The Weakest Wolf's Revenge

Chapter Three

Roxie's POV

"How many?" Raptor pulled on his shirt, his body still trembling from the episode I'd somehow stopped.

"Forty wolves," Katya reported. "Led by Marcus and Alpha Darius himself."

My stomach dropped. My father had come personally to kill me.

"They're demanding we hand over the fugitive," Katya continued. "They say she stole pack secrets."

"I didn't steal anything!"

"Doesn't matter." Raptor's voice was cold, controlled. The vulnerable wolf from moments ago had vanished. "They're on our territory without permission. That's an act of war."

"Wait." I grabbed his arm, ignoring the spark that shot through me. "You can't fight them because of me. People will die."

"People die anyway." He shrugged off my touch. "Tor, mobilize everyone. Katya, get her to the bunker."

"No." The word came out stronger than I felt. "I won't hide while others fight my battles."

Raptor turned, and for a second, something flickered in his eyes. "You can barely shift without collapsing. What exactly do you plan to do?"

Before I could answer, a voice echoed through the compound's speakers. Marcus. They'd patched into our communication system.

"Roxie, I know you're listening. Come out now, and I promise it will be quick. Make us come in after you, and everyone in that compound dies."

My wolf snarled at his voice. The mate bond might be broken, but the betrayal still burned.

"Arrogant pup," Raptor muttered. "Tor, how long since their last border inspection?"

"Three months."

A cold smile crossed Raptor's face. "Perfect. Then they don't know about the upgrades."

"What upgrades?" I asked.

Instead of answering, he headed for the wall. I followed Katya close behind.

The northern wall was lined with Ironfang wolves, all shifted and ready. Through the reinforced gate, I could see the Silverstone Pack arranged in attack formation. My father stood at the center, his silver wolf magnificent even from a distance. Marcus flanked him, along with...

Vera.

My sister was here. Watching. Part of the hunting party sent to kill me.

"Roxie!" Marcus called again. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be. You were always too weak for our pack. At least die with some dignity."

"Enough." Raptor's voice carried across the field without him raising it. "You have ten seconds to get off our territory."

My father shifted to human form. Even from here, I could see his sneer.

"You're harboring a criminal, Beta. Hand her over, or—"

"Or what?" Raptor laughed, and it was terrifying. "You'll attack? Please. I haven't had a good fight in weeks."

"She's my daughter. I have the right—"

"You have nothing." Raptor's voice dropped to a growl. "You banished her. That strips down all familial claims. She's under Ironfang protection now."

"For three days," my father said. "We'll wait."

"Actually," Katya spoke up, a tablet in her hand, "according to inter-pack law, if a banished wolf assists in defending their sanctuary pack from an unprovoked attack, they earn permanent residency."

Everyone turned to stare at her.

"What?" She shrugged. "I study law when I'm bored."

"She's weak," Marcus protested. "She can't help with anything."

That's when I remembered the garage. The weapons I'd been designing in secret. The modifications I'd made to vehicles that my pack had dismissed as useless tinkering.

"I can upgrade your defenses," I said quietly to Raptor. "Give me two hours and access to your equipment, and I'll make this place impenetrable."

He studied me. "You're a mechanic."

"I'm an engineer. There's a difference."

"She's lying," Vera called out. "Roxie can barely change a tire."

The betrayal stung fresh. She knew about my work. She'd seen my designs.

"One hour," Raptor said. "You get one hour."

"I need supplies. Metal, welding equipment, and..." I looked at the walls. "Do you have any vehicles? Broken ones are fine."

"We have a graveyard of them," Tor said.

"Perfect. Show me."

The next hour was a blur. My wolf might be weak, but my mind wasn't. I'd spent years developing weapons and defenses in secret, knowing that someday my weakness might get me killed.

I never thought I'd use them to defend strangers.

The Ironfang wolves watched in shock as I transformed their broken vehicles into mobile shields, rigged explosive barriers, and created electromagnetic pulse devices from spare parts.

