Chapter 018: The Enemy Within

Ava's POV 

The sun bathed to rise above the trees, the cool morning air accompanied by a thin film of fog hovering over the packhouse grounds. Even though the sunrise was beautiful, a weight pressed on my chest. The events of yesterday stayed with me—Evan's confession, the treachery that had struck right into the core of our pack.

Still terrible, though, was the realization Evan had not acted alone. Someone else, far more deadly, was still out there waiting for the ideal chance to attack.

Perched on the brink of the training ground, I watched the fighters sprint through drills. Jackson had mandated more intensive instruction for everybody, getting ready for the known approaching onslaught. We could not afford to be surprised once more. Not with the twins' lives on line.

I turned to see Jackson come up, his face as tight as I could have sensed, feeling a presence next to me. Though his eyes were darkened with tiredness and his shoulders were stiff, he exuded the same ferocious drive. Jackson was prepared to battle for our family as well as for the pack regardless of what occurred.

Jackson added, his voice low, "We have reinforced the perimeter." "Guards are kept on call everywhere. Nobody is in or out without our knowledge.

I nodded, looking for some solace in his comments. "And Evan?," then asked

"He is housed in one of the cells," Jackson said. "Under continual observation." We still have questions about him and want further information, however... He is not very knowledgeable.

His voice revealed a great degree of irritation. Evan had been a pawn in a more general game that we still did not quite grasp. "He wasn't the one tugging the strings," I said. " Someone else is behind this; we have not yet identified them."

Jackson's jaw locked, and I could see the conflict in his eyes. He despised this sense of powerlessness and of not knowing whom to believe. And I too did.

His voice steady, he added, "We'll find them." Whoever they are, they won't hide for very long.

Though the doubt bit me, I wanted to trust him. The attacks now happened more often and with more accuracy. Whoever was planning this recognized our shortcomings and was not hesitant to take advantage of them.

"I have been considering the rumors Evan brought up," I remarked, turning to squarely face Jackson. " About the army of rogues. We have to know where they are gathering if they are developing a force like that. We have to be proactive rather than merely responsive.

Jackson nodded gently, his brow wrinkling with consideration. "You're correct. We cannot sit here and wait for them to approach us. We must attack first.

I could watch the wheels in his head turning as he talked. Jackson was a thinker, constantly looking ahead and always organizing his next action. It was among the traits that made him an outstanding Alpha. But I could also see him bearing the weight of it all down upon him. accountability. Anxiety over choosing the wrong path.

"We'll send out scouts," Jackson remarked after a pause. "Silently. Nobody in the pack has to know we are moving. Should a renegade army exist, we will locate them before they locate us.

The idea of an army assembling in the darkness ready to strike our pack sent shivers down my spine. Still, I made myself tranquil. We refused to let terror rule us. not right now.

"Who do we trust to forward?" I asked, looking across the field at the warriors. "We cannot risk the wrong person learning."

Jackson's eyes tracked mine, his face somber. "We can depend on a few I know are there. I will personally choose them out.

His assurance helped me somewhat, but there was always that nagging sense of vulnerability and missing something in the back of my mind. "We have to guard the twins, Jackson," I whispered softly, my voice choking with feeling. "They are the aim. Whichever is behind this, they are targeting our children.

Jackson's hand located mine, his hold strong and comforting. "I won't let anything happen to them," he declared with much certainty. "We will keep them under cover. I swear.

Though I nodded, the anxiety persisted. For days now, it had been there, becoming stronger with each onslaught and revelation. Though much as I wanted to accept Jackson's comments, the reality was that our opponent was unknown. Their travel distance was unknown to us.

And we doubted our own might to stop them.

The day went slowly, stress hovering over the group like a storm just about to unleash. The warriors remained on their training; the guards kept watch; the pack members went about their business mindful of the horizon. Everybody sensed the discomfort and the sensation of approaching something.

Jackson had assembled the small number of scouts he trusted late afternoon, briefed them in secret before sending them on their assignment. Their task was straightforward: locate the renegade army before it could locate us. Still, simple does not equate to easy. The stakes were bigger than ever and failing was not an alternative.

Jackson and I sat together in the packhouse after the scouts were gone, the silence between us laden with unsaid anxieties. He was under the weight of leadership, and I could feel the need to defend not only our family but the entire pack.

Jackson murmured abruptly, his voice low and strained, "I should be out there with them." "I should be guiding the scouts, not lounging about waiting."

"You cannot do everything," I said gently, putting a hand on his arm. Jackson, you have done more than enough. Alpha here is you. They want you here.

He sighed deeply and ran a hand over his hair. "I really detest this sense of powerlessness. Like I am not doing enough.

I got closer, my voice steady. You are doing everything you can. We will also get through this. Combined.

He turned to face me then, a mixture of thanks and irritation in his eyes. "I don't deserve you, Ava," he said. Not after all I have put you through.

I shook my head and quietly smiled. Jackson, both of us have committed errors. But they have helped us to become stronger today.

He drew me into his arms, and momentarily the outside world vanished. Simply us, clinging to one another and drawing strength from our relationship.

But the tranquility was fleeting.

Jackson stiffened right away when a loud tap at the door broke the silence. I could see the flutter of anxiety in his eyes, the concern over anything having gone wrong.

His voice tense, he said, "Come in."

The door opened, and one of the guards, with pale eagerness on his face, walked in. "Alpha, Luna," he said fast. "You need to see something here."

Jackson looked at me then trailed the guard across the packhouse and out into the courtyard. As we forced our way through, a tiny gathering of people on the northern end of the grounds caused my stomach to plummet.

One of our scouts was there, fastened to a pole.

His body was slung forward, barely awake, his garments ripped, his face bloodied. But the message etched in the wood behind the scout drove a tsunami of terror through me, not the state of the scout.

You come late.

Jackson knelt beside the scout, his face stiffening and his eyes ablaze with rage. His voice low and threatening, he said, "Who did this?"

Weakly coughing, blood leaked from his mouth. "They knew we were arriving," he said raspily. They were here waiting for us.

As the ramifications of his words set in, my heart thumping in my chest One person had alerted the enemy. One of our pack members inside.

Jackson stood, his hands tightly at his sides. We must increase security tightness. Nobody leaves the land until we work this out.

I dozed as my mind flew. Still among us, the traitor was becoming more daring. But the feeling that we were running out of time terrified me most—not the betrayal.

The opponent was not only getting ready for a strike.

They arrived already here.

And we might be too late to halt them.