The sun broke through the haze, casting soft gold over the trees.
Jake squinted up at the sky, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"Are you sure you won't come with me?" David asked, standing on the porch steps, already dressed and ready to leave.
She didn't answer right away.
"I don't know," Sarah murmured, running a hand through her hair. "I just feel like I should stay behind. I don't wanna be a distraction while you're handling business."
She didn't meet his gaze.
Her eyes stayed on the trees, scanning the distance—tense, alert.
The coffee in her hands had long gone cold.
I've gotta stay here… and protect Jake.
The thought pulsed through her, clear as instinct.
"Okay then," David said with a small sigh, glancing down at Jake.
"Make sure to take good care of her for me, alright?"
Jake nodded, still groggy.
"I got her."
David gave them both a long look, like he wanted to say more—but didn't.
He stepped off the porch and headed toward the car.
"I'll be back… in only God knows when."
The words drifted behind him as the engine roared.
And just like that—he was gone.
Jake yawned, stretching his arms above his head.
"Well… I'll be sleeping if you need me," he mumbled, already half-turning toward the door.
He shuffled inside, footsteps fading down the hallway as he disappeared into his room.
Sarah didn't move.
She stayed on the porch, still clutching the cold mug. Her eyes narrowed, scanning the trees like they might answer her.
"I need a plan," she muttered under her breath. "I need to move faster than them."
They were closing in.
Scar. The Pack. The Alpha.
And she was running out of time.
She could feel it—like a storm pressing just beyond the horizon.
Something was coming.
Something dangerous.
Sarah set the mug down beside her and rose to her feet, jaw tightening.
"No more waiting. No more hiding."
Her eyes locked onto the treeline, cold and steady.
"If they want a fight," she whispered,
"I'll give them one."
Meanwhile, Scar arrived back at the Alpha's Castle—
A jagged fortress buried deep within the Claw's Heart.
Home to the ObsidianCrimsonPack.
The wind howled through the iron towers like wolves mourning.
He stepped through the massive doors without hesitation.
Every shadow bowed to him. Every step echoed power.
The Pack was waiting.
And the Alpha… was watching.
"Scar," the Alpha growled from his throne of bone and stone.
"I told you not to go."
Scar didn't flinch. His lips curled into a smirk as he approached the throne-like seat at the center of the war room.
"I went anyway," he said coolly. "And I brought back something better than permission."
The Alpha's glowing eyes narrowed, power rolling off him in waves.
"You disobeyed my order."
"I improvised," Scar replied, folding his arms. "Besides, you knew I'd go anyway."
A tense silence followed.
The other wolves didn't move—watching, waiting.
The Alpha rose slowly, towering and his presence filling the hall.
"Then tell me," he rumbled, voice low and dangerous,
"what information do you bring?"
Scar's grin faded slightly.
"There's another Alpha," he said. "An unknown one… but the presence coming off him—"
He paused.
"It's like standing before a god."
The Alpha's grip tightened around Scar's neck, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.
"The twins brought me this two days ago," he growled, eyes burning with fury.
"Don't tell me you disobeyed me with nothing to show for it."
Scar met his gaze without flinching, calm and unbroken.
"Put me down, old man," Scar said, voice steady. "You didn't let me finish."
The Alpha snarled and threw him across the room, but Scar landed on his feet—unshaken.
The Alpha settled back into his throne.
"This person… he's not awakened yet, just a human. For now at least," Scar said, voice low and deliberate.
"You see, Luna… she's the real danger. She's the only one who has reason to unlock that god-like power buried in him."
He paused, letting the weight of it settle.
"He's her stepson. They live under the same roof."
"She knows she can't face us alone."
"And we both know… she's not gonna sit back and let us take her."
The Alpha rose again, rage simmering beneath his skin. His presence filled the hall—heavy, deadly.
"I'm tired of hearing 'god-like,'" he growled, his voice shaking the stone around them.
"Only one wolf stands between me and absolute dominance... and that's Verek."
Scar held his ground, gaze steady.
"Well… there's about to be two wolves," he said coldly, "if you don't act fast."