"How?" Katya asked, watching me weld armor plating. "This is advanced military tech."

"When you can't fight, you learn other ways to survive." I wiped sweat from my forehead. "Hand me that copper wire."

Raptor hadn't left my side the entire time, his presence a strange comfort. He didn't offer to help, didn't comment. Just watched with those golden eyes.

"Done." I stepped back from my final creation—a frequency emitter that would disrupt wolf communication within a mile radius.

"Will it work?" Raptor asked.

"One way to find out."

We returned to the wall. Silverstone Pack had moved closer, clearly preparing to attack despite their claims of waiting.

"Last chance," my father called. "Send out the weakling, and no one dies."

Raptor looked at me. "Your call."

I picked up the remote I'd rigged. "You want me, father? Come and get me."

I pressed the button.

The ground in front of Silverstone Pack erupted in controlled explosions—not enough to kill, but enough to disorient. The mobile shields activated, creating a barrier of electrified metal. The frequency emitter screamed to life, and every shifted wolf in Silverstone's ranks howled in pain, forced back to human form.

"What did you do?" Marcus screamed, naked and confused.

"I got stronger," I called back. "Just not the way you expected."

My father's face was purple with rage. "You think toys will protect you forever? You're still weak! Still worthless!"

"Maybe," I said. "But I'm worth protecting here."

"Retreat!" my father ordered. "But this isn't over. The council will hear about this. About all of it."

As they fled, Vera looked back. For a moment, our eyes met. She touched her stomach, and I saw something in her expression. Fear.

Then they were gone.

The Ironfang wolves erupted in cheers. Someone slapped my back hard enough to knock me forward.

"That was incredible!" Tor laughed. "You turned them into naked, running chickens!"

But Raptor wasn't celebrating. He was staring at me with an expression I couldn't read.

"My office," he said. "Now."

I followed him through the compound to a spartan room with only a desk and two chairs.

"Sit."

I sat.

"That wasn't normal engineering," he said. "Those designs, the frequency manipulation—that's not human knowledge."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Don't lie to me," he leaned forward. "I've seen that tech before. In the archives. The forbidden archives."

My blood went cold. "I don't—"

"It's witch technology." His eyes bored into mine. "Ancient witch technology that was supposedly destroyed centuries ago. So I'll ask you again—what are you?"

"I'm a wolf. A weak wolf, but—"

"No." He stood, pacing. "Katya was right. There's something else in your blood. Something hidden."

"That's impossible. Both my parents are wolves. I've seen their genealogy records."

"Records can be faked." He stopped in front of me. "But blood doesn't lie."

Before I could respond, he pulled out a knife and grabbed my hand.

"What are you—"

He cut my palm. Blood welled up, normal and red.

Then it started to glow.

Faint, barely visible, but definitely glowing with a soft silver light.

"That's not possible," I whispered.

"Witch blood," Raptor said quietly. "You're not just a weak wolf, Roxie. You're something that shouldn't exist."

"A hybrid," Katya said from the doorway. Neither of us had heard her enter. "The first wolf-witch hybrid in three hundred years."

"But if that's true..." I stared at my glowing blood. "If I'm really a hybrid..."

"Then the council won't just want you dead," Raptor said grimly. "They'll start a war to make sure you never breed."

That's when we heard it. A howl unlike any wolf. It was melodic, haunting, and definitely not natural.

Katya's tablet started screaming alerts.

"Impossible," she breathed, staring at the screen.

"What?" Raptor demanded.

"The Witch Coven." Her face was white. "They're here. All of them. And they're demanding we hand over their stolen property."

"Property?" I stood, my blood still glowing.

A voice filled the compound, female and ancient, speaking directly into our minds.

"Hello, little hybrid. Did you really think you could hide from us? Your mother certainly tried."

My mother? But she died when I was born. Didn't she?