As the night deepened, Xanthe retreated to the forest to clear her mind. The wind howled through the trees, and an eerie stillness settled over the woods.
She sensed it before she saw it—the same dark energy from the first attack. Her eyes widened as the creature emerged from the shadows, its hulking form radiating malevolence.
"Not this time," she muttered, summoning her strength.
The fight was brutal, the creature faster and stronger than before. Xanthe's movements were sharp and calculated, but it wasn't enough. She was thrown against a tree, the air knocked out of her lungs.
As the creature lunged for the final blow, a powerful roar echoed through the forest. A blur of movement intercepted the attack, sending the creature sprawling.
Xanthe looked up to see Lynam standing over her, his eyes glowing with supernatural power.
"Lynam…" she whispered, her voice laced with shock and relief.
He extended a hand to help her up, his expression unreadable. "We're not done talking, Xanthe," he said firmly. "But first, we end this."
Michelle, furious at Lynam's defense of Xanthe during everything, conspires with Alex. She realizes they need to push the couple further apart if they're to succeed. "She's already doubting him," Michelle sneers. "All we need is the right push."
Alex agrees and suggests planting evidence of Lynam's supposed "affair" in their shared home. They plan to use a false paper trail of messages and suggestive photos to make it appear as though Lynam has been secretly seeing Michelle.
The next day, Xanthe finds an envelope in the mail addressed to her with no return address. Inside are photos of Lynam and Michelle together, seemingly intimate. At first, she brushes it off, convinced it's another ploy by Michelle. But when she finds a familiar bracelet—one she knows belonged to Michelle—in their bedroom, her resolve begins to falter.
Elias visits her later that evening, pretending to comfort her but subtly planting seeds of doubt. "I'm not saying he's cheating," Elias says, his voice laced with false sympathy. "But can you really trust him when he's never been fully honest with you?"
Unaware of the new scheme, Lynam continues his attempts to mend things with Xanthe. He prepares a surprise dinner, setting the table with her favorite dishes, hoping to bridge the growing gap. When Xanthe returns home, however, she's cold and distant, the photos weighing heavily on her mind.
"Why are you doing this?" she asks suddenly, interrupting his cheerful attempts at conversation.
"Doing what?" Lynam replies, confused.
"Pretending everything is fine when you've been hiding so much from me." She tosses the photos onto the table, her voice trembling. "Are you even capable of telling the truth, Lynam?"
His face hardens as he stares at the photos. "You really think this is real?"
"What else am I supposed to think?"
"I've told you before, Michelle is trying to ruin us!" he shouts, slamming a fist on the table.
"And yet, you refuse to tell me everything!"
After their fight, Xanthe seeks solace in the forest, unaware that Elias is tracking her. As she kneels by the river, she feels his presence and turns to face him.
"Elias," she says, startled. "What are you doing here?"
"I needed something from someone ".
Xanthe's heartbeat quickened as her eyes locked onto the faint glow emanating from Elias's pocket. She took a cautious step closer, her instincts on high alert.
"What's in your pocket, Elias?" she asked, her voice calm but laced with suspicion.
Elias hesitated for a moment, his hand instinctively brushing against the fabric to conceal whatever was inside. "It's nothing you need to worry about," he said casually, but his tone betrayed him.
Xanthe narrowed her eyes. "You've been acting strange for weeks, Elias. And now I'm supposed to believe this has nothing to do with me or the attacks on the pack?"
Elias smirked, his calm façade cracking just slightly. "You're getting paranoid, sister. Maybe all this Alpha Luna business is messing with your head."
Before she could respond, the faint sound of rustling leaves caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder, her senses sharpening, but there was no one there—at least no one visible.
"What are you doing out here anyway?" Elias asked, stepping closer, his tone suddenly softer. "Isn't your husband supposed to be the one supporting you?"
His words struck a nerve. Xanthe clenched her fists, refusing to let him see how deeply his comment cut. "Lynam and I are fine," she lied, her voice steady. "But you… you're hiding something. I can feel it."
"Think what you want, Xanthe," Elias said, his smirk widening. "But remember, even family can't always be trusted."
Before she could press further, he turned and walked away, leaving her standing by the river, more uncertain than ever.