood spilled across my face as the enemy wolf lunged at me. I ducked just in time, feeling claws graze my shoulder instead of my neck.
"Aria, get back!" Kael shouted, jumping between me and the attacker.
But I was done lying. I grabbed the silver knife from my boot—the one Lucien had insisted I carry—and slashed upward. The enemy wolf howled in pain and stumbled back.
What should have been a quiet morning watch had turned into a bloodbath. Twelve of our wolves attacked at the northern border. Five already dead.
"They knew exactly where we’d be," Mira gasped, pressing her hand against a wound on her side. "Someone told them."
I studied the forest, counting at least twenty enemy wolves. I recognized the marks of the Stone Ridge pack—our most vocal opponents. But there were others too—wolves from at least three different packs working together.
The forecast about the sleeping queens had spread like wildfire over the past week. Now every usual pack feared what would happen if they rose again. They wanted me dead before I could raise them.
"Fall back to the ridge!" I ordered, helping Mira to her feet. "We need higher ground!"
Kael glanced at me, surprise in his eyes. A month ago, I would have waited for his order. But I wasn’t just a Luna anymore—I was an Alpha in my own right.
Our remaining wolves scrambled up the rocky hill. The enemy followed, but the narrow path forced them to come at us one by one.