Chapter 36: Desperate Measures
Aiden POV
The emergency howl cut through the morning air like a knife through my chest. I dropped the communication crystal I’d been holding and ran toward the sound, my heart beating so hard I could feel it in my throat.
"What’s happening?" I yelled to Marcus, one of our border guards, as he stumbled into the pack clearing.
"River Pack," he gasped, blood spilling from a gash on his forehead. "They’re striking our eastern border. But something’s wrong with them, Alpha. Their eyes... they’re sparkling."
My blood turned ice cold. The Shadow Wolves had reached River Pack. We were too late.
"How many?" I ordered, helping Marcus stay upright.
"All of them," he whispered. "The entire River Pack is marching toward us like they’re under someone else’s control."
I closed my eyes for a second, trying to think past the fear clawing at my chest. River Pack had over two hundred wolves. They’d been our friends for decades. Now they were coming to destroy us, and there was nothing we could do to fight them without hurting innocent wolves who weren’t in control of their own actions.
"Get everyone to the safe caves," I ordered. "Women, children, and elders first."
As Marcus limped away, I grabbed the contact crystals from my study. These magical stones let pack leaders talk to each other across great distances. If River Pack had fallen, I needed to tell the other packs and ask for help.
I pressed the first crystal, the one linked to Mountain Pack.