Scarlett’s POV

The alarms are deafening, piercing the stillness of the early evening like jagged knives. They echo across the pack territory, through the dense forests and into the valley below. My chest tightens, heart hammering—not from fear, but anticipation. I know what this means before I even see it. War isn’t approaching anymore. War is here.

I grip the ancestral stone with both hands, feeling it vibrate beneath my fingers. The pulse is erratic, like a heartbeat accelerating. The ...