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She looks at me.

They are watching our warriors.

We’re coming, I tell Joshua. Alert the neighboring patrols. Maintain coverage along the rest of the border.

Selena steps clear of the rock and shifts.

Silver white fur catches the moonlight. Her mating marks glow as she turns toward the trees, already focused on the eastern boundary.

I shift beside her. Power surges through my limbs, familiar now, though the sight of my own luminous marks still stirs awe in me.

Our mate made us stronger, my Lycan growls. Stay beside her.

Selena moves first.

We race beneath the trees, keeping pace with each other.

What’s their posture? I ask Joshua.

Still no challenge, Alpha. No pacing. No growling. They haven’t even tried to conceal themselves.

Weapons? Selena asks.

None visible.

Watch their hands. Tell us immediately if they separate.

Yes, Luna.

Through our private link, I feel the steady edge of her concentration.

You think they want to be seen.

They’ve allowed a patrol to observe them for an hour, she replies. We need to consider what they expect us to do about it.

I look toward her as we run.

Draw us to the border.

Possibly. Or count how many warriors answer. Her gaze remains ahead. We’ll know more when we see them.

Joshua, I send. Any unusual reports elsewhere?

None so far, Alpha. The other patrols are checking.

The trees begin to thin.

I catch the familiar scents of our warriors, then the strangers beyond them.

Joshua stands with his patrol inside the eastern boundary. Across from them, dark figures wait among the trees.

Selena slows beside me. Her head lifts. She studies the space between each stranger, the ground behind them, the gaps in the tree line.

Then we step into view together. One of the rogues turns his head. The others follow. None advances. None retreats. My Lycan presses against my control.

Watching our mate.

Watching both of us.