Chapter 21: Rogue Wolf Signs

Words : 1248 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 21: Rogue Wolf Signs Lily Carter POV The emergency siren howled through Silver Peak as I ran toward the Alpha house. Pack warriors rushed past me, their faces grim with fear. Something bad was happening at our borders. I burst through the front door to find Alpha Marcus shouting directions while Aiden, Brock, and Caleb gathered their patrol gear. Maps covered the dinner table, marked with red X’s showing trouble spots. "What’s going on?" I gasped, trying to catch my breath. "Border patrol found signs of rogue wolves," Alpha Marcus said without looking up from his maps. "Fresh tracks, scent markers, signs they’ve been watching us for days." My stomach dropped. After Luna’s claims yesterday and the Shadow Wolf’s threat last night, rogue wolves felt like the final piece of a terrible puzzle. "How many?" I asked. "We don’t know yet," Aiden said, putting on his patrol pack. "That’s what we’re going to find out." "I’m coming with you." All four guys turned to stare at me. Alpha Marcus shook his head instantly. "Absolutely not. It’s too dangerous, especially with the pack meeting tonight. If these rogues are connected to Luna’s accusations—" "That’s exactly why I need to come," I interrupted, shocking myself with my boldness. "If this is a trap, you’ll need someone who can sense things others miss." "Lily," Caleb said gently, "you’re not trained for patrol duty." "But I am trained to notice details," I argued. "And my omega senses might pick up things warrior senses don’t." Aiden looked serious. "She has a point. During the last rogue attack, she felt danger before any of us." "It’s too risky," Brock growled. "If something happens to her—" "Something will happen to all of us if we miss important clues," I said firmly. "Please. Let me help." Alpha Marcus studied me for a long moment. Finally, he nodded. "Stay close to Aiden. Follow his orders perfectly. And if things get dangerous, you run back here instantly." Twenty minutes later, Aiden and I ran toward the northern border where the patrol had found the tracks. The morning air felt cold and sharp, making every sound seem louder. My Triple Moon mark tingled with worried energy. "Are you scared?" Aiden asked as we ran. "Terrified," I admitted. "But I’m more scared of sitting here doing nothing while danger threatens the pack." He smiled at that. "You’re braver than you think, Lily." We reached the border patrol checkpoint where three warriors waited with worried faces. The boss, Jake, pointed toward a cluster of pine trees. "Tracks start about fifty yards that way," he reported. "At least four different dogs, maybe more. They circled our area for hours, testing our defenses." "Show us," Aiden ordered. As we approached the woods, I immediately smelled something wrong. Not just the smell of unfamiliar wolves, but something else. Something that made my mark burn with warning. "Wait," I said, grabbing Aiden’s arm. "Something’s not right here." The patrol warriors looked at me with barely hidden doubt. Jake actually rolled his eyes. "What do you mean?" Aiden asked seriously, ignoring the others’ emotions. I knelt beside the first set of tracks, running my fingers near but not touching the disturbed dirt. My omega senses screamed danger. "These tracks are wrong," I said slowly, trying to understand what I was feeling. "They’re too obvious. Like someone wanted us to find them easily." "Tracks are tracks," Jake said dismissively. "Four rogue wolves circled our land. That’s the threat we need to deal with." But I shook my head, moving to study other areas around the trees. "Look at this." I pointed to a patch of disturbed leaves. "The tracks go in a circle, but there are no scent marks. Rogue wolves always mark land they’re scouting." Aiden crouched beside me, his face growing serious. "You’re right. No wolf patrols for hours without leaving smell signs." "Maybe they were being extra careful," another warrior offered. I moved deeper into the trees, following a feeling I couldn’t explain. My mark got warmer as I walked, like it was guiding me toward something important. "Lily, don’t go too far," Aiden called. But I’d found something that made my blood freeze. Hidden behind a fallen log were different tracks – much bigger than the obvious ones near the border. These prints were deeper, wider, and gave off a smell that made me gag. "Aiden!" I called urgently. "Come here! Now!" He ran over, the patrol warriors following hesitantly. When they saw what I’d found, their dismissive attitudes vanished quickly. "Shadow Wolf tracks," Jake whispered, his face going pale. The prints were massive, almost twice the size of average wolf paws. But worse than their size was what surrounded them – dead grass, withered flowers, and small animals that looked like they’d simply stopped living. "They’ve been here recently," I said, feeling a blackened leaf that crumbled at my touch. "Maybe just hours ago." "This changes everything," Aiden said sadly. "The rogue tracks were meant to distract us from these." I stood up, my mind racing. "It’s a trap. The Shadow Wolves left fake rogue signs to draw our patrols away from the real risk." "What real danger?" Jake asked. My Triple Moon mark suddenly flared with burning pain. Through the trees, I could see movement – shapes that didn’t belong to any normal dog. My omega senses screamed warnings so loud I nearly doubled over. "They’re here," I gasped. "Right now. They’re surrounding us." The warriors immediately went into defensive positions, but I realized with increasing horror that we were already too late. Red eyes gleamed from the shadows between trees. Lots of them. "How many?" Aiden asked softly, his hand on his weapon. I counted the glowing eyes, my heart dropping with each pair. "At least a dozen. Maybe more." "We need to get back to the pack house," Jake said. "Warn everyone." But as we turned to run, more red eyes appeared behind us. We were completely trapped. A voice like grinding stone echoed from the shadows: "Too late, little omega. You found our real tracks, but now you’ll never leave to warn anyone." The biggest Shadow Wolf I’d ever seen stepped into view. Its eyes burned like hot coals, and its breath made nearby plants black. "You’ve served your purpose," it continued, speaking directly to me. "Your mate bond led us straight to the Alpha’s son. Now we can take you both." "Run, Lily!" Aiden shouted, drawing his silver knife. But there was nowhere to run. Shadow Wolves emerged from every direction, their supernatural speed cutting off any escape route. The patrol warriors readied their guns, but I could see the fear in their eyes. We were outnumbered and outmatched. My Triple Moon mark blazed with urgent heat. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I felt Brock and Caleb responding to my fear, but they were too far away to help. The lead Shadow Wolf smiled, showing teeth like black daggers. "The pack meeting tonight will continue as planned. But instead of banishing you, they’ll find your torn bodies as a warning of what happens to those who house forbidden magic users." As the creatures closed in around us, I realized Luna’s plans had worked perfectly. While the pack prepared to vote on my removal, we were about to become the first victims of a trap that would destroy everyone I loved. The Shadow Wolf lunged forward, and I knew our time had run out.

Chapter 21: Rogue Wolf Signs

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