The morning air bit my lungs as Headmaster Thorn addressed the recruits in the frost-covered courtyard. “Today’s hunt is not a game,” he barked. “Rogues have been sighted near the northern border. You’ll track them. Eliminate them. Prove your worth as Alphas.”

Jaxon cracked his knuckles, grinning. “Finally, some real action.”

Finn nudged me, his voice low. “You think the rogues are linked to the stolen supplies?”

“Maybe,” I muttered. Cyrus’s note still burned in my memory. *The moon sees everything.*

Lyra fell into step beside me as we marched into the woods. “Stay sharp. This feels like a trap.”

“From the rogues… or Cyrus?” I asked.

She shrugged. “Same difference.”

---

The forest was too quiet. No birds, no rustling—just the crunch of snow underfoot. Thorn split us into groups. I got stuck with Jaxon, Finn, and two nervous recruits.

“Great,” Jaxon sneered. “Deadweight and a liar.”

Finn stiffened. “Shut up, Jaxon.”

I ignored them, scanning the trees. “Spread out. Watch for tracks.”

Jaxon snorted. “Who made *you* leader?”

“You want to die today?” I snapped. “Rogues hunt in packs. We stick together or get picked off.”

He glared but didn’t argue.

---

We found the first rogue an hour later—a scrawny male, limping near a frozen stream. Jaxon lunged, but I yanked him back.

“Wait. It’s bait.”

The rogue snarled, then whistled. Six more emerged from the trees.

“*Move!*” I shoved Finn toward a rocky outcrop. “Climb! Now!”

Jaxon hesitated. “I’m not hiding like a coward—”

A rogue tackled him. I drove my knife into its ribs, hauling Jaxon up. “Climb or die!”

We scrambled onto the rocks as rogues circled below, snapping jaws.

“Now what?” a recruit whimpered.

I grabbed a loose boulder. “Aim for their legs!”

We hurled stones, crushing paws and skulls. The rogues retreated, howling.

Jaxon wiped blood from his lip. “Lucky guess.”

Finn pointed north. “Smoke. The others are in trouble!”

---

We sprinted toward the smoke, finding chaos. Recruits battled rogues in a clearing. Lyra was backed against a tree, her arm bleeding.

“Distract them!” I yelled to Finn.

He howled, drawing three rogues away. I leapt into the fray, slashing throats and dodging claws. Lyra joined me, fighting left-handed.

“Thanks,” she panted.

“Don’t mention it.”

A roar shook the trees. A massive rogue charged—Cyrus at its side, smirking.

“Aiden!” Finn shouted. “Behind you!”

I spun, but the rogue swiped my knife away. Cyrus laughed. “Pathetic.”

Lyra tackled the rogue’s legs. “Go!”

I scrambled for my knife as Cyrus advanced. “You’re bold, stealing from the council. But boldness gets you killed.”

I lunged. He sidestepped, slamming me into a tree. “Your mother should’ve taught you manners.”

The world blurred. Then—*thwack*. Cyrus staggered, an arrow in his shoulder.

Finn stood trembling, bow in hand. “Get away from him!”

Cyrus yanked the arrow out, snarling. “This isn’t over, *Aiden*.”

He vanished into the trees, the rogue following.

---

The surviving recruits limped back to Ironclaw at dusk. Thorn waited, his face stormy. “Report.”

Jaxon stepped forward. “Aiden led us. Saved our skins.”

Thorn’s eyebrow twitched. “Did he?”

Lyra nodded. “We’d be dead without him.”

Thorn stared at me. “My office. Now.”

---

Finn waited outside the office, pacing. “What’d he say?”

“He knows,” I whispered. “About the convoy. Asked if I’m ‘working with rebels.’”

Finn paled. “What’d you tell him?”

“That I work alone.”

A shadow moved in the corridor. Cyrus leaned against the wall, clutching his bandaged shoulder. “Lying to your headmaster? Naughty.”

I stepped toward him. “What do you want?”

“A deal. You feed me information on the Shadow Pack… and I keep your secret.”

“Never.”

He smirked. “You’ll change your mind. Everyone breaks.”

---

That night, Lyra found me sharpening my knife. “We need to strike again. Soon.”

I nodded. “Cyrus is watching. We make our move at the council meeting.”

She grinned. “Bold. I like it.”

Finn peered in. “I’m coming too.”

“No,” I said. “It’s too dangerous.”

“You’re not the only one who can fight!” he snapped. “I’m tired of being useless.”

Lyra chuckled. “Let him come. Might be fun.”

I sighed. “Fine. But stay close.”

As they left, I stared at Cyrus’s note, now crumpled in my fist. *Everyone breaks.*

*Not me,* I thought, tossing it into the fire.