The Guardian's Awakening

The breach

A week had passed since the rogue attack.

I was back on my feet and in the training ring. Every morning, I sparred with warriors, ran drills with the patrol teams and worked closely with Gamma Marcus on perimeter strategy. He respected my instincts even when I challenged his plans.

People had started to notice me. They didn’t talk about my wolf or lack of one. Most didn’t know the truth of my birth. Only a few did: Beta Richard, the healer, and my parents. The rest just kept their distance, offering quiet nods and avoiding the topic like it might shatter something. They regarded me as the cousin and concluded my close relationship was because of my skill and because I was the luna's niece. I was fine with that.

But they trained with me. They listened. And with each day, the respect grew.

And I grew stronger. I could feel it.

Tonight was the pack gathering. My father's idea to foster unity. The courtyard was strung with lanterns, the scent of roasted meat and herbs drifting through the air. I spent the afternoon in the kitchen with the Omegas, helping to prepare trays of food, slicing vegetables and arranging platters with practiced hands.

They didn’t treat me like the luna's niece. They treated me like one of them. I liked that.

By sunset, the courtyard was alive. Children chased each other between tables, pack members laughed over drinks and music echoed through the trees. My mother danced with the elderly while my father stood near the fire pit talking with those around. I was sure Alexander was out with his mate while Andreas was out with his friends.

I stood off to the side, watching it all. For once, everything felt whole.

Then a high-pitched scream rang through the air. Sharp and panicked from the trees near the border.

Everyone froze.

A second later, the pack link flared in my mind, Beta Richard’s voice, urgent and demanding.

"The border has been breached, Wolves are attacking. All warriors to formation.”

The music stopped. Plates clattering. Children were pulled close. My father’s voice rang out, commanding and calm.

I ran to the training ring and grabbed my blade and sprinted toward the perimeter, heart pounding, senses sharp.

I was on my way when the message came through the pack link from the Alpha.

“Protect the children and the elderly.”

I turned instantly, grabbing three warriors nearby and heading back toward the pack house.The music had stopped. Our plan for attack was activated. The courtyard was emptying fast. Parents were picking up their children and elders were being ushered inside. The air was thick with panic and adrenaline.

Three wolves blocked our path, rogues. I could smell it before I saw it. That sour, metallic scent of blood and decay. Their eyes glowed with hunger and purpose.

“Get the children inside,” I ordered. “Secure the perimeter. Now.”

The warriors didn’t hesitate. They grabbed the youngest and sprinted toward the pack house. Four more fighters joined them, forming a protective wall.

But the rogues didn’t chase them.

They circled me. I froze, my heart was pounding as realization dawned on me. They didn't go after the children, which was weird but I was relieved. But they came after me. Why? Are they out for revenge?

Around me, the fight had erupted into full blown war, wolves were clashing and growls echoing through the trees.

Then my mother’s voice came through the link, sharp and worried.

“Ember? Are you okay?

I was about to tell her yes, not to worry when I felt two sharp pricks on my neck.

I staggered, reaching up. My fingers brushed metal. Darts. Drugs, again. I'm supposed to be immune to them, I made sure of that during my special training. This is the second time I'm falling for this. Are my skills fading? But this one felt different, a weakness I cannot define ran through my veins. My vision blurred. My limbs went heavy.

“No...” I replied to my mum.

The rogues closed in on me. I felt my knees buckle.

The darts didn’t knock me out but it made me weak. My limbs went heavy, my muscles refused to respond. I tried to fight it but it was no use. Something is very wrong.

I collapsed.

I felt him before I saw him, he came from outside the circle of wolves.

The rogue man from the forest. The one who’d injected me in the forest, he held a hand-made gun for darts in his hand. He shot me from a distance.

“We meet again, princess,” he said with a grin, his voice like gravel soaked in venom.

He threw the gun down and scooped me up like I weighed nothing and sprinted toward the eastern border. Wolves flanked him, their eyes locked on the trees ahead. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t fight. All I could do was think.

I reached out through the pack link, my thoughts sharp and urgent.

“Dad, I've been captured. They’re heading toward the east border.”

His voice came back instantly.

“The rogues are retreating, we think they came for you Ember. Stay strong, we are right behind you. We’re following your scent.”

I scanned the trees as we moved, my vision bouncing with each step. I could see more rogues waiting ahead.

“There are more,” I linked. “They’re gathering near the eastern ridge. They’re not running. It's a trap, be careful.”

I felt my father’s energy spike through the link, his thoughts racing.

“We’ll flank them. Stay with me, Ember. Keep talking.”

But then the rogue stopped.

He tore a strip of fabric from my shirt and handed it to one of the wolves, who bolted in the opposite direction.

A decoy.

He looked down at me, eyes gleaming with twisted satisfaction. Then he pulled a small bottle from his pocket and opened it.

“What are you…” I tried to speak, but my voice was barely a whisper.

He sprinkled the contents over me, something sharp and bitter that made my nose sting. A masking agent. To hide my scent. And he blindfolded me.

And then everything went quiet.

The pack link snapped.

I reached for my father again. Nothing.

I tried my mother.

“Mum?” I pushed through the silence. “Can you hear me?”

No response.

It was like I’d been cut off from the world.

I could no longer see. I couldn’t move. I could only smell and hear.

I heard the boot of a car open. Then I felt myself being shoved inside.

The metal floor was cold against my cheek. Then the car started.

I reached out one last time, desperate.

“Dad, they’re in a car.”

No answer.