The moon was bright, lighting up the forest as I slipped out of the dorm. My chest ached from the tight cloth binding my ribs, but I needed air. Finn was asleep, his quiet snores filling the room. I shifted into my wolf form, letting the cool night calm my racing thoughts.

Paws crunched on leaves as I ran, but a shadow moved ahead. I froze. A gray wolf stepped into the moonlight, shifting into a girl with short hair and a scar over her eye. Lyra, a Beta from another pack.

“Out for a run, *Aiden*?” she asked, smirking.

I shifted back, crossing my arms. “What do you want?”

She tossed me a water pouch. “Relax. I’m not here to fight. I know your secret.”

My heart skipped. “What secret?”

“You’re not a boy.” She leaned against a tree. “I’ve been pretending to be my brother for years to train. My pack doesn’t let girls fight.”

I stared. “Why tell me this?”

“Because you’re not the only one tired of these stupid rules.” She stepped closer. “There’s a group—*the Shadow Pack*. Females who want to change things. They’re planning to strike back at the council. Want in?”

“How?”

“Tomorrow night, we hit a council supply convoy. Medicine, weapons. Steal it, and we hurt their power. Prove we’re not afraid.”

Before I could answer, voices cut through the trees.

“—saw him come this way!” Jaxon’s growl. Torchlight flickered.

Lyra shifted, howling like a rogue. The boys yelped and ran.

She shifted back, grinning. “Dumb as rocks. Meet me tomorrow at the old watchtower if you’re serious.”

---

Finn was waiting when I returned. “Where were you?”

“Walking.”

He pointed to my muddy boots. “In the *forest*? After curfew? You’re hiding something!”

I hesitated, then pulled him aside. “You want the truth? I’m working with others to fight the council. To change the rules.”

His eyes widened. “You’ll get caught!”

“Not if we’re careful.” I showed him the bruises from the binding. “This isn’t just about me. It’s about *all* of us.”

Finn stared, then nodded. “What can I do?”

“Keep Jaxon busy tomorrow. And trust me.”

---

The next night, Lyra waited at the crumbling watchtower. “Ready?”

“What’s the plan?” I asked.

“The convoy has two guards. We knock them out, take the supplies.”

“No killing,” I said firmly.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. But if this goes wrong—”

“It won’t.”

We crept to the road, hiding in the bushes. A wagon rolled by, two wolves guarding it. Lyra whistled—a bird call.

I lunged, tackling one guard. Lyra pinned the other. We tied them up, gagging them.

“Hurry!” Lyra hissed, tossing me a crate of medicine.

We dragged the supplies into the woods. The guards glared but stayed silent.

Lyra smirked. “Told you they’d survive.”

“Now what?” I asked.

“Now the Shadow Pack knows you’re loyal. Next step: bigger strikes. Until the council *listens*.”

---

Back at Ironclaw, a note lay on my bunk:

*“The moon sees everything. So do I.”*

A wolf’s pawprint was stamped below. Cyrus.

Finn frowned. “Trouble?”

“Always,” I said, burning the note.

But I smiled. For the first time, I had allies. And a plan.