The attack never fully came to pass.
That was the worst part.
It started with the birds.
The forest exploded upward in sudden motion—dark wings tearing through the trees all at once.
Too many.
Too fast.
Every wolf in the territory reacted instantly.
Growls echoed through the camp.
Patrol wolves shifted mid-run.
The air snapped tight with alarm.
Aiden's body moved before thought could catch up.
"Inside," he ordered sharply.
The pups started immediately.
Kael grabbed him.
Ryn's ears flattened.
Lior looked toward the forest with wide, glowing eyes.
Wrong.
Everything felt wrong.
Aiden's wolf emerged so violently under his skin it hurt.
Protect.
Protect.
Protect.
But beneath that—
Another instinct screamed.
Fight.
Theron was already outside the den.
Power rolling off him hard enough to make nearby wolves lower instinctively.
Ronan barked orders somewhere near the border patrol.
The pack was mobilizing fast.
And Aiden—
I wanted to be there.
His claws extended halfway without meaning to.
Breathing sharpening.
Every instinct split violently between the den and the battlefield.
The pups whimpered.
That snapped him back instantly.
Aiden dropped to his knees beside them.
Hands moving fast.
Grounding.
Checking.
Counting.
"All three here," he whispered automatically.
Again.
"Kael. Ryn. Lior."
The den shook faintly.
Not from impact.
From power.
Outside—
Theron growled.
Not wolf.
Not human.
Something deeper.
Aiden's entire body reacted to it.
Herb tea.
Danger.
Need.
He stood too quickly.
Instinct pushing him toward the entrance.
Toward Theron.
Toward the fight.
But Kael grabbed his sleeve.
Small fingers trembling.
Aiden froze.
And for one terrible second—
he looked apart by his own instincts.
Protect the pups.
Protect your mate.
Protect the pack.
All at once.
"Aiden."
Eirik's voice.
Close.
Steady.
Aiden turned sharply.
Eirik stood at the den entrance, breathing harder than usual from running, eyes focused entirely on the pups.
"I'll help," Eirik said immediately.
No hesitation.
No pause.
He moved closer carefully.
Not threatening.
Not pushing.
Then reached down, lifting Lior gently into his arms when the smallest pup reached for him instinctively.
"I'll help you protect them," Eirik said quietly.
Aiden stared at him.
Searching.
Outside, another wave of pressure slammed through the territory.
Closer this time.
The wolves howled.
Theron.
Aiden physically flinched toward the sound.
Eirik noticed.
Of course he did.
"Go if you need to," Eirik said softly.
That hurt more than it should have.
Because part of Aiden wanted to.
Gods—
part of him needed to.
But the moment he looked at the pups again—
Kael clinging to his leg.
Ryn pressed against his side.
Lior trembling slightly in Eirik's arms—
His instincts chose for him.
"No," Aiden said immediately.
Voice rough.
End.
The wolf inside him screamed anyway.
Outside, the air cracked violently.
A pulse of silver power tower through the forest canopy.
Trees bent outward from the force.
The pups cried out.
Aiden dropped instantly beside them again, pulling Kael and Ryn close while reaching for Lior too.
Protective instinct overwhelming everything else.
Eirik crouched beside him immediately.
Close enough to shield.
Not close enough to trap.
"It's okay," Eirik whispered to the pups.
Though his eyes stayed fixed on Aiden.
Aiden's breathing shook.
He hated this.
Hated staying behind.
Hated not knowing what was happening outside.
Hated that Theron was out there while he was trapped between instincts tearing him apart.
Another distant growl echoed through the territory.
Then silence.
Too much silence.
Aiden's head snapped upward instantly.
The entire den was still standing.
Then—
movement outside.
Fast.
A shadow crossed the entrance.
Aiden snarled instantly.
Full instinct.
Body between the pups and danger before thought even formed.
But the scent hits a second later.
Familiar.
Pack.
Ronan appeared at the entrance, breathing hard.
"They breached the western edge for thirty seconds," he said sharply.
"But pulled back."
Aiden's pulse slammed harder.
"...why?"
Ronan's expression darkened.
"They weren't trying to enter."
A pause.
"They were testing response time."
Silence crashed through the den.
Aiden's stomach dropped immediately.
This wasn't an attack.
Not really.
It was preparation.
Outside—
Theron's presence still burned through the territory like moonlight over sharpened steel.
Protective.
Territorial.
Furious.
And somewhere beyond the trees—
Nyx was learning exactly how far the pack would go to protect what they loved.