The fortress gates loomed ahead, a sanctuary marred by the weight of betrayal. The air between us was thick with unsaid words as we staggered through, bloodied and bruised. The ambush had been brutal, the scars it left deeper than the physical ones.
Inside, the council awaited. Their faces were masks of anger, suspicion simmering in their eyes. I could feel it even before they spoke—the blame, the doubt, aimed squarely at me.
"She shouldn't be here," snarled one of the council elders, his finger jabbing the air in my direction. Elder Corwin's voice dripped with venom. "Ever since she arrived, trouble follows."
My jaw clenched, but I said nothing. The Alpha stood beside me, silent and stone-faced, his presence the only thing keeping the council from tearing me apart.
"She saved your life!" he finally snapped, his voice a thunderclap in the tension-choked room.
"She's a liability!" Corwin shot back. "Blackwood wolves knew our route. How do we know she didn't lead them?"
I stepped forward, ignoring the Alpha's warning glance. "I'm not your enemy," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.
"And yet they always find you," another elder hissed.
"Enough!" The Alpha's voice cut through the rising chaos, but the damage was done. The council's distrust had already rooted itself deep.
"She should leave," Corwin said, his tone icy. "Before more lives are lost."
The Alpha's growl rumbled low in his chest, a warning. "She stays. That's final."
His declaration stunned the room into silence, but it didn't last.
"You're blinded by her," Corwin sneered. "She's a distraction—a weakness."
My stomach twisted. Their words, though cruel, struck at my deepest fear. Was I a liability? A distraction?
"You think I wanted this?" I shot back, my voice sharp with anger. "To be hunted, doubted, hated? I've risked everything for this pack!"
"Risked?" Corwin barked a bitter laugh. "You mean endangered!"
"Enough," the Alpha said again, his tone like steel. "We don't have time for this."
The council erupted in argument. Voices clashed, accusations flying like arrows. I stood in the middle of it all, the storm's unwilling eye. My fists clenched at my sides, the fight-or-flight instinct clawing at me.
It was then I realized: this wasn't about me. The fractures in the pack ran deeper than I'd thought. Fear and distrust had poisoned them long before I arrived. I was just the excuse they needed to tear into each other.
Through the chaos, the Alpha's voice rang out again, this time with raw authority. "She's under my protection," he said, his eyes locking with mine. "If anyone has a problem with that, they can challenge me directly."
The room fell silent. The weight of his words settled over us, a reminder of who he was and the power he held.
But the look in his eyes wasn't just about power. For the first time, I saw something more—something vulnerable, almost tender.
It wasn't just a declaration of loyalty. It was a risk. By defending me, the Alpha had made himself a target, too.
And yet, he had done it without hesitation.
That realization cut through my anger and fear, leaving only resolve.
"If you won't trust me," I said, my voice quieter but no less firm, "then I'll prove myself."
The Alpha frowned, but I pressed on. "I'll find the mole. I'll uncover the truth. And when I do, you'll have no choice but to believe me."
The council muttered among themselves, some scoffing, others looking intrigued despite themselves. The Alpha stepped closer to me, his voice low enough that only I could hear.
"You don't have to do this."
"Yes, I do," I whispered back, meeting his gaze. "For both of us."
His jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. He simply nodded, the unspoken bond between us stronger than ever.
That night, while the fortress slept, I began my search. The weight of the council's scorn and the Alpha's silent support drove me forward.
The hidden passageway wasn't easy to find, but persistence paid off. Behind a tapestry in the Alpha's study, I discovered a narrow tunnel carved into the stone.
The air inside was damp and cold, the kind of cold that seeped into your bones. I pressed on, my footsteps echoing softly in the darkness.
At the end of the passage, I found a small chamber. Papers and maps were scattered across a makeshift desk. But it was what lay on top of them that made my blood freeze.
A ring.
The Alpha's ring.
And standing over it was someone I thought I could trust.
"Why?" I asked, my voice trembling with equal parts fury and heartbreak.
The figure turned, their expression unreadable. "Because," they said, their voice chillingly calm, "some secrets are worth more than loyalty."