# Chapter 20: The Attack
**Marcus's POV**
Three days passed in a blur of heightened security, constant patrols, and mounting tension.
I healed faster than Dr. Chen expected—my wolf working overtime, driven by the desperate need to be strong enough to protect my mate when Derek made his move. By the third day, I could move without gasping in pain, could shift without tearing stitches, could fight if I needed to.
And I needed to.
The attack came at dawn, just as the night patrols were switching with the day shift—the exact moment when our defenses would be most vulnerable. Derek had planned it perfectly.
I woke to the sound of the alarm—a howl of warning that cut through the early morning quiet like a knife. Then my father's voice crashed into my mind through the pack link, urgent and
