The city didn't sleep.
It held its breath.
From the highest ridge behind Silver Creek, Aria could see the glow of Seattle bleeding into the clouds. The highways below were no longer veins of moving light. They were stopped. Choked off by barricades and flashing signs that said EMERGENCY CONTROL ZONE in three languages.
Drones moved in slow circles like insects above a wound.
The pack house was sealed. Wards layered over steel. Human locks over wolf instincts. Marcus had ordered it all within minutes, barking commands into radios while elders argued and younger wolves looked at Aria like she was both their shield and their curse.
Kai stood at the window with his arms crossed, watching a searchlight sweep across the treeline. Every time the beam brushed the air, the moonlight warped. Just a flicker. Just enough.
Reality was still sore.
"You're not going out there," Kai said.
