POV: Asher Thorne
The ride to the Silver Fang Pack was fast, but not fast enough for Asher's racing mind. Every second ticked like thunder inside his head.
Eighteen hours.
That's how long it had been since the rogue attack.Since Aira was taken.Since he rejected her.
"You're a damn fool."Orbit, his wolf, hadn't stopped growling those words for hours.
Asher clenched the steering wheel tighter, his Beta Jack beside him, eyes trained ahead. In the backseat, Alex Ashwood—his Gamma—was uncharacteristically silent. The tension inside the car was a mirror of what swirled inside his chest.
Where is she?
They were escorted through the Silver Fang territory like royal guests—but Asher knew this was no friendly visit. They were here for war.
The massive blackstone manor loomed ahead—home of Lucien Blackveil, the most feared Alpha in the region. Ruthless. Strategic. A legend built from blood.
As they stepped into the Alpha's office, Asher felt it.
Dominance.
The room was sleek—marble, stone, and glass—power humming through its air like static. And at the center, behind a desk carved from ancient oak, sat Lucien, suit crisp, expression unreadable.
Golden eyes flicked up.
"Take a seat."
No pleasantries.
Just command.
Asher obeyed, sitting across from the Alpha, flanked by Jack and Alex. He took a steadying breath, the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Lucien folded his hands. "Tell me. What did you lose?"
Asher's throat tightened. He let the words fall out slowly.
"We were attacked at dusk. During my Alpha Naming Ceremony. It was calculated. Silent. Swift. They didn't go for the crowd—they moved through the outer circle. Through the woods."
He glanced at Lucien.
"They didn't kill. They took. Mostly girls. Our age group—sixteen to eighteen."
Lucien didn't blink. "How many?"
"At least nineteen confirmed," Jack said bitterly. "Two of them were mine."
Lucien's gaze sharpened. "Yours?"
"My sister," Jack replied, jaw tense. "And her friend, Lila."
Asher exhaled, rubbing his face. "The rogues didn't fight the warriors. They avoided them. This wasn't a battle—it was a harvest."
A moment of silence passed.
Lucien's fingers tapped the desk once. Then he turned to his Beta, David.
"Get Gamma Travis. Have him report any movement near our northern borders. Now."
David nodded and swiftly exited.
Lucien turned back, eyes glinting.
"They only took girls… that age. Why?"
Asher shook his head. "I don't know. That's what terrifies me."
Lucien's golden eyes narrowed, his wolf Roman growling behind them.
"The Blood Moon," he muttered. "Prophecies always come back to it…"
Just then, Gamma Travis's voice echoed through David's earpiece, who returned with a grim face.
"Alpha. We've got rogue movement."
"Where?" Lucien demanded.
"North border. Three clicks from the main watchtower. They're not attacking… but they're watching."
Lucien stood, the air shifting like a coming storm.
"Arm up. We move now."
Asher followed, heart pounding.
Please, he thought. Let her be safe.
But deep down, he feared the truth.
That rejecting her wasn't just the worst mistake of his life—…it may have cost her everything.