Page 122 of Wolf's Reckoning
“Members of Stonefang Pack arrive by dusk.” That was all I said.
A murmur rippled through the gathered crowd. Unease from some. But not all.
A gray-haired female near the front—one of the elders, if I remembered right—nodded slowly. “Extra eyes. Good. We’re stretched thin.”
Gratitude. That was new. Others looked at her, surprised she’d spoken. I let her words sink in for the crowd.
“We were ambushed,” I said. “They knew the terrain. They knew our weaknesses. That wasn’t a rogue op. That was precision.”
Lewis stepped forward. “You think we’ve been compromised?”
“I think we’d be fools not to act like we have.”
No one argued. I looked at each of them in turn. Not challengingly. Just with the kind of calm weight that said: I see you. You see me. This is happening.
“The shifters from Stonefang are not here to replace Blueridge Hollow. They’re here to reinforce it. Until we find who’s feeding our enemies information, members ofbothpacks will walk your borders, train beside your young, and bleed if needed.”
A sharp whistle cut the air. Not disrespect. Approval.
Someone behind the crowd murmured, “About damn time.”
Lewis gave a stiff nod, then turned to the others. “We hold Blueridge Hollow, but we don’t hold it alone. Not anymore.”
The message was sinking in.
Blueridge Hollow and Stonefang were no longer two separate packs. They were uneasy allies—and that was enough for now. I didn’t wait for questions. I turned, walked down the steps, and out toward the ridge trail.
And that’s when the wind changed.
A howl broke the silence—low, long, unmistakably Stonefang. Not warning. Not aggression.
Arrival.
They came through the trees like shadows, powerful and lean, fanned in formation across the trail. Some of my top fighters. Scouts. Enforcers. Trained in Stonefang’s ways, loyal to their alpha’s word.
Twenty of them in total. Not a show of power—a show of readiness.
Rowen’s people watched in tense silence. It was all very well saying it was good to have reinforcements, but seeing them as they walked over your land was something quite different.
From somewhere deep in the crowd behind me, I heard a low growl cutting through the air—followed by a sharp voice.
“You bring wolves we don’t know onto Blueridge Hollow and expect us to trust them?”
I turned to the pack behind me, voice flat. “You trust me. Or you don’t.”
Silence.
Killian, appearing at my side like the smug bastard he was, added helpfully, “You could always challenge the alpha for your chance to take the pack.”
No one moved. I think half of them stopped breathing.Exactly.
Some of the Stonefang shifters dispersed without needing any command. They took up silent sentry positions around the perimeter, scanning, scenting, and ready. Three others came to stand beside me, ready for whatever I needed.
They did exactly what I wanted. I didn’t need them to blend in; I needed them to be seen. Because a message was being sent today—loud and clear.
This pack was not alone anymore.
“Alright,” I said to them all. “Let’s start. Get comfortable, we have a lot to discuss.”
