The choice.
Scarlett thought for a moment. "Stay. But earn your place again. No more lies."
Alex gave a small nod. "Same for me. I can help with information. The Shadow Pack is weak now. Their alpha ran off."
Resting tonight was their choice. Come morning light, they'd head straight for the main pack house instead. First thing, Emily stepped forward, and she'd speak with the elders on her own. Acceptance of Scarlett as Luna had to happen before facing Ethan could even begin.
When daylight began to fade, flames flickered to life between the fighters. Rations came out of concealed bags, passed hand to hand. She chewed each bite without hurry. Strength hadn't returned fully, yet being near Lucas softened the weight. The quiet warmth helped.
A crumb fell as he passed her the torn bread. Back then, they'd do the same barefoot in the kitchen. His grin softened. That old habit did she still think about?
Scarlett took it. Their fingers touched. "Yeah. You always gave me the bigger piece."
Darkness came while they spoke low. He shared what happened during her absence for five long years, shaping himself into a leader, pushing through trials alone. Though he searched when no one watched, his efforts led nowhere. Her voice grew quiet describing grueling practice sessions under cold skies. Nights stretched empty, filled only with thoughts of settling old scores.
A hum ran through her chest each time he spoke. That link between them tightened, quiet but sure. Her heartbeat slowed when his gaze found hers. Around them, colors dimmed just slightly.
Midnight brought something different. From the north, the Rose was howling sharp, unsteady. Not the kind of things wolves make together. More like rage let loose into the air.
Lucas stood up fast. "Ethan. He brought rogues with him."
Fangs bared, the pack warriors snatched up blades while fur rippled across their limbs. Up she got, Scarlett, wincing only once. The cut on her side tugged with every breath. She kept moving anyway. At her flank, Lucas twisted mid-motion, bones cracking under the golden brown pelt. Towering now, his wolf form stood like a shield against what might come.
Fur rippled along her frame when she moved. Not black, but deep brown, close to burnt earth. Slender muscles shifted beneath it, built for speed, not show. Fire caught in her gaze green like wet leaves under the sun. Side by side, once more, without the need for words. As if pulled by the same unseen thread, their wolves mirrored each move.
Out of the woods they came, those wild wolves. Sharp teeth caught the light. Scratches ripped through the air. Fighting back, Scarlett moved quickly beneath their reach, then hit without waiting. At her flank, Lucas stood guard again, steady as ever when things turned ugly.
A fight broke out. Emily stepped right into it alongside the rest. Younger wolves needed shielding. Rachel changed form, took position. Moves had to be smart, Alex guided them with steady thinking.
In the middle of the mess, there stood Ethan. Fire in his pale stare. "Lucas' leadership isn't yours by right," he said. Not with her beside you."
A low sound came from Lucas. Straight at Ethan he moved, fast. Hard they hit both wolves tumbling. Rolling now, teeth snapping, claws tearing through dirt.
Footsteps fading behind her, Scarlett wiped the blade clean just as the next cry rang out. Yet something tugged at her ribs like a hidden thread. Not now, unless it was. From up there, beyond the pines, came that old hum deep in the bones. Louder than yesterday.
Into the shadow of the trees she stared. Out came a man, tall and still. His frame is wide. Eyes just like hers, same shape, same watchful hold.
That brother of hers. Gone so long people swore he'd never come back.
Still at first, his eyes stayed locked on the clash. One long cry broke loose afterward. It rolled out low, full of weight. A few strays froze, turning their heads toward him.
Was it really him? Scarlett thought, barely breathing. The wolf inside knew the same blood ran through them both.
Lying flat under Lucas, Ethan couldn't move. Over it is, came the low voice through clenched teeth.
But Ethan laughed weakly. "Not yet. The Velvet Claw alpha is here. And he wants his sister back."
Up ahead, the tall man moved slowly. Across the open space, his words traveled. "Scarlett," he said, one step at a time. Not these wolves, but him instead. You're better than what waits here.
Pulse hammering, Scarlett felt the past pull hard. Family wounds tangled with something fresh near Lucas now. One foot in front of him. The other is tied to her brother. Each breath echoed what blood remembers.
Back in human form, Lucas let the blood drip from his arm without a word. His voice came flat. She decides where she goes from here. The wound stayed open. He did not reach for it. Her road is hers alone, he said. Not mine to shape. Skin whole again, yet marked by what just passed. He stood still while Red traced a line down into his fingers. No help offered. No pull toward safety. Just space. Where she walks next belongs to her.
The brother's eyes glowed. "Then choose, little sister. Revenge or love? Old blood or new pack?"
Heavy air settled on Scarlett with each decision. Not toward Lucas now, her gaze drifted sideways to where her brother stood firm. Something deep yanked her close to him, Lucas tugging back just as hard. One thread rooted in flesh, the other humming beneath the skin. Neither quiet. Both loud enough to ache.
Smoke curled into the dark. Stillness held each person tight.
Forward felt right, yet the path split left or right? Where did that choice lead?
Stillness held Scarlett in the open space. Behind, flames snapped through dry wood. Each beat of her pulse filled her head like a drum. A breath caught sharp in her chest.
A figure moved near. Not just any, this one stood high, drawing close without sound. Those eyes. Green, deep as emeralds, cutting through the air like hers did. Hair shadowed his brow, brown but wild, clipped short unlike her long strands.
She spoke so softly it barely made a sound. The word broke apart as if her throat refused to hold it together.
He nodded once. "I'm Jax. Thought I was dead? The old alpha made sure everyone believed it. But I survived. And I came back for you."
Lucas stood right beside her. His hand brushed her arm. "Scarlett, you don't have to go anywhere. This is your pack now. You're my mate. My Luna."
Jax laughed low. It sounded bitter. "Your mate? The same alpha family that tried to wipe ours out? Don't listen to him, little sister. They used you. Just like they used me."
The quiet held the group tight. A few shuffled on loose stones. By the flames, Emily waited, still yet every sense awake. Behind her, Rachel and Alex kept their distance, breath caught, pupils blown.
Inside Scarlett's chest, a tug came from constant warmth, soft reaching for Lucas. This was the mate thing, maybe. It whispered for closeness, for rest against him. Then another pull, colder, deeper, not love but roots. Blood memory is rising. A brother. Unknown before now.