Chapter 3

I locked my apartment door and pulled out the metal lockbox hidden under my bed.

Inside were all the secrets I had gathered over five years of risking my life on the borders.

The contact info, weaknesses, and dirty secrets of every neighboring Alpha, along with every blind spot on our patrol routes.

I pulled out my phone and dialed the first number.

"Alpha Lambert. It’s Lena."

A deep voice answered. "Lena? Why are you calling me on this line?"

"I've been banished," I said smoothly.

"What?!" Alpha Lambert gasped. "Is Whitfield insane? You're the strongest Delta warrior they have!"

"Just a difference of opinion," I replied, getting straight to the point. "I need to borrow some of your men. In exchange, I will give you a secure trade route that bypasses the Silver Creek Pack's blockade."

Silence stretched over the line.

"Lena, do you know what you're asking?" Lambert murmured. "Lending warriors to a rogue? If word gets out, my alliance with the Crimson Pack is dead."

"Whitfield won't be sitting on that throne for much longer," I said coldly. "I can guarantee you that."

Another pause. "What kind of guarantee?"

"My name," I said. "I took three silver bullets for your men on the border. You owe me two lives. I’m not asking you to pay me back. I'm asking you to trust me."

The silence lasted for almost a minute.

"...Three men," Lambert finally sighed. "I can give you three retired veterans. They aren't on my official roster. No one will notice if they go missing for a few months. Is that enough?"

"More than enough. Thank you, Alpha Lambert."

I hung up and immediately dialed the next number.

"Alpha Davidson. About that disputed hunting ground... I know a hidden trail that bypasses the Silver Creek patrols. I'll trade the map for two of your fighters..."

I spent the entire morning making calls. My phone grew hot against my ear.

I had spent five years building my reputation through blood and sweat. That kind of loyalty and respect couldn't be wiped away by a corrupt Alpha, a gold-digging Beta, and a spoiled little wolf.

By noon, five neighboring Alphas had agreed to lend me fighters. Thirteen seasoned warriors in total. Combined with the fifteen elite fighters I already had within the Crimson Pack, I had a strike force of nearly thirty.

Phase one: complete.

In the afternoon, I walked over to the pack’s barracks.