The war room felt smaller with all of us crammed inside. I spread a fresh map across the table while Caleb positioned markers for each confirmed pack movement. Darius paced near the window, his wolf too close to the surface for him to sit still. Vera sat in the corner under guard, hands bound but posture defiant. She'd been talking for the last twenty minutes, and with every word, the picture became clearer and worse. "The Bloodfangs aren't the only pack Gideon contacted." Vera's voice was hoarse. "He reached out to the Shadowcrest pack in the north. Promised them hunting rights in the disputed territories if they supported the attack." "Shadowcrest." Caleb marked another section of the map in red. "That's fifty more wolves. At least." "And the Ironclaw pack to the west," Vera continue

