Author's POV
The attacks came at dawn.
Three border settlements, struck simultaneously by fast-moving raiders. Homes burned. Supplies stolen. A handful of wolves injured, but none killed. The message was clear: we know where you are. We can reach you anytime.
Valerie stood in the war room, her hands pressed flat against the table, her jaw tight with barely contained fury. The council gathered around her, their voices rising in overlapping arguments.
"We should delay the expedition and retaliate," General Ronan argued. "If we leave now, we're abandoning our pack to Dante's wolves."
"Retaliate with what?" Elder Marcus countered. "Our warriors are already stretched thin. If we pull troops from the border, we leave ourselves vulnerable."
"Then we send a smaller force," another elder sugg
