Two days pass quietly. I spend them working alongside the others. Helping with supplies. Checking weapons. Learning names I should have learned ages ago.
Early morning comes cold and gray. Kira finds me sharpening my claws by the fire.
"We have a scouting mission to the eastern territory," she says. "I could use another fighter."
I look up at her. "You want me to come?"
"I need someone who can handle themselves if things go wrong." She pauses. "Are you up for it?"
"Yes." I stand immediately. "When do we leave?"
"Now."
The scouting party is small. Me, Kira, and three younger wolves. Dane is one of them. The other two I recognize but don't know well yet.
We move through the forest in silence. Kira leads with confidence. She knows these trails well. I follow her lead without argument.
The eastern territory is rough terrain. Rocky slopes and dense underbrush. Good for hiding. Bad for traveling quickly.
We're checking patrol routes when Kira raises her fist. Everyone freezes.
Voices carry through the trees ahead. Varek's patrol. At least four of them.
"Back," Kira whispers. "Slowly."
We retreat the way we came. Step by careful step. No one makes a sound.
But one of the scouts misjudges his footing. His boot catches on a root. He stumbles forward with a sharp intake of breath.
The voices ahead stop.
"Run," Kira commands.
We bolt through the underbrush. Behind us, shouts erupt. The patrol heard us. They're coming.
"Split up," one of the scouts yells. "They can't chase us all."
"No," Kira snaps. "Stay together."
We run harder. The terrain gets steeper. Rockier. I can hear the patrol gaining ground behind us.
Then I hear it. A crack. A cry of pain.
One of the scouts goes down hard. His ankle twisted at a bad angle. He tries to stand. Falls again.
"Leave me," he gasps. "Go."
The other young scout looks at Kira. "We have to. He'll slow us down."
I stop running. Turn back. Walk toward the injured wolf.
"What are you doing?" the scout demands. "They're right behind us."
"Get on my back," I tell the injured wolf. My voice is steady.
He stares at me. "You can't carry me. You'll never make it."
"Get. On. My. Back."
Kira appears beside me. "Arida, we need to move fast."
"Then you three go ahead and draw them away." I crouch down so the injured scout can climb on. "I'll take him a different route."
"That's suicide," the other scout argues.
"It's a choice." I look at Kira. "And I'm making it."
Kira stares at me. Something shifts in her expression.
"Damn it," she mutters. She turns to the other two scouts. "You two, with me. We go north and make noise. Draw them that way."
"But—"
"Now," Kira commands. She looks back at me. "The river. South through the river. The water will hide your trail."
I nod.
The injured scout climbs onto my back. He's heavy but I adjust my stance.
"I've got you," I tell him. "Hold on tight."
Kira and the others take off north. They're loud, making themselves obvious targets.
I head south. Moving as quickly as I can with the extra weight. The injured scout grips my shoulders.
Behind us, I hear the patrol split. Most follow the noise north.
But at least one set of footsteps comes south. Following us.
"They're still coming," the scout whispers.
"I know." I push harder. My legs burn. My back aches. But I don't slow down.
The river appears through the trees. Cold and fast moving.
I wade in without hesitation. The current pulls at my legs. The water is freezing.
"Can you swim?" I ask.
"Not with this ankle."
"Then hold your breath when I tell you to."
I move downstream. Letting the current help carry us. The wolf on my back shivers against the cold.
Behind us, the footsteps reach the riverbank. I can feel them searching.
But water doesn't leave tracks.
"Now," I whisper. "Hold your breath."
I duck under the surface. Pull us both down. The current sweeps us further downstream. My lungs burn but I count to twenty before surfacing.
We come up gasping. The riverbank behind us is empty. They lost the trail.
I keep moving downstream for another ten minutes. Then I drag us both onto the opposite bank. We're soaked. Freezing. But alive.
"Can you walk at all?" I ask.
He tries. Manages a few limping steps with my support.
"That'll work." I get under his arm. Take most of his weight. "Let's get you home."
The journey back takes hours. By the time we reach camp, the sun is setting. Kira and the others are already there.
Kira sees us approaching. Relief flashes across her face before she masks it.
"You made it."
"We made it." I help the injured scout to the healers.
I'm exhausted. Soaked through. Shivering from the cold. But everyone is alive. That's what matters.
That evening, after I've changed into dry clothes, Kira finds me.
"Can we talk?"
"Of course."
She sits beside me. For a moment, she doesn't say anything. Just looks at the fire.
"I misjudged you," she says finally. "When you first got here, I thought you were just playing at being Alpha. I was wrong."
"You weren't entirely wrong," I admit. "I was trying to be something I didn't understand."
"But you're learning." She meets my eyes. "Today you showed compassion. You chose to protect someone under your command even though it put you at risk. That takes a different kind of courage."
"I couldn't leave him behind."
"No," Kira says quietly. "You couldn't. That's exactly my point."
She stands. Puts her hand on my shoulder briefly. Then walks away.
I sit by the fire for a while longer. Wolves pass by. Some nod at me. Others offer quiet words of thanks.
By nightfall, something has changed. The way wolves look at me is different. Not complete acceptance. Not yet. But something warmer.
Something like respect.
Riven finds me as the camp settles for the night. He sits beside me without a word.
"You did good today," he says.
"I did what needed to be done."
"That's what leadership is." He takes my hand. "I'm proud of you."
The words settle into my chest. Warm and real.
For the first time since Sorin died, I feel like I might actually be becoming the Alpha he believed I could be.