Forest:
The tension in the Alpha’s office was thick enough to choke on. The weight of Callen’s ultimatum pressed down on all of us like a vice. One day. That was all we had left before war was at our doorstep.
Zane sat at the head of the large oak table, his jaw clenched so tight I swore his teeth would crack. My father, Ashton, stood beside him, arms crossed over his chest, his expression hard as stone. I sat to Zane’s right, unable to shake the growing sense of dread in my gut.
A knock at the door snapped us to attention. The door creaked open, and two scouts entered, their faces grim. The taller of the two stepped forward.
“Alpha Zane, the troops have completed their initial sweep of the territory,” he said, his voice low but firm. “Callen’s men have been making rounds along our bor
