The door creaks open, and Cheryl and I slip inside, our footsteps barely making a sound. The room is dimly lit by a few flickering overhead bulbs, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Raina and her accomplices are gathered around a table, engrossed in what looks like a map and some documents. The tension in the room is palpable, and I can feel Cheryl’s hand tighten around mine.Raina’s voice cuts through the silence. “We need to act quickly. The information we’ve gathered will allow us to take down the pack once and for all. The time for subtlety is over.”I exchange a glance with Cheryl. This is it—Raina is planning something catastrophic. We have to stop her before it’s too late. I nod to Cheryl, signaling that we should move in, but just as we’re about to make our move, a loud crash echoes from the back of the building. “What was that?” one of Raina’s accomplices says, his voice filled with alarm.I freeze, realizing that our presence might have been detected. The distraction buys
As the pack gathers in the main hall, the atmosphere is tense. Word has spread quickly about the betrayal within our ranks, and everyone’s on edge. I stand beside Cillian, Callum, and Cheryl, waiting for the moment when Cillian will address the pack. The weight of what’s about to happen hangs heavily in the air.Cillian steps forward, his presence commanding the room. He looks out at the assembled pack members, his face a mix of authority and empathy. “Pack members,” he begins, his voice carrying the gravity of the situation, “we’ve discovered that we have a traitor among us. This betrayal goes deeper than we initially realized, and it’s time you all know the truth.”A murmur ripples through the crowd, and I can see the confusion and concern in their faces. The revelation of a traitor is unsettling enough, but when it’s someone as close as Raina, it hits even harder.Cillian continues, his tone steady. “Raina, our trusted ally and Callum’s mate, has been working with Donovan Sullivan
The bell above the door chimes as another customer walks into The Matcha. I glance up from behind the counter, offering a welcoming smile out of habit. The café has been my refuge these past few weeks, a place where I can escape from the chaos of pack life and all the complications that come with being with Luke. In order to just take a step back and figure out what I want, I got a little gig. Here, everything is simpler—or at least, it usually is.The woman who walks in is familiar. I’ve seen her around town before, though I can’t quite place her name. She’s in her late forties, with sharp features softened by age and dark hair streaked with gray. She’s dressed neatly, but there’s a stiffness in her posture that sets me on edge.“Good afternoon,” I say as she approaches the counter. “What can I get for you today?”Her eyes narrow slightly as she looks at me, and I feel a flicker of unease. There’s something in her gaze that’s not quite right—a coldness that makes my stomach tighten.
He opens the door just a crack, enough to see who’s on the other side without exposing too much of the room. I can’t see who it is, but the look on Luke’s face tells me everything I need to know. Whatever is happening, it’s not good.“Get inside,” Luke growls at whoever is out there, his tone brooking no argument.The door swings open wider, and Raina steps into the cabin, her face pale and drawn, her eyes wide with something that looks suspiciously like fear. My stomach drops at the sight of her. I don’t trust her—not after everything that’s happened. She’s part of this, somehow, and I’m not sure if she’s here to help or to betray us once again.“What the hell are you doing here?” Luke demands, his voice a low rumble that sends a shiver down my spine.Raina’s eyes darted between us, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. “Luke… they know. The hunters… they’re coming. You have to get out, both of you. Now.”The world tilts on its axis, my mind struggling to catch up with her word
The moment stretches long, tension hanging heavy in the air as I stare at the figure standing in the doorway. My heart races, but I keep my face blank, refusing to show any hint of the storm brewing inside me. Cheryl grips my arm tighter from behind, and I can feel her fear through our bond—a sharp, icy pulse that matches the growing unease in my gut.Raina steps into the cabin again, somehow having fled during the previous altercation, her eyes cold and calculating, a stark contrast to the warmth and familiarity they used to hold. She looks almost alien now, a stranger in the skin of someone I once knew. The air between us crackles with unspoken accusations, with the weight of betrayal that neither of us has yet to voice.“You need to leave Raina, not because I care about you anymore but because I know what seeing you will do to Callum” I demand, my voice low and dangerous. I can’t afford to let her see the full extent of my fury, not yet.She closes the door behind her with delibera
The old sawmill looms ahead, a shadowed relic of another time, its rusted metal and decaying wood creaking in the night wind. My heart pounds in my chest, each step forward feeling like I’m walking into a dark abyss. Luke is beside me, his presence a steadying force, but there’s an edge to his calm—an unspoken fear that mirrors my own. Raina leads the way, her figure barely visible in the dim light filtering through the trees. I can sense her unease, the weight of whatever guilt she carries bearing down on her with every step. The tension between the three of us is thick, an unspoken mix of distrust, fear, and desperation.When we finally reach the sawmill, the silence is deafening. I can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong. Luke’s grip on my hand tightens, and I know he feels it too. Raina hesitates at the entrance, her breath coming in quick, shallow bursts. I watch her closely, the way her eyes dart around, scanning the area like she’s expecting something—anything.“This is
The room is thick with tension, the air heavy with everything that’s just been revealed. Raina sits on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest, trembling. Callum hovers nearby, his face a mask of pain and confusion. I stand by Luke, my heart pounding in my chest as I try to process the whirlwind of emotions swirling around me.Raina’s sobs echo through the room, raw and unrestrained, each one a dagger to the heart. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” she chokes out, her voice ragged. “I never wanted to hurt anyone… I swear it.”I glance at Luke, who is as tense as a coiled spring. His jaw is set, his eyes hard, but there’s a flicker of something softer beneath the surface. Understanding, maybe. Or pity. I’m not sure which, and I don’t know if it even matters right now.“Raina,” I say softly, taking a tentative step toward her. “We know you didn’t want this. But we need to know everything—every detail that might help us stop them.”She looks up at me, her eyes bloodshot and h
The night air is crisp and cold as Cheryl and I carefully maneuver Raina through the dense forest. The tension between us is palpable, the weight of recent events hanging heavily over our heads. We’re all acutely aware of the stakes, and every sound seems magnified in the stillness of the woods.The figure steps into the light, and my heart skips a beat as I recognize the face of Donovan—the very person we’ve been trying to outmaneuver.“Didn’t expect to find you here,” Donovan says, his voice dripping with cold amusement. “But it seems I’ve stumbled upon a little family reunion.”Before I can react, Donovan’s gaze sweeps over the room, settling on Raina with a look of twisted satisfaction. “So, the traitor returns to her old friends,” he says, his tone mocking. “And here I was thinking we’d have to go looking for her. It seems you’re all so eager to make this easy for me.”Panic surges through me as I exchange a glance with Cheryl. We’re caught off guard, and Donovan’s presence is a