“Casualties?”
“How is that possible?” I asked at the same time. “I thought the territory was bound?”
Diesel glanced at me, then back at Wolfe. “One.” A pause. “Young. But he didn’t get a good look. Said they came from behind the tree line. Fast. Precise. No scent markers.”
“That’s not random. That’strained.” Wolfe swore under his breath. All the while, Diesel’s gaze stayed steady on his alpha, ignoring my question.
Asshole.
Wolfe fell silent, but I felt the sharp edge of his focus spike. “Are they stable?” I asked.
“Shaky, but talking.” Diesel was giving Wolfe a look that, if I didn’t know better, looked like he wanted to punch him. “He’s already shifted and healed.”
“And how did they cross the boundary?” I asked again, looking between them both. “Wolfe? What am I missing?”
Diesel cleared his throat when Wolfe said nothing. “He said something weird.”
I pounced on him. “What?” I demanded. “What did he say?”
Diesel hesitated, his gaze flicking to Wolfe, and then muttered under his breath. “He said they moved like pack. Not like rogues. Too coordinated.”
“That’s not weird,” I said flatly. “That’s confirmation.” I turned to Wolfe and grabbed his arm. “That’s what we want, right?” I frowned at him. “Are you okay?”
He looked down, his head already shaking back and forth. “Rowen…”
“What?” I wanted to head to the pack hall and see the shifter who was attacked. “Don’t you want to talk to them?”
“I do,” Wolfe confirmed. “Rowen, the barrier is still in place.”
Well, that couldn’t be right. I looked at Diesel with a frown. “No, you must have missed a bit.” I looked between them. “Did you leave?” I asked Diesel. “Have you taken Solana and her family to Stonefang? Maybe the barrier spell was a one-time only thing.”
Diesel gave his alpha a flat look before he turned back to me. “The attack came from inside the boundary,” he told me bluntly.
I took a step back. “What? That’s…that’s not possible.” I blinked rapidly. “You mean my pack?”
“Or we trapped them in,” Wolfe spoke quietly, his eyes distant as he looked to the mountain peak that rose above us. “They could have already been here.”
“Yes!” I grabbed onto that rather than the thought of my pack attacking within. Despite everything, that would make the betrayal too real. I shoved my hands deep into my pockets to stop myself from reaching for Wolfe as my head took over my heart. “But…wouldn’t you feel them? Strangers?”
Diesel shook his head. “Most of the folk here are strangers to me,” he admitted. “I wouldn’t know if they were friend or foe.”
I turned to Wolfe. “Wolfe?”
He didn’t answer and I went to move forward, but Diesel reached out gently and held me back. “Careful,” he murmured, pulling us both back.
“Why?” I whispered, looking at Wolfe, really looking at him.
His eyes weren’t on us. Not really. Not the houses, not the trees. His body was locked in place—shoulders tense, fists clenched at his sides, chest barely moving as he breathed. Like a statuepoised to break. Not by outside force—but from pressure within.
Like he was getting ready to run.
Or fight.
“Diesel?” I asked quietly, my voice catching.
Killian came flying down the path, his boots skidding in the dirt. He didn’t look at me. His focus was entirely on Wolfe.
“D, move her,” he said, sharp but calm. He took another step forward, slow, measured.
