Chapter 014: Underlying Shadows

Ava's POV 

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ing Jackson and Evan over the deep forest, the cold air cut at my skin as the moon gave the road ahead a terrible glare. My ideas were racing, Blackthorn's cryptic warning still weighty in my head. Though he had turned in his work, the actual danger hadn't. Still conspiring against us was someone we trusted inside our pack.

And they were practically here already.

A shudder raced down my spine when we got to the clearing Evan had guided us toward. The tall woods loomed over us like silent sentinels, and there, cut out from the bark of a big oak tree, was a symbol—a primitive, jagged form that made me uncomfortable.

Jackson moved nearer, his eyes sharpening as he used his fingers to follow the symbol's contour. He said, "This is a message," low in voice.

Evan nodded with a sad look. Blackthorn applied this mark as he was forming connections with other renegade packs. If someone within the pack is using it, though, they are trying to transmit a signal.

"A signal that they are still watching," I said, forcefully crossing my arms. The air seemed weighty, oppressive, as though we were under observation even now. Whoever it is, they are warning us.

Jackson's jaw tightened, and I could see the irritation boiling just below the surface. He responded bluntly, "We cannot afford any more warnings." "This has to stop."

Though I could sense his wrath, behind it was something else: dread. Fear for the pack, for our kids, for the brittle safety we were grasping. And I sensed it as well. The person behind this wouldn't stop until they had what they wanted.

I dropped my voice and stepped toward Jackson. "Is it one of the elder wolves? Elena belonged to the group advocating your father's more forceful policies. Perhaps others view things the way she does.

Jackson shook his head. "Although it's likely, there is no surefire way to tell. Right now, everyone seems like a suspect.

Evan cleared his voice to call our attention. "We cannot just sit about waiting for them to strike again," he warned. We have to sweep them out.

Jackson nodded quietly. Consented. But we have to be wise about it.

My imagination spun with the possibilities as we headed back toward the packhouse. Blackthorn had been one issue, but now we were dealing with something even more dangerous—a covert adversary. The worst aspect was not knowing whom to believe.

There was obvious anxiety once we arrived at the packhouse. The guards were on great alert, their eyes flitting around frantically. Inside, the pack had assembled and murmured among themselves. Although everyone felt something was amiss, nobody ventured to voice it.

Jackson was in the front of the room, his presence demanding, yet I could see the tension in his face. With his voice resonating throughout the room, he added, "We have found proof that there is still a traitor among us. " Someone left us a warning after they started feeding data to our adversaries."

The audience went in waves of shock and terror, but none of anybody yelled up. I studied their expressions closely, looking for any flutter of mistrust or remorse. All I noticed, though, were nervous looks and hesitant murmurs.

Jackson said, his voice firm: "We will find out who it is." None leaves the region until we do, though. Right now we are under complete lockdown.

His comments seemed as weighty as a thick cloud falling over the room. Locking down the land meant we were imprisoned, with our allies as well as with our adversaries. The strain would boil over in no time at all.

Later that evening, I was standing in the corridor outside the twins' chamber as the packhouse calmed and most of the wolves withdrew to their quarters. Their calm breathing came through the door, and the sound was a little solace; still, the knot of tension in my chest would not release.

Jackson came up, his steps light as he joined me. "They're safe," he said, his eyes easing toward the door. "For now," says

"For now," I said, my voice almost above a whisper. But for how long will that hold? How long before the traitor moves once more?

He had no response, and the quiet between us, laden with unsaid anxieties, stretched out.

I turned to scan his face. "What if Jackson, we are mistaken? What if this has nothing to do with authority or control? Should they wish something more, what then?

He wrinkled, thinking about what I said. "What do you mean?"

I stopped, attempting to articulate my ideas. Blackthorn seemed not to be the power-hungry Alpha we had anticipated when he turned in his surrender. He exuded fear. Extremely hungry. Whoever switched on him was wanting something deeper, not only after pack leadership. And I believe it relates to the twins as well.

His face clouded. "The twins?."

I nodded, a cold crawling up my back. "Consider it." Blackthorn followed the kids; today, this traitor is warning us. They target our family, not only ourselves.

Jackson's palm closed into a fist, his jaw tightly angry. "I will not let them approach the twins very close."

I gently responded, "I know you won't," reaching for his hand. But before it's too late, we have to identify someone behind this.

We stood there for some time, the weight of the matter clearly on both of us. Jackson was clearly determined, but I could see the toll it was causing him. Our family was at risk as well as the pack; we could not afford any more errors.

There was a gentle knock at the door just as I was ready to advise we return to the war room to plan. My heart stopped as I turned to find Evan tensely waiting at the doorway.

He said, "I've found something." "Something you ought to see."

Jackson and I trailed him along the poorly lighted hallways silently, our footfall resonating in the stillness. He guided us to the eastern wing, home of the less utilized, older rooms. It was a section of the packhouse unoccupied since before Jackson became Alpha.

Stopped in front of one of the doors, Evan pulled it open to see a tiny, dusty room with a desk and a few strewn papers. But what grabbed my eye on the tabletop was something else entirely.

Jackson grabbed it, brow wrinkling as he went over the contents. As he passed it to me, his expression clouded. From Blackthorn, "it's."

As I turned over the letter, my heart accelerated and the contents chilled my spine.

"You are reading this, hence I have been deceived. The person you most trust is the one who wants to ruin you. They are nearer than you might believe.

My heart hammering, I raised my head to Jackson. "What is this meant to mean?"

He took a sad look at the letter and did not respond immediately. "That means the traitor is someone we have been trusting all along, not just hiding among us."

Evan moved uneasily, his eyes straying between us. "What are we supposed to do right now?

As Jackson folded the letter and slipped it into his pocket, his jaw stiffened. "We wait." We observe as well. Whichever it is, they will make a mistake. We will also be ready when they do.

But a persistent sensation tore at me as we exited the room and eluded me. The letter had cautioned us that the traitor was someone we trusted and nearby.

And the more I considered it, the more hazardous it made everything. Since once damaged trust cannot be really healed.

Not when treachery loomed in the background.