Chapter 022: Separating Shadows

Ava's POV 

As the woman stood before us, her comments remained hanging in the room like a storm cloud just ready to break. Tension permeated the space. She brought my kids with her. That basic truth grabbed me more powerfully than anything I had ever experienced. My breath seized in my throat, my heart racing as my head whirled with questions, worries, and the urgent need to act.

Jackson stood next to me, every muscle in his body coiled, his eyes flashing with a rage I had only seen a few times before. His tightly closed jaw made me believe he may snap. But it was the same anxiety that was wriggling inside me, not only resentment boiling under the surface. Both of us were parents, worried about our kids.

"What are you looking for??" Jackson insisted, his voice low and lethal.

The woman grinned, a deliberate, slow curl of her lips that chilled my spine. "I have already mentioned this. I am in want of everything. Your pack, your area, your authority.

Though I could see Jackson's anxiety radiating from him, I wasn't going to allow this woman to engage in games with us. Not throughout the time my babies were under risk. I moved ahead, my voice tense with hardly expressed wrath. "Where are my offspring?"

Her icy eyes flickering to me seemed to be delighted by my need. For now, they are safe. But if you refuse to comply, it can alter quite rapidly.

Every instinct in me shouted to rebel, to rip across the gulf between us and demand my children back. I was unable to achieve it though. Not now. We had no idea this woman was or what she really could do. More significantly, though, I had no idea where Lily and Caleb were.

Jackson reached out, his palm brushing me momentarily—a quiet reminder to keep cool. He was correct, as I knew. Not now could we lose control.

"Who else are you working for?" Jackson asked, his voice more under control now yet still tinged with anger. "This is larger than simply a rogue pack, isn't it?"

The woman's smile grew wider, a freezing look that caused my gut to turn over. "You're smarter than I would have credited Alpha," she continued, her voice flowing. Indeed, this is far more than your small pack. Much more than anything you could possibly conceive.

I looked quickly at Jackson, my mind flying. This woman was not only some renegade leader seeking to increase her domain. She had resources, authority, and she had been preparing this for a considerable period. She now held our kids as leverage as well.

"What are you hoping for us to do?" I questioned, my voice firm among the whirl of feelings inside me.

The woman had satisfied glows in her eyes. "It's easy. You will stand down as Alpha, Jackson. Turn over the pack, territory, and everything that goes along with it.

At her words, my heart stitched. She aimed to destroy what we had created, not only demand power. Everything Jackson had battled for preservation.

"And if we refuse?" With a harsh voice, Jackson asked.

The woman's face became icy, her eyes narrowed. You will then never see your children once more.

Her words sank in like a punch to the gut, my breath stopping as the whole weight of it registered. Jackson's hand tightened mine, grounding me, but the panic was too great. She was not acting in bluster. Her eyes told me she was ready to do whatever it needed to obtain what she desired.

When Jackson spoke again, his voice was shockingly low. You are messing with something unknown. Should you damage them—"

The woman cut him off with a giggle, a piercing, sarcastic sound. Alpha, you are not in charge here. I am:

Silence trailed after her, dense and stifling. The tension in the room was building, and I knew Jackson was trying to control his wrath. But I also understood that we couldn't act impulsively—not when the lives of our children were on the line.

"What do you want from me?” Jackson asked, his voice subdued now, somewhat resigned.

The woman started to grin again. "You will let the pack know Alpha is resigning tomorrow at sunset. You will promise allegiance to me and turn up complete authority of the territory. If you do that, your kids will be safely back-off.

My chest got tighter. How could she demand our faith in her? But Jackson said before I could say anything.

And how would I know you would honor your word? His voice shrill as he questioned.

The woman's eyes shimmered with delight. You never do. But what other options exist for you?

I wanted to shout, fight, to do anything other than stand here and listen to this monster. Still, I made myself tranquil. We had to consider ways to get Lily and Caleb back without sacrificing all we had battled for.

"I'll need proof," Jackson responded with a strong tone. "I want to see them before I decide what to do.

The woman nodded even if her smile wavered somewhat. "Very nice. Tomorrow morning will provide your evidence. But if you try anything—if you so much as consider returning on your word—then you will lose more than just your title.

She turned then and left the packhouse, her cloak flanking her like a shadow. The room fell into a stifling quiet as her warning sank down on each of us.

Jackson drew a cautious breath, his shoulders stiff. His voice low, he replied, "We need a plan."

I nodded, my head whirling through alternatives immediately. "We cannot simply give her everything," I murmured, my voice quivering with the anxiety and annoyance swelling inside me. But we also cannot risk the children.

Jackson answered, frustratedly raking a hand through his hair. "We will have to stall, buy ourselves some time until we figure out who she is really working for and where the kids are."

"We will need help," I said, my voice more steady now. "We cannot accomplish this by ourselves.

Jackson looked at me, a flash of will in his eyes. I will get the council together. We will include those we can rely on.

But I could sense the doubt lingering in the air even as he spoke the words. Betrayal had split the pack, and now we were confronting a fresh peril that might separate us if we let carelessness rule.

We have to be clever about this, I replied, my voice calm but forceful. "She expects us to move in order to try to outsmart her. Still, we should be one step ahead.

Jackson nodded, though I could see the weight of the circumstances pressing down on him. Walking a tightrope, we were juggling the future of the pack against the protection of our kids.

"Let's go," he answered with a determined voice. "We will have them returned, Ava. No matter what it takes.

That evening, the packhouse sank into a tense silence, and I found myself staring out the window, the twins rushing through my head. Every second that passed felt like a lifetime; the anguish of losing them never goes away.

Jackson stood next to me, his presence a consistent force even among the turmoil. Not much had he said after the woman departed, but I knew he was planning and thinking. Usually two steps ahead, he was always the strategist. Still, the stakes were bigger than they have ever been.

He whispered gently, shattering the quiet, "We'll get them back." I refuse to let her triumph.

I nodded, while the terror still bit the margins of my consciousness. "Do you suppose she'll keep her word?"

Jackson stopped, his jaw clenching. I have little faith in her. She will, however, definitely try to use the twins to push my hand. We must act fast before she may further control us.

Though I knew he was right, his comments seemed to me like a thick blanket. We couldn't afford to react. Before the matter spun totally out of our control, we had to act.

The insight struck me like a wave as we stood there in the still of the evening. This went beyond only the twins. This covered everything, the pack, our future, the fundamental basis we had created together.

And today it was all fraying on a thread.

One thing, though, was certain regardless of how perilous the road ahead seemed.

I refused to lose my kids. Not to her specifically. Not to anybody specifically.

Whatever it would take, I would defend them.

And I would win as well.