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Bryn and I sprinted to the center of the compound, which was already a mess. People had been knocked over, their clothes ruined. Whatever food they’d brought from the ceremony was scattered across the ground. Bryn gasped and immediately bent to help the nearest wolf, making sure they were alive. I spotted Jasper heading somewhere—likely to wherever Dom was fighting, but I caught him as he dashed by.
“Go check on Tavi and my mother,” I ordered. “Make sure they’re safe.”
“Yes, Alpha.” He nodded, and then sprinted off.
Kings wolves had started to leave their homes to check on what was going on. Many of the men there tried to assess the danger, but they were obviously just as confused as I was. Women, too, were drawn toward the commotion.
“Hey,” I called to one of the male Kings. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Our borders are under siege,” he said, eyes glowing. He looked like he was close to shifting. “Ferals are all over the goddamn place.”
“How could this happen?” Bryn demanded. She stood, her hands and the hem of her dress stained in blood.
“We were taken by surprise, Alpha Hunter,” he replied. “Ferals have never, ever attacked us on our own turf.”
Shock panged through me. Of course. This sort of organization from ferals was unheard of. They were too few and far between to mount a concerted attack like this. And yet, another guard entered the area holding a bloodied woman in his arms. Bryn hadn’t had time to establish a telepathic link with her team. It was like the ferals knew that and were taking advantage of it. But that should have been impossible.
“Did we fuck with them somehow?” Bryn asked. “What would lead them to do this?”
“I don’t know,” he replied, his eyes growing wild. “There haven’t been any reports. No one is telling me anything!”
Bryn and I looked at each other. The man was losing his cool.
“What are you thinking, Night?” she asked.
Despite the chaos, my heart beat with pride for her. She was so fierce, but she wasn’t afraid to ask for help. Looking at her now reminded me of how brave she’d looked right after she had defeated Troy in the challenge ceremony.
“Listen up,” I called, using my Alpha voice. “I need every available man out where the border patrols are.” That would reinforce our numbers. “I’ll be right behind you.”
Men who had been wandering around without aim straightened now that they had orders. They began to spread equally to the northern, eastern, western, and southern borders. I turned to Bryn before I followed them.
“I know you’ve got to go,” she said with a sad smile. “Some start to our honeymoon, huh? A war breaks out and my first day as Alpha goes to shit.”
I shook my head. “This is not your fault. Something fucked up is happening. But I promise you, we’ll get to the bottom of this. Together.”
She nodded.
“In the meantime, you stay here and care for the wounded.”
She nodded again, but there was a more determined edge to it. “Come back to me.”
I kissed her quickly, fiercely. “I will always come back to you.”
30
BRYN
Night shifted and sprinted off to see where he could help in the fight, and I turned back to the chaos around me. Wolves were carrying their wounded on their backs and on makeshift gurneys, looking lost as hell. Those on the ground remained motionless and unattended. Women lingered near the edges of the site, unsure how to help.
I looked down at myself. I was still decked out in this lovely dress. This was not the attire of an Alpha who was needed by her people.
“Hey!” I called. I didn’t quite have the force of the Alpha voice on my side, but I sounded commanding enough to get the attention of those who were still able-bodied. “Leave the wounded here for treatment. It’s too risky to try and carry them to the infirmary on the eastern corner.” As those carrying the wounded began to follow my orders, I turned to the women. “Claire, bring me a pair of pants and a t-shirt that you don’t mind getting bloody. As for the rest of you, bring back your medicines, your gauzes, your linens, and every first-aid item you can think of.”
I pulled my hair up into a bun, securing it with Tavi’s flower crown. In minutes, Claire had returned with the clothes, and Mom and Violet arrived to help. Behind Violet, Dr. Stan was on the way to us. I changed into my new outfit in seconds and tossed the dress into a nearby tree.
Women returned with hand sanitizer and water and everything else they had, and I directed them to assist those who were least injured. Dr. Stan took the lead on caring for those most seriously injured, and Mom and Violet, who both had medical experience, assisted him there. I dropped to my knees and began putting all the first-aid knowledge I had from school and from my mother to real use.
Seconds passed like minutes, and minutes like hours. I wiped sweat from my brow and pressed cloth to the bleeding chest wound of a Kings wolf before moving on to help a Kings woman hold down a Wargs man while he was stitched up. I quickly learned that pack lines blurred on a battlefield. Trish, Tanya, and Tara sobbed nearby. For them, and for many of these women, it was the first time they’d ever seen so much blood and death. They clutched each other desperately as they looked on at the chaos. They weren’t helping, but at least they weren’t getting in the way. I would have been just like them if I hadn’t had the experience in the cave on the Wargs’ territory, and if I hadn’t fought Troy myself.
