Chapter 004: Echoes of the Past

Jackson's POV 

The blackness outside the packhouse was unbroken, as though the night itself had turned against us. Perched on the balcony of my workplace, I could see the thick woodland just outside our boundaries. Everything seemed to bear down on my shoulders. The squad. The rogers. AVA.

The twins come next. My sons.

Though I attempted to push it to the back of my mind, the disclosure still left me spinning. Now I afford to be sidetracked. But in what way might I not be? Ava had kept them away from me for five years. Five years later, she came back, undoing what I had believed I had sealed up. And with it, the growing suspicion that someone I trusted was poised to burn everything to the ground.

Betrayal stung more when it came from your own; it tasted sour. I tried to concentrate by clenching my hands and making sense of the mess we were in. An enemy in the pack? Though it seemed inconceivable, I could no longer overlook the warning indicators. Ava would not have returned without cause, and the rogues had been hovering over us for months. Their knowledge was knowledge not known to any outsider.

Owen's comments kept coming back to me: *They know about the twins*.

That brought about the tipping point. Targeting Ava and the kids, whomever was behind the attacks was also They were therefore aiming at me. Every idea I had, every strategy I had developed felt as if it was collapsing underneath.

Not sure who it was when I heard the door creak open behind me. Ava had always carried the delicate smell of lilac and pine, the soft padding of feet. It was a ghost from the past I could not shake even today.

Her voice gentle but stern, she continued, "You shouldn't be up here." Not with all of this occurring.

Not looking at her, I said, "I needed space to think." "I had no idea you watched me.

She continued, "I'm not keeping tabs," advancing closer as her voice became quieter now. "I just know how you get when things go wrong.”

Before I could stop it, I laughed bitterly. Ava, things have not gone wrong. They have arrived in hell.

She said nothing at all for a minute. Just out of arm's reach, I could sense her presence next to me and it set something deep inside that I had buried a long time ago alive.

Still peering out into the trees, I murmured at last, "Tell me the truth." "Did you return because you wanted to, or because you had no other choice?”

A lengthy silence followed. Her voice in speaking was strained. " Both."

Rising in my chest, I turned to face her immediately and felt frustration. She seemed different, stronger somehow, but her eyes reflected my own tiredness.

She looked at me and said, "I had no idea what to expect before I left. "I had no idea what would happen to the twins or to me. I knew, nevertheless, I could not remain. You decided on it for me.

"You consider me to have choices?" I asked, the fury blazing in my voice. "I couldn't——"

"You couldn't let me in," she said, her voice cutting. "You barely gave it any effort. You turned me aside without giving it any thought.

I closed my mouth, detesting her rightness. I had pushed her away and turned her aside since I stood for what she embodied. flaw. Vulnerability. A Luna insufficient for the pack I was creating.

But standing here now, war hanging over us, I questioned whether I had been mistaken. Ava exceeded what I had credited her with. She had survived on her own for years, raising two children without assistance, hiding from those wishing to hurt her.

And now she was back, more resolved, stronger. She was not the helpless female I had turned down.

I said, the words alien in my throat, "I made a mistake."

Ava's eyes grew somewhat, as though she didn't expect me to own it. "What?," asos

"I made a mistake," I said, my voice down now. I should not have driven you away. Too late to correct it, though.

Her expression wary, she gazed down at the ground. "You're correct." Too late for that as well.

The quiet between us was dense and weighty. Though I wanted to say so much, I ran out of words. Years of suppressing my feelings had locked them up so I might concentrate on the pack. on being strong. Now, though, everything was falling apart and I had no idea how I might keep it together.

"We should concentrate on the traitor," Ava remarked, shifting the topic. Whichever it is, they are harmful. They will be back for the twins.

I nodded, my chest getting tighter. My blood heated as I considered my children at jeopardy. I wouldn't let someone mistreat them. All the same.

"Riley's looking into it," I answered, attempting to exude confidence yet the doubt persisted. He'll figure it out.

The reference to Riley clouded Ava's gaze. "Do you believe him?"

I grimaced. Years of beta have come from him. Of course I have faith in him.

She seems not convinced. "Jackson, you have to be careful even though you are devoted to your pack. Whoever the traitor is, they have long been giving knowledge to the rogues. Someone near you is involved here.

Her comments lingered in the air, and I detested the part of me questioned if she was right. Riley had always been right at hand, but lately things felt off. He had been even remote, secretive.

blaming him without evidence, nevertheless, would cause the pack to fall apart. Right now, that type of anarchy was unaffordable.

Turning away from her once more, my mind racing, I muttered, "I'll handle it."

She murmured gently, "Jackson," approaching closely. "This is not just about you these days. The twins also belong under this category. You must be cautious.

Her hand rested on my arm, and for a minute I wanted to draw her near so she would once more enter. I could not, though. Now I could not afford to be weak. not during the breakdown of everything.

My voice tight, I responded, "I know." "I will keep them under cover. I will keep everyone of us safe.

She nodded, but from her eyes I could detect skepticism. She trusted me just not really. And I held no guilt for her. Though I had a lot to make up, this was not the time for apologies or second chances.

I stopped Ava as she turned to go by catching her wrist. Startled, she gazed at me but did not withdraw.

I responded softly, my voice hoarse with feeling, "I'm not the man I was five years ago." "But I'm trying, Ava." I will do whatever necessary to guard them.

Her face softened momentarily, then she jerked her hand free and the walls between us crashed back into alignment.

"We'll see," she answered, her voice wary. Just avoid promising something you cannot keep.

I stood by myself as she departed, the weight of everything descending on me like a storm almost ready to break. I had made mistakes—too many to count—but I could not afford to make any more.

Not during the times when my kids' life hung precariously.

Jackson knows his most reliable friend may be harboring secrets, and with Ava back, what he knew is falling apart. He must now choose whether to trust people closest to him or act on gut feeling. One mistake can cost the traitor everything since his identity is yet unknown.