Chapter 008: Shadows of Deception

Jackson's POV 

Tonight the packhouse appeared to weigh more. Every floorboard groan and lamp flutter felt as though the ground itself was breathing. I was likewise too. The twins were asleep and ignorant of the storm building outside these walls in their room with Ava. Still, I wasn't sleepy. Days had gone without sleep coming naturally. Not with Blackthorn, planning, waiting out there. Not with a traitor prowling about our group.

Riley's comments earlier had shook me more than I had let on. He is aware of the twin set. He is on his way for them.

My head was a battlefield where ideas clashed to rule. How had things gone so far out of control? I thought for years that I was maintaining pack order and safeguarding them. The fundamental basis was falling apart right now, and I had to admit I hadn't seen it approaching. Perhaps I had, but I had been too pleased to see the flaws.

Perched in the middle of the room, I gazed at the door leading to Ava's temporary accommodations. Inside she was among them, our children. I too ought to have been with them. But the guilt got more every time I visited Ava and every time I observed those children. Five years without knowledge they existed. Five years of being blind to the life I ought to have been experiencing.

My hands tightened into fists, the known stress rising in my chest. Before everything went through my hands, I had to keep moving, acting, doing something. And still here I was, caught in this chamber whirling in circles with ideas without answers.

Ava moved inside the room as the door cracked open. Her face was pulled with anxiety; her hair was down, dark silk hanging over her shoulders. Her eyes locked with mine, and for a moment we neither spoke. The quiet stretched thick and heavy between us. Her posture revealed the tiredness, the weight of secrets she carried alone for far too long.

She remarked gently, shattering the quiet: "They're asleep."

Tight in my throat, I nodded. Though I wanted to say something, anything, the words would not flow. What I could say to straighten this mess was not clear-cut. Apologies seemed inadequate and too late.

"We have to talk, Jackson," Ava remarked, her voice kind but strong.

I ran a hand through my hair; the strain in my muscles would not relax. "I know.."

She moved forward, never looking away from me. I am not here to fight. But this kind of circling each other is not sustainable. Not in line with Blackthorn arriving.

Slung across the desk, I leaned on it. "I understand Ava. It is not that straightforward, though. You separated the twins from me five years ago. I still find it difficult to understand.

Her eyes wavered with feeling—regret, perhaps even suffering—but she stayed firm. I had to keep them safe. I couldn't risk it after what transpired between us.

My teeth clenched. "You trusted me."

She corrected, her voice almost above a whisper: "I didn't trust anyone." Not once you turned me down.

Like a blade between us, the words hung in the air. And there it was the truth I had been running away from. I had turned her away. I had pushed her away since, for the pack, for me, I felt it was the appropriate behavior. I hadn't given her any thought, though. Or as others might say, us.

I said, the words harsh on my lips, "I was wrong." "What I found in front of me did not match. Though I believed I was doing morally, I wasn't.

Ava's tone relaxed a little, but the strain between us stayed. Jackson, we cannot turn back the past. Still, we can act to address current events.

I nodded while my mind flew. She pointed out the right thing. When the future hangs precariously, we afford to bury ourselves in the past. That did not, however, make the guilt any more palpable.

My voice harsh, I continued, "I want to protect them." But I have no one to trust these days.

Ava inhaled deeply, then moved forward until she stood exactly in front of me. You really have to believe me. Jackson, I am not your opponent. Never was my nature.

Her comments touched a deep level inside me, a truth I had been suppressing for far too long. Although I had been treating her like a threat—that of someone who had betrayed me—the truth was that I had shattered us. Now, being here so close, I understood how much I wanted to correct it.

That was not quite straightforward, though. Not under Blackthorn's danger hovering over us. Not with a traitor still on hand, poised to strike at least not expected.

"We need a plan," I replied, separating the feelings that threatened to overwhelm me. Blackthorns are aware of the twins. We have to be ready as he is going to hunt for them.

Ava nodded, her eyes keen with will. We have to determine the traitor among us. Should we not, Blackthorn will always be one step ahead of us.

Frustration mounting, I ran a palm over my face. For weeks, the pack has been kept under great alert. Although everyone has been screened, nothing has come up. Whichever it is, they are clearly visible.

Ava crossed her arms, thought wrinkled on her brow. "Perhaps they are not hiding. Perhaps they are waiting for the perfect opportunity.

The concept chilled me to no end. Awaiting the correct moment. Though that made logic, it also meant we were running out of time. Our vulnerability becomes more exposed the longer this dragged on.

"I have to chat to Riley," I responded, my voice firm. "He has also been researching excessively. Perhaps he has something in mind.

Ava hesitated just long enough to say. "You rely on him?

The question hovered in the air and I stopped. Had I? For years Riley had been my Beta, my closest friend. But lately, there had been cracks—tiny, hardly perceptible at first but gradually expanding. I began to question whether I had been blind to them.

I wanted to, I said at last. "But I can't discount the likelihood that something is wrong."

Ava fixed a steady, unflinching look. "Then, Jackson, exercise caution. There is no more money for mistakes.

I nodded, her words weighing me down. She knew exactly what I needed. We would lose everything by one bad action. I let that pass by.

Just as I was ready to reply, the door knocked. Riley walked inside, his face austere.

Tight in voice, he replied, "We have a problem."

"What now?” My tolerance was running thin, I asked.

Riley looked from Ava to me before she spoke. "We have seen some men from Blackthorn close to the northern boundary. They are scanning the area most likely getting ready for an attack.

My muscles stiffened, the known surge of adrenaline coursed through me. "What is the count?"

Riley answered, "A dozen, maybe more". The worst of it is not that, though.

Ava and I gave a quick look then turned back to Riley. "What do you mean?," she asked.

Riley's face grew black. "They currently have someone with them. somebody from our pack.

The words strike me like a gut-based punch. a member of our flock. The disloyalty. Right now, they are working with Blackthorn outdoors.

"Who is it?," I wondered, my voice low and lethal.

Riley rocked his head. "We were unable to obtain a clear view. Whichever it is, though, they are guiding the scouts with knowledge about our defenses.

Ava's grasp tightened around my arm, and she seemed to be exuding tension. "We have to stop them," she replied, her voice firm despite the terror I knew was developing within her.

I nodded, my head whirling with ideas already. This was it. The occasion we had been waiting for. At last the traitors had shown themselves, and now we could turn around.

Still, we had to be clever. One misplaced action might cost us everything.

I said, my voice firm: "I'll take a team and head to the northern border." "We'll grab whoever's guiding them and get some responses."

Riley nodded, but I could not exactly put what was in his eyes. Was it uncertainty? Delay? I ran out of time to give it any thought.

Ava responded, her voice devoid of space for debate, "I'm coming with you."

I started to object, but I stopped myself with her glance. She was not wavering. Not today.

"Fine," I responded, my jaw stiff. But you remain close. No dangers.

Though Ava nodded somewhat, I knew she wouldn't stay on the sidelines. Not with the life of our children online.

Tension in the air thickened as we left the packhouse. The moon was high in the heavens, giving the trees a terrible radiance. With this was it. The instant everything reached a head.

I also had to trust we would survive. That we would uncover the traitor, halt Blackthorn, and protect our family.

Deep down, though, I understood this was the starting point. Still to fight was the actual battle.

Tension rises as Jackson and Ava get ready to meet Blackthorn's scouts and find the traitor's name. The assailant is nearer than ever.