Bonds Tested
Back in the private quarters assigned to Crimson Fang, Isla sat in a corner with Jamie, her longtime friend and the pack’s best scout. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his expression lined with worry.
“This council doesn’t feel fair,” Jamie muttered, glancing toward the door as though expecting Tobias to barge in at any moment. “He’s got half of them wrapped around his claws. You can see it in their faces.”
Isla traced the edge of the protective amulet Micah had given her earlier, her gaze distant. “It doesn’t matter if it’s fair,” she said finally. “We have to play their game. Draven is strong, but strength alone won’t convince them. They don’t trust us.”
Jamie frowned. “How are we supposed to win if the odds are stacked against us?”
“By being smarter,” Isla replied. Her voice was soft, but her resolve was clear. “Tobias wants chaos. We give him nothing but unity. They can doubt us all they want, but they won’t see us break.”
Meanwhile, in the war room, Susan paced in front of Draven. Her movements were sharp, her frustration palpable. “This council is a trap,” she said bluntly, pausing only to fix him with a hard stare. “Tobias has too much influence, and these Alphas are weak. They’re afraid of him.”
Draven leaned over the table, his fists clenched on the edge as he studied the scattered maps and documents before him. “I know,” he said. His voice was low, strained with barely restrained fury.
Susan continued, her voice quickening with urgency. “If Tobias finds even the smallest crack in our foundation, he’ll exploit it. Isla, Alaric, anyone—he’ll go for them.” She gestured sharply toward the door. “We need to keep them out of the spotlight. Any perceived weakness will be our undoing.”
Draven straightened, his expression cold and calculating. “Tobias won’t find what he’s looking for,” he said. “We’re not backing down, Susan. He’ll fall. It’s only a matter of time.”
Her expression softened, just slightly. “Time we don’t have,” she muttered, but her tone carried a flicker of grudging respect.
Later, Isla returned to her chambers, her thoughts swirling. As she opened the door, she noticed a piece of parchment on the floor. She bent to pick it up, frowning at the unfamiliar scrawl:
“Even the Moon’s light casts shadows. Beware.”
The message sent a chill down her spine. She clutched the note tightly, her gaze snapping to the door. Who had left it? And what did it mean?
Draven entered moments later, his expression softening when he saw her, but his attention quickly shifted to the paper in her hand. “What’s that?”
Isla handed it to him without a word, watching as his face darkened with suspicion. He looked back at her, his voice low. “We’ll find out who sent this. And when we do, they’ll regret coming near you.”
