[MAGGIE
Seven Years Ago
The wind had that sharp, early autumn bite to it–the kind that whispered of coming frost and longer nichts moved through the trees in silence, the familiar rustle of leaves beneath my boots soothing in its predictability Carly and Erin were back at the cabin, patching up the girl we’d helped.
“Mia,” they’d called her
She didn’t remember who she was Barely remembered how to speak at first. But she had that look in her eyes- wild, haunted, proud. The look of someone who’d survived something and didn’t know whether to be grateful or angry about it.
We hadn’t known then who she really was. But I’d known Instinctively that helping her meant something
Still, being in that tiny cabin for more than a few hours at a time made my skin itch. So I’d slipped away into the trees, hoping for quiet.
That’s when I heard him.
Na!”
The voice was distant, echoing through the trees, but it was enough to make me pause. Male. Strong Not rogue.
Another voice followed, closer this time. “Hellooooo!”
I crept toward the sound, sticking to the shadows, my senses flaring. Whoever he was, he was heading north- toward the old ravine, where the ground grew slick with moss and the roots twisted like traps.
I followed, curiosity tugging at me harder than it should’ve
His scent hit me first. Not fully transformed, but close. A dominant wolf. Pack–bom
He wasn’t masked at all–too panicked or too arrogant to hide himself. And he kept calling out like he was chasing a ghost.
I caught a glimpse of him through the trees: tall, broad–shouldered, with short blond hair and a clean, sharp profile. He moved fast, like a man who knew the land but had no idea how close danger lingered
Then he stumbled.
The overgrowth gave way, and suddenly he was there–standing right in front of me, barely ten feet away. He froze
I did too.
For a breath, neither of us moved.
Then our eyes met.
It was like the forest fell away. Like the air went still.
1 felt it slam into me—the pull. The tether. That impossible irrefutable spark that lit up every nerve in my body and whispered: This is him.
Chapter 136
His pupils dilated. His mouth parted. I watched the exact moment it hit him too.
Eafed
Our bond lit like a fuse.
+25 BONUS
We stepped toward each other, unconsciously mirroring each other’s movements, our gazes locked. It was like gravity had shifted.
He smiled.
So did L
And for the first time in my life, I felt–briefly–like I’d found something I hadn’t even known I was missing.
I snapped out of the memory with a hard blink, the murmurs of rogue voices pulling me back to the present.
We were gathered in what passed for our war room now–an abandoned ranger station tucked deep in the woods, well off any radar. The long wooden table was scarred and uneven, maps scattered across it, candles burning low. They were arguing again. About tactics. About strategy. About whether it was time to retreat, or strike harder.
None of them had noticed how quiet I’d gone.
“we can’t keep doing this without resources,” one of the rogues was saying. “We’re spread too thin. Medical’s tapped. We need food. Weapons. Movement money.”
Another one chimed in. “We lost three good fighters last werk. And for what? What did we even gain at Lakepoint?”
I stood and let the legs of the chair scrape just enough to cut through their noise.
That shut them up.
“We’re not done,” I said simply. “This isn’t about one territory or one target. It’s about shaking the cages they’ve been too comfortable in. Moonstone, Silverclaw–they only understand power. So that’s what we give them.”
A younger rogue leaned forward, hands clasped nervously “There… might be another way.”
1 narrowed my eyes. “Speak.”
He swallowed. “A funding source. Someone who’s… interested in our goals. Might be willing to help. Quietly.”
My brow arched. “Who?”
“They didn’t give a name. Just said they’d heard we were under new leadership. That you’re making waves. They want to meet.”
1 looked around the room. Skepticist rippled across a few faces. Others looked hopeful. Desperate.
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Chapter 137
