The stench of smoke and blood chokes me as I limp through what's left of our home. My body aches, but my mind races. All around me, my pack - my family - huddles in small groups. They're patching each other up, whispering in hushed tones. I feel their eyes on me as I pass. Some look awed, others uncertain. Can't blame them after what they saw during the fight. Hell, I'm not sure what to think myself.
"Skye!" Jake's voice snaps me back to reality. My beta jogs over, sporting a nasty gash on his cheek that's already starting to heal. "We've got a problem."
I almost laugh. When don't we? "What now?" I brace myself for more bad news.
Jake's face is grim. "It's the moonstone. It's gone."
The words hit me like a sucker punch. Our pack's most sacred artifact, the source of our power... gone? "How?" I demand, my voice coming out as a growl. "Who could have-"
Then it clicks. In all the chaos, someone must have... No. He wouldn't. Would he?
"Liam," I snarl, spinning around to scan the compound. But my ex-mate is nowhere in sight.
"He wouldn't," Jake argues, but I can hear the doubt in his voice. "Would he?"
Part of me wants to believe Jake. That despite everything, Liam wouldn't betray us like this. But it's been five years, and the man who came back... he's not the boy I pushed away. I remember his eyes during the fight - cold, calculating, almost feral. It sends a chill down my spine.
"Find him," I tell Jake. "Now."
As Jake takes off, I close my eyes and reach for the pack bond. I can feel them all, faint threads of emotion linking me to each member. But where Liam's should be, there's just... nothing. An empty ache, like a phantom limb.
Suddenly, there's a commotion near the east side of the compound. I run towards it, my body screaming in protest. That weird bird transformation during the battle took more out of me than I want to admit.
I round a corner and there he is - Liam, surrounded by snarling pack members. He's got his hands up, looking calm as ever. But it's what's at his feet that catches my eye - a burlap sack, glowing softly.
The moonstone.
"Stand down," I order, and my pack backs off, reluctantly. I approach Liam slowly, every muscle tense. "Want to explain yourself?"
Liam's eyes meet mine, and for a second, I see a flicker of the boy I used to know. But it's gone in an instant, replaced by this stranger's hard gaze.
"I can explain," he says, voice low and urgent. "But not here. Not now."
"You don't call the shots anymore," I snap. "You lost that right when you left."
"Damn it, Skye, will you just listen?" There's an edge of desperation in his voice now. "I'm trying to protect the pack - to protect you."
"By stealing our most sacred artifact?"
"By keeping it out of the wrong hands!" Liam takes a deep breath, visibly trying to calm down. "There's so much you don't know. So much I need to tell you."
Part of me wants to demand he spill everything right here, right now. But I can feel the eyes of the pack on us. Whatever game Liam's playing, I need to understand the rules before I make my next move.
"My quarters. Now." I turn to Jake, who's just arrived. "Make sure everyone's accounted for and get a full damage report. I'll deal with this."
Jake nods, but I can see the worry in his eyes. He doesn't trust Liam - and right now, I'm not sure I do either.