Chapter 3
The emergency alarm pierced through the morning air like a blade, jolting me from the restless sleep I'd finally managed to find. My wolf shot to attention, every instinct screaming that something was wrong. The howl that followed—raw, desperate, filled with pain—made my blood freeze.
Bo.
I was running before I'd even fully processed the sound, my bare feet slapping against the cold pack house floors as I raced toward the source of the commotion. Other pack members were emerging from their rooms, faces etched with concern, but I pushed past them all. That howl had been my brother's—I'd know his voice anywhere, in any form.
The scene that greeted me at the territory's eastern border was chaos. Bo lay crumpled against the base of an old oak tree, his clothes torn and bloodied, three deep gashes across his chest that were bleeding far too much. His breathing came in shallow, rattling gasps that made my heart clench with terror.
"Bo!" I dropped to my knees beside him, my hands hovering over his wounds, afraid to touch and cause more damage. "What happened? Who did this?"
His eyes found mine, glazed with pain but still holding that familiar spark of protectiveness. "Rogues," he whispered, each word a struggle. "They... they knew exactly where to find me. Knew the patrol routes."
The implications of his words hit me like a physical blow, but I pushed the thought aside. Right now, all that mattered was getting him help.
"Where's the healer?" I shouted to the gathered crowd. "Someone get Dr. Matthews now!"
Aliana appeared at the edge of the clearing, her hair perfectly styled despite the early hour, her clothes pristine except for a few strategic tears that looked more decorative than functional. "I saw it happen," she announced breathlessly, one hand pressed to her chest in a gesture of distress. "I was out for my morning run when I heard the fighting. I tried to help, but there were so many of them."
Something cold settled in my stomach at her words, but Bo's labored breathing demanded my attention. Blood was seeping through my fingers as I tried to apply pressure to his wounds, his skin growing paler by the second.
Dr. Matthews finally arrived, his medical bag in hand, and I felt a surge of relief. "Thank the Moon Goddess," I breathed. "He's lost so much blood, but if we can stop the bleeding—"
That's when Aliana collapsed.
She crumpled to the ground with a theatrical gasp, her hands clutching her stomach as she writhed in apparent agony. "My wolf," she screamed, her voice carrying across the entire clearing. "Something's wrong with my wolf! I think... I think the rogues injured her when I tried to fight them off. She's dying!"
The sound was piercing, desperate, designed to draw every eye and every ounce of sympathy. And it worked. Demetrius, who had just arrived on the scene, immediately rushed to her side.
"Dr. Matthews," he commanded, his Alpha voice cutting through the morning air. "Treat Aliana first. Her wolf is in critical condition."
"No!" The word tore from my throat with such force that several pack members stepped back. "Bo is dying! Look at him—he's bleeding out!"
But Demetrius wasn't looking at my brother. His attention was entirely focused on Aliana, who was now sobbing prettily into his chest, her performance flawless in its timing and execution.
"Alpha's orders," Dr. Matthews said quietly, his eyes filled with apology as he moved toward Aliana. "I'm sorry, Rebecca."
I watched in horror as the only person who could save my brother knelt beside the woman who had orchestrated his attack. Aliana's sobs grew louder, more dramatic, as she described the "internal injuries" her wolf had sustained. Meanwhile, Bo's breathing grew shallower, his grip on my hand weakening with each passing second.
"Please," I whispered to Demetrius, my pride crumbling as desperation took hold. "Please, he's my brother. He's dying."
But Demetrius didn't even glance in my direction. His hands were stroking Aliana's hair, his voice soft with concern as he murmured reassurances about her wolf's recovery.
Bo's fingers squeezed mine one last time, drawing my attention back to him. His eyes were clearer now, as if the approaching end had brought him a moment of clarity.
"Don't let them break you, sister," he whispered, his voice barely audible above Aliana's continued performance. "You're stronger than they know."
Those were the last words my brother ever spoke.
I felt the exact moment his spirit left his body, felt the mate bond we'd shared as siblings snap like a severed rope. The sound that came from my throat wasn't human—it was pure anguish, pure loss, the howl of a wolf who had just lost everything that mattered.
The clearing fell silent except for my grief, even Aliana's sobs quieting as my broken howl echoed through the territory. My wolf had gone completely silent, retreating so deep into our shared consciousness that I wondered if she would ever emerge again.
When I finally looked up, Dr. Matthews was still tending to Aliana's nonexistent injuries while my brother's body grew cold in my arms. Demetrius was watching me now, something like regret flickering in his eyes, but it was too late.
It was far too late.
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