Chapter 021: Echoes of Dishonesty

Ava's POV 

Jackson and I left the packhouse with our footfall subdued in the crisp morning air; the sun hardly peaked over the horizon. Still hanging heavy between us is the weight of yesterday's discoveries. Riley's treachery had rocked the pack, and even if we addressed it head-on, the stress stayed strong. Returning to the clearing Riley had been meeting the rogues from, we were We needed responses now as much as they needed now.

Jackson stepped next to me, his jaw closed in that familiar manner indicating he was fighting to hold the tempest inside under control. Since the pack meeting last night, he had not spoken much; I could sense the weight of leadership crushing down on him more than ever. Still, this was personal rather than merely about the pack. Riley had been his buddy and dependable fighter. Jackson had to shoulder that weight among all else; the betrayal stung deep.

"We'll find something this time," I muttered, trying to shatter the quiet. "We have to have missed something before."

Jackson nodded but did not answer. His gaze was forward, as though he saw more than just the road and the trees. His mind was racing, weighing every conceivable perspective, every error that might have brought us to this point.

The clearing emerged, lengthy shadows created by the dawn light across the forest floor. Knowing what had happened here, it changed now—more sinister. I pushed down the sense of anxiety that had been slinking up on me since we left the packhouse by swallowing hard.

We stopped just at the brink of the clearing, the air still faintly smelling of old smoke from the fire that had been here days earlier. Riley was standing there, whispering softly with whoever was planning this anarchy nearly visible to me. As I considered the secrets revealed, the schemes set in motion right here, under our noses, a shudder raced down my spine.

Jackson moved forward, his eyes darting the floor in search of anything that may provide a clue—footprints, trash, anything. I moved with him, my thoughts alert, my senses enhanced. We cannot afford to overlook anything.

Something struck my sight as I bent to examine the ground close to the charred remains of the fire: a tiny, hardly perceptible piece of cloth trapped on a nearby thorn bush. I gently took it loose and raised it toward the light. Black, ripped off a cloak or jacket. None of our pack members owned it. The stuff was too fine and unlike the tough clothes we wore.

I called gently, holding up the cloth, "Jackson." "Look at this.

Turning, his eyes narrowed as he approached to examine the piece of cloth. "That's not from anyone in the pack," he remarked, validating my misgivings. "Somebody else was here."

I nodded while my mind flew. "It had to come from someone Riley was seeing. This might be the breakthrough we have been waiting for.

Jackson's face grew firm with will. "We need more, but the scouts will investigate this. Who is behind all of this still is unknown. We need something larger, something that would bring us right to them.

My thoughts kept going back to the chat we had with Riley as we kept looking about the clearing. He had referenced a group of rogues, but it was more than just that. Someone strong enough to operate from the shadows was tugging the threads. We still didn't know either what that individual wanted or who they were.

Clearly, though, they were wanting the twins.

The idea froze my blood flow. Anything to keep my kids safe from the powers closing in on us would be done. But how would I shield them from an enemy I could not even see?

Jackson stated abruptly, interrupting me while I was pondering. " Whoever is behind this is not merely seeking pack leadership. They are aiming especially at us. It is intimate.

I nodded, already aware of his mental direction. "They are after the twins." But why? With our youngsters, what could they possibly want?

Jackson's face clouded, the same anxiety that had been chewing at me filling his gaze. "I don't know. Nevertheless, we have to find it quickly, whatever it is.

For a minute we stood silently, the weight of our circumstances bearing down on us. The threat got nearer every day, and with every fresh piece of data, it felt as if we were just revealing more questions rather than solutions.

The bushes close started to ruckle suddenly. Jackson and I both stopped, our senses on great awareness. Jackson's body stiffened, poised for a fight, while my hand naturally moved for the knife strapped to my thigh.

From the trees came a figure, but it was not a renegade. One of the council members, Miranda, had a pale, drawn-in fearful face.

She said, "Jackson," with a shaky voice. You really should return to the packhouse. Something has transpired.

We looked at one another then hurried toward her. "What is it?" Jackson asked, his voice both firm and eager.

"It's... the twins," Miranda murmured, her voice cracking slightly. "Their absence is evident."

My heart came to a stop. "What do you mean, they’re gone?" I insisted, my voice increasing in terror.

Tears welled up in Miranda's eyes. "I'm not certain about how that transpired. They were simply gone one minute while playing with the other kids. Nobody saw anything. They seemed to have vanished.

Panic shot through me, my head whirled. My babies and children were absent. And I also had no idea where they were or who had grabbed them.

Jackson's expression reddened, his fury hardly contained. "We should relocate. presently.

Heart beating in my chest, every stride we sprinted back to the packhouse was fraught with anxiety. The pack members were gathered in the main hall, their faces full with uncertainty and anxiety as we exploded through the doors. Already the news had gone around.

Jackson started barking commands right away, telling the fighters to search the whole area. Though everyone in the room could clearly be panicking, Jackson's dominating presence saved everyone from spiraling totally.

I paused while the fighters scattered, fear running through my head. Whose twins had been taken? How could they have passed the guards? Above all, where were they now?

Jackson came to my side and roughly grabbed my hand. "We'll find them, Ava," he murmured, his voice quiet but charged with will. "I promise you we will find them."

I nodded, but the terror chewing at my core would not go away. More than anything, that scared me since whoever took the twins had done without leaving any evidence. They were experts in their field. This was what they had scheduled. And right now they had my kids.

The hunt went on for hours without any indication of the twins. Not tracks, not hints, nothing. They seemed to have dropped out of thin air.

The packhouse's tension by evening was intolerable. One by one, the fighters came back; all of them shook their heads, their faces full with remorse. Nobody had located anything.

Jackson walked the room, his irritation growing with every second. I could see the toll it was having on him—his weight of obligation was crushing him. But I understood he wouldn't stop until we had responses.

I

There was disturbance outside just as the last of the fighters returned. The packhouse's doors swung open, and a lone black woman—her face disguised under a hood—stepped inside.

She moved forward, her slow and deliberate steps silencing the room. As I watched her approach, my heart surged and I felt panic rising in my chest.

Jackson moved forward, speaking forcefully. "Who are you?"

The woman drew back her hood to expose a face I didn't know—sharp features, icy eyes, and a malicious smile that chilled my spine.

She said, her voice both sweet and deadly, "I'm the one you've been looking for." And I have your children as well.

The place became crazy, but all I could hear was my own pulse hammering in my ears. The twin pair. She bore twins.

Jackson kept his voice steady although his eyes flashed with rage. "Where are they?"

The woman turned her head and grinned. For now, they are safe. But you will do exactly what I suggest if you wish to see them once more.

I moved forward, my voice trembling with barely controlled fury. "What are your preferences?"

Her chilly eyes flicked to me; her smile never wavered. "Everything.."

The term hung in the air like a death sentence, and I realized then that we were handling something far darkerand more terrible than we had ever thought.

And the worst aspect?

Just the beginning here.