I looked back and forth between Roger and Isabel, noting her pallid skin and his quiet concern. "How long overdue is the plane?" I inquired, checking my phone.

"It was supposed to arrive five hours ago. James has never been late before," Isabel said, bouncing Sadie in her arms and visibly trying to control the tremors of fear shaking her body. I rose from my chair and attempted to put an arm around her, but she jerked away like a skittish horse. Sighing, I dropped my hand.

"Is it possible there weren't any refugees needing to make the journey today?" Henry asked, logical as ever.

"We haven't had a single day without a new batch," Gabriel answered grimly. "The waiting list back on the continent is a mile long. If he didn't come today, then something has gone wrong."

"Is the news from the continent still blacked out?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. Damon kept such a tight lid on the media that the only information available to us was brought by refugees and spies.

"Yes," Gabriel replied, with the same dark expression. "I'll see if I can tap into our spy network. I have a few people stationed around the egress points on the coast. But frankly, the fact that they haven't reported in doesn't bode well."

"What do we do?" Isabel fretted, looking hopefully at the King. "Can you stage a rescue mission?"

"We can't go in blind," Philippe declared evenly. "We need to know what we're dealing with before we send relief troops or more aircraft."

"But if the coastal camps are under attack, they need your help now," Isabel argued, her frantic gaze darting to me. "Ella, do something!"

"We will," I promised, resisting the urge to reach for her again. "We're not going to leave our people to fend for themselves, but Philippe is right; if we charge in blind, we risk failure and losing even more people."

"But there's no time!" Isabel insisted. "They could be dead already." Though she said "they," I heard the unspoken fear: He could be dead. James, the soldier who rescued Sadie and delivered frightened orphans to Isabel's nursery every day, who comforted the aloof she-wolf despite her ferocious protests. I'd known she was becoming attached to him, but I hadn't realized how far she'd fallen. I silently prayed to the Goddess for his safety, to spare my friend more pain.

"I know," I told her gently, "but we don't have many options, Isabel."

"Don't look at me like that!" she snapped, cuddling Sadie closer. "Like I'm some hysterical woman who can't see reason. I'm not fragile, and I don't need your pity."

I crossed my arms, an instinctive growl rising in my chest. Isabel jolted, her wolf reflexively quivering at my warning. "That's not what I'm doing, and lashing out won't bring him home any faster," I stated calmly.

Her eyes widened, then she deflated, submitting to my dominance. "I know, I'm sorry I just"

"I know," I assured her, sliding my arm around her shoulder and leading her from the room. "We'll get through it, whatever happens."

We were only halfway back to the nursery when Roger came racing up. "We just got word; James's plane is about to land."

Isabel jerked her head up. "What?"

"We don't know what happened, but he just called in clearance to land," Roger explained. Henry, Gabriel, and Philippe joined us as we changed direction. We piled into the King's car and sped towards the airfield. Isabel was shaking with relief beside me, and I tried to lean against her for comfort without letting her realize it. She glared but leaned into my warmth despite her thorny demeanor.

We arrived just as James's plane was taxiing down the runway, and when the cargo bay opened, a rush of refugees poured forth—more numerous than any arrival to date. I immediately sensed something had gone terribly wrong back home—worse than before. There were too many people, and their hollow-eyed numbness broke my heart. These weren't the panicked but hopeful expressions of relief, but the vacant stares of those who had seen too much horror.

James was the last off the plane, and though Isabel ran halfway to him, she seemed to stop when she realized what she was doing. Luckily, he wasn't shy about his affection, and he pulled Isabel and Sadie into his arms. Sadie cuddled him happily, but Isabel pushed at his chest with a look of sullen detachment. "Where were you? What took so long?" she demanded, her tone harsher than the hurt and fear she masked.

James growled and tugged her closer, burying his head in her neck. She allowed this much, though she still had the sulky energy of a she-wolf determined not to be mollified. James purred, and she finally relented, melting into his arms. I looked away, knowing she wouldn't want her private moment observed.

I turned my attention to the refugees, who moved forward as if in a trance. The triage tent separated the injured from the unharmed, individuals from families, and unaccompanied children from temporary guardians. I assisted with the intake process, offering what comfort I could.

I led a couple with minor injuries to the medical tent, and Cora met me in the doorway with wide eyes. "What's happened?"

"I don't know," I sighed, "but it isn't good."

"The Usurper" the she-wolf beside me muttered, searching my face for understanding. "Damon he broke the pact."

Cora and I exchanged confused glances. "What pact?" I was glad my sister asked; as Luna, I should know about major treaties governing shifter society.

"The secrecy pact," her mate explained gruffly, which didn't clear things up. "I don't know if he grew too ambitious and lost control, or if this was part of his plan all along but it's done now the entire continent is on fire the revolution is in shambles nothing will ever be the same."

His words struck fear into my heart, but I still didn't understand. I didn't know about any secrecy pact, but I didn't want to force these weary wolves to explain when they needed to focus on healing. "It's okay," I murmured. "Go with Cora; she'll get you cleaned up. There will be plenty of time to talk later."

I returned to the triage tent, but when I saw Gabriel and Henry huddled with James near his plane, I couldn't stay away. I approached, just in time to hear James say, "his army breached the borders in broad daylight—fully shifted—and attacked the humans. It seems Damon is done with shadow tactics that can be explained away by weapons or natural disasters."

"You think it was intentional?" Gabriel demanded, sounding serious. "Not some military exercise gone wrong? An attempt to work with rogues who betrayed him?"

"From what I can tell, it was a calculated assault," James confirmed. "I've never seen anything like it."

"What's happening?" I interrupted, pushing into the circle. "Someone mentioned a secrecy pact, and you're saying Damon attacked the humans?"

"Yes," James conceded, glancing anxiously towards Isabel and Sadie.

"The secrecy pact bound shifter society from coming out in the open in the lands we share with humans," Henry explained, squeezing my hand. "It's a treaty the United Peaks formed in our earliest days to preserve the safety of our people and the cultures of both worlds."

Understanding clicked into place. "You're saying that all the humans back home just found out werewolves are real? Because Damon was too stupid or too greedy to maintain the pact?"

"Exactly," Gabriel nodded. "Our two worlds just collided—with violent and devastating impact. My guess is that Damon seeks to enslave the humans as a lesser class of being, to make them serve shifters in his empire."

"But it's not just our continent affected," Henry added bleakly. "Damon just opened a can of worms for every country on the planet. People worldwide are discovering that creatures from their worst nightmares are real and live among them—that they have more money, power, and influence than any humans. The fallout will be unimaginable."

"It's already utter chaos," James reported gravely. "Everyone, shifters and humans, is in a panic, and there's no controlling it. That's why I was so late. I was trying to lead people to the coast, but every few feet we had to stop and hide from roving war parties from both sides, and more people would turn up begging to join us. I've never seen anything like it."

"I can't believe this," I breathed, feeling weak.

"Believe it," Gabriel said calmly. "This changes everything. And I think you were right, Ella." The King looked at me with determined calm. "We can't afford to waste a single moment in this war. If there are things in your past that can give us answers we need to find them as soon as possible."