"You carried out what? Though louder than I had planned, my voice resonated down the pack house hall and I paid no mind. The betrayal seemed like a physical blow, and the person I supposed to be trusting stood before me, remorse etched all over their face.
Claire, my sole actual buddy in the group, replied, "I had no choice, Aria," her voice shaking. They arrived to me. They knew I would be near you. Should I not inform them?
You mentioned to them the mark? Concerning the link? I moved closer, my rage blazing. "What you have done, do you know?"
Claire's gaze flicked away, unable to match mine. "They put danger on Aria's family. I choose not to—"
I stopped, snapping to cut her off. "You may have come to see me. You may have gone to Luca. But you gave them everything they needed to wipe out us instead.
Between us, the words hung weighty and uncompromisingly. My brain flew, trying to put Claire's treachery together. Now the competing pack had knowledge they should never have known: the prophecy, the link, and the mounting conflict within our own pack.
"Tell them how much you did? My voice was icy as I asked.
"Everything," she said, tears building in her eyes. About your visions, you have been experiencing. The wolf lurking in the woodland. The cautions issued by the elderly.
Her words had weight that squeezed the breath from my lungs. This was a tragedy not simply a betrayal.
My feelings at the moment I discovered Luca were a jumble of dread, hurt, and rage. In the training yard, he barked commands at a gathering of younger wolves. His eyes turned to mine as I moved forward, and his face clouded.
Right now? Sweating from his forehead, he questioned.
"Claire," I replied, my voice stifled. She spoke to them about everything.
His body grew stiff, and for a second I feared he may blow. " She what?""
Though the words seemed hollow even to me, "She was threatened," I said. "Her family... If she had not spoken, they would have suffered.
"That's no excuse," he snarled, his hands tightening. "Do you know what this suggests? They are conversant in the bond. About the prophecy. They will use it against us.
"You know; I do know that. I back off, my own irritation bubbling out. " Luca, she was my buddy. I knew her.
"Yeah, well, that was your first mistake," he continued, his voice cutting.
I started to bite back, but the expression in his eyes stopped me. Underneath the wrath was something more—fear.
The pack reacted to Claire's treachery with quickness and force. The seniors called her to the council room, where accusations and nasty remarks shot like arrows. My stomach turning, I stood at the rear of the room listening to them discuss her penalty.
"She put the whole pack at risk," one elderly man said in a chilly voice. There is no way this can go unpunished.
But she was coerced, another countered. That is something we cannot overlook.
Luca moved up with dominating presence to speak to the council. Although Claire acted carelessly, concentrating on punishment won't help to address the issue. The competing pack knows too much; we have to act quickly to keep ourselves safe.
The chamber became quiet, his words seeping in. Startled by his restraint, I peered at him. This was the same Luca, who had usually let his wrath control him, but now he stood cool and determined.
"We have to get ready for their next migration," he said. And we cannot afford to let our emotions distort our judgement.
That evening, I came into Claire in the woodland seated on the same log from which I would usually get comfort. Her shoulders sagged and she seemed smaller than I had ever seen her.
She remarked gently, "Aria," as I came over, her voice heavy with grief.
I didn't reply straight away; the pain still seems too fresh. At last, I said, "Why did you not trust me enough to let me know what was happening? "
Tears flooding her cheeks, she said, "I was scared." "They said they would murder my family should I tell someone. I pondered.... I reasoned I could manage it alone.
Emotions battling within me, I dropped to the log next to her. "You made a mistake, Claire. One major one. But I understand you did it not out of hate.
She fixed me, hope flaring in her eyes. "Could you pardon me?""
I paused, her enquiry weighing me down. "I'm not sure. Still, just now we should concentrate on correcting this.
Luca and I stayed late in the pack house planning strategies to neutralize the increasing danger of the competing pack. Though there was conflict between us, we moved in an uncomfortable rhythm; our combined will propelled us along.
Luca remarked, his eyes sharp: "We have to find out exactly what they know."
And in what way do you propose we achieve that? Exhaustion seeping into my voice, I asked.
He responded simply, "We bait them."
I fixed him in the eye. " bait them? What then?""
"They are seeing us," he said. "They seek the mark." the connection. We provide them just enough to get them moving.
"That's crazy," I remarked, shaking my head. It is too dangerous.
"Have you come up with a better idea? He objected, his tone firm.
I missed it, and he knew.
The mark on my wrist blazed with quick fire as we worked on the plan; a black forest, the sound of wolves howling, and brilliant eyes peering from the shadows flashed over my thoughts.
Luca was looking at me, worry carved on his face as I returned to myself. "What did you observe? "He inquired."
"Something's coming," I murmured, my voice almost above a whisper. And I doubt we are ready for it.