They came with first light.

Not howling. Not charging. Just moving through the forest like shadows, surrounding us before anyone realized the siege had begun.

I woke to Darius's hand on my shoulder and his wolf in his eyes.

"They're here," he said. "All of them."

I was at the window in seconds. The forest beyond our walls was thick with movement. Wolves in formation. Too many to count at a glance. Too organized to be random.

"My father's pack?" I asked.

"Front and center. But there are ...