**BELLA**
The first report comes in just after sunrise, and it sounds harmless enough at the start, the kind of thing that usually resolves itself with a little rest and a lecture about hydration. One of the patrol leaders calls it in as unusual fatigue during training, nothing dramatic, just a couple of wolves dropping out early, hands on knees, breathing too hard for the effort they were putting in.
By the time Axel and Atticus pull me out of the office and head toward the training grounds, the word harmless no longer fits.
We can hear it before we see it, the sharp edge of panic creeping into voices that should be controlled, and when we round the corner the sight makes my stomach drop. Wolves are scattered across the clearing, some sitting on the ground with their backs against tree
