But I’m just a human?

**CHAPTER TWENTY: THE FIRST CRACKS**

Smoke curled on the edge of Raven Blood territory.

The first skirmish came at dawn. A low-ranking scout, caught between two rogues with mismatched eyes and foreign scents. His cries rang through the trees before Jace and Tala arrived—quick, brutal, efficient.

But it wasn't a one-off.

By midday, three more breaches had occurred. Wolves from unaligned packs were testing the Raven Blood borders. They weren't invading outright. Just... poking. Probing.

Tristian's father, Alpha Dorian, stood at the council chamber, jaw clenched, eyes narrowed.

"These aren't accidents," he growled, pointing at the map scattered with blood-red stones. "Someone is gauging our strength."

His Beta, Myles, nodded. "The timing is calculated. All attacks happened near shift-change or during patrol breaks."

Delta Rowan spoke next. "They know our patterns. We've been watched."

Gamma Selene flicked her braid over her shoulder. "Do we retaliate?"

Dorian turned to his son. "Tristian?"

Tristian's gaze slid to Koda, standing tall beside him, even if his hands trembled slightly. "Not yet. But we prepare. We train harder. We reinforce the borders."

"And we don't let them see fear," Koda added quietly.

The pack agreed.

For the next few days, Raven Blood territory buzzed with energy—watchful, intense, on edge.

Koda and Tristian began more specialized training. At dusk, they met with the pack's lorekeeper, an ancient woman named Naya. She brought them scrolls, written in ink that shimmered silver and gold.

"These are the Chant of Solstice," she whispered. "The words that awaken the full blessing of the Moon and Sun. Only two in history have ever spoken it completely and survived."

Koda's throat went dry. "What happens if we mess it up?"

"You don't."

They practiced the chant under moonlight, syllables ancient and sharp like blades. When spoken together in unison, the air around them thrummed. Light shimmered on Tristian's skin, moonlight flickered in Koda's eyes. Energy coiled in their bones like sleeping dragons.

But training didn't stop there.

Orion joined them for combat drills. He taught Koda how to use speed over strength, how to strike first and think later when necessary. He brought humor with him—even during a punch to the ribs.

"You'll thank me when you're not dead," he said cheerfully as Koda coughed.

Meanwhile, along the borders, tensions worsened.

A patrol led by Beta Myles encountered a group of cloaked figures. They didn't speak. Just stood there. Staring. And when one moved, he vanished—like smoke against sunlight.

Another day, Delta Rowan and her unit found strange runes carved into a stone altar just beyond the northern edge. Magic pulsed faintly from it—dark and old.

Then came the first real attack.

A trio of enemy wolves broke through the eastern border. Tala was the first to engage, slamming one into a tree. The second was taken down by Gamma Selene, her claws glowing faintly with war-magic.

The third wolf nearly reached the training fields. Koda shifted mid-sprint—silver and gold blinding under the moonlight—and tackled the intruder before he could howl. He stood over the defeated rogue, growling low and deep.

The council took it as a warning. But the message was clear.

The war hadn't begun.

But it was already here.

And Raven Blood would not back down.

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