CLAIMING HAILEY

HA

ousers were tucked into sturdy boots, and my black shirt hung loosely over my wide shoulders. I had just a silver dagger strapped to my belt, which I knew how to use with lethal accuracy and no armour. My inner wolf was up and restless. With a persistent, low growl, my wolf declared, "We're being watched." My senses sharpened, and I slowed. Normally teeming with the noises of nocturnal life, the woodland was silent. The little metallic taste of blood made its way to my lips. My jaw tensed as it got to my nose. My warriors understood my signal and prepared their weapons as I held up my hand. The ambush was unexpected. With their snarls tearing through the quiet, seven outlaws emerged from the darkness. Their tattered clothing and tangled fur were evidence of their desperation; they were untamed and feral. A tall, scarred man with pointed, yellowed teeth took the lead. "Alpha King," he said sarcastically, his tone brimming with hate. "This is where your reign ends." A small smirk

t was ill-thought-out and frantic, but it made people wonder. Why were outlaws getting so brazen? Who or what motivated them to attack? Unanswered enquiries annoyed me. I took an ink pen and a folded piece of parchment out of my saddlebag and mounted my horse at the edge of the woodland. I wrote a message with deliberate, fast strokes: Thomas, I will come to see your pack in three days. Tell him I've returned. "Tell him I'm here. We need to talk." – I sealed the letter with my crest, pressing the seal into a circle of wax, forming a wolf howling under a crescent moon. "Take this to Thomas's pack," I called to a young courier who had been waiting aside. The boy nodded and took the letter before mounting his horse and disappearing into the night at a gallop. I didn't move, my sharp eyes stuck forward into the darkness. Something felt strange. The air felt heavy, and my wolf stirred uneasily. This was their territory, but