CHAPTER 34:
The news hit the camp like a cold wind. No one shouted. No one panicked. But every face tightened, every movement grew sharper, every conversation dropped to urgent, purposeful tones. The army marched at first light. They would be here by midday tomorrow. There was no time for doubt. No time for fear. Only time to prepare.
We gathered in the main hall within minutes, the core leaders and every pack chief, the room crowded and warm, lit by flickering lanterns and the glow of the hearth. Knox stood at the head of the table, his hands braced against the wood, his voice loud and clear so every person in the room could hear.
“They come in force. Numbers we cannot match head-on. But they do not know this land. They do not know our strengths. And they do not know what we are capabl
