The Alpha House didn’t sleep.
Not fully.
Even in the quietest hours, there was movement—soft footsteps in the halls, distant murmurs, the steady awareness of a pack that never let its guard down.
Tonight, that vigilance was sharper.
The Crimson Fang had crossed into their territory.
That changed everything.
Lyra stood over the large wooden desk, maps spread before her. Markings had already been added—territory lines, patrol routes, weak points along the forest edges.
Her mind was working.
Strategizing.
Containing.
But beneath all of that
Something else lingered.
Unwanted.
Uninvited.
Persistent.
A knock came at the door.
Lyra didn’t look up.
“Enter.”
The door opened quietly.
Adrian stepped inside.
Of course it was him.
Lyra’s hand stilled for just a second before she re
