Belle woke to a knock at the cabin door.
Kael stirred beside her instantly, instincts sharp. He reached for his shirt, tension coiling in his muscles. Belle sat up, heart already racing. Something felt... off.
Willow stood in the doorway, her expression grim. "You both need to come. Now."
Within moments, they were dressed and following her toward the main hall. The torches along the path flickered more violently than before, the forest around them humming with unease.
"What's happened?" Kael asked.
"We caught someone trying to breach the border," Willow said. "They didn't get far. But Belle... they weren't just a scout."
Belle's stomach dropped. "Who were they?"
Willow hesitated. "Someone from your old pack. Someone who knows you."
They reached the clearing near the ritual circle. Several Moon Blood warriors stood guard over a figure bound and kneeling. The man's eyes snapped to Belle the moment she approached.
"Alpha King," the man spat, eyes wild. "You've corrupted her. She was ours."
Belle felt a chill run through her veins. "Aaron."
Her former beta. Her tormentor. One of the first to mock her "weakness." His presence here was not an accident—it was a warning.
"You shouldn't have run," Aaron snarled. "You're not special, Belle. You're a danger. And Alpha Corwin won't let you bring shame to our name."
Kael moved in front of Belle instantly, his wolf barely contained. "She owes your pack nothing."
Duke stepped forward, his voice like steel. "Why is your Alpha sending scouts into sovereign land?"
Aaron laughed bitterly. "We're not scouting. We're cleansing. Your little prophecy? It's a lie. The moon-kissed are cursed. Alpha Corwin means to erase every last one."
Belle's breath caught. Every last one? That meant...
"There are others?" she asked, stepping out from behind Kael.
Aaron smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Not for long."
Guards flanked him before he could say another word. His chains clinked against the stone floor as they led him away, their grip firm and unyielding. He didn't resist. Instead, he cast one last look at Belle—something between warning and promise flickering in his gaze—before disappearing into the woods.
Duke was the first to move, his steps brisk and purposeful as he led them from the clearing and across the courtyard toward the pack house. The sun was just beginning to dip behind the trees, casting long shadows that stretched like claws over the stone path. Belle followed close behind, her shoulders tense, and the Alpha King brought up the rear, his silence heavier than words. They entered the pack house without pause, Duke navigating the familiar halls with ease until they reached the heavy double doors of the Moon Blood war room.
Belle's former beta was locked away, but the words he'd spoken clung to the air like fog—cleansing, curse, others. Belle paced the Moon Blood war room as Kael and Duke stood over the map carved into the table, their expressions grim.
"Drake has declared war," Duke said flatly. "Whether he's formally said it or not, sending a scout to violate our borders and threaten a moon-kissed wolf is an act of aggression."
Kael nodded. "And it won't stop with Belle. If he's hunting others like her, we have a responsibility to protect them."
Belle looked between them, torn between awe and dread. "You'd go to war… for me?"
Kael crossed to her, cupping her face with quiet conviction. "Not just for you. For what you represent. If we don't stop Drake, more innocent wolves—and witches—will die."
Duke's jaw tightened. "Alpha Drake was once a friend of my father's. But he's become something else. Twisted. Eliza, his Luna, is a powerful manipulator, and their daughter Tara is rumored to have witch blood—though they keep it hidden out of shame."
Belle blinked. "He hides a witch-born daughter while hunting moon-kissed wolves?"
"The irony isn't lost on us," Willow murmured, entering with a scroll. "We've begun sending messages to other neutral packs. Some may align with us. Others will stay out of fear."
Kael's voice turned to steel. "Then we move with those who believe in more than fear."
Duke nodded. "I'll rally Moon Blood. You send word to the Highland and Ember Claw packs. We march at dawn."
Belle stood alone under the stars, her wolf restless.
They're going to war... because of me.
Because of what I might be.
But instead of fear, something stronger rose in her—resolve.
She turned toward the campfires glowing in the distance, where warriors prepared for battle. The prophecy had spoken of balance. Of bridges. Of healing.
But maybe… to heal the world, it first had to burn.