Chapter 030: The Edge of Deceit

Ava’s POV

Inside the packhouse, the air seemed thick, as though it were smothering me from all directions. Ever since Jackson and I finished reading the Raven's message, I had not been able to get rid of the uneasy sensation that hung about. This is just the start. Her comments had buried themselves deep into my psyche, a continual reminder that we were nowhere near the end of this struggle.

At last Lily and Caleb were sleeping soundly in their chambers, but the weight of all that had happened kept me from finding any kind of solace. They had already gone through so much; every time I felt we were headed toward some sort of closure, the Raven found a way to trip us off course. Her games were moving toward more personal and dangerous.

Waiting for her next action, I could not keep living in continual anxiety of her striking once more. We had to launch an attack, and that meant determining the one thing—who was assisting her—that had escaped us all this year.

Lost in contemplation, I was pacing in the hall when Jackson showed up at the other end and his eyes locked on me. His face a mask of tiredness and will, he seemed as worn down as I felt. But there was another, fresh element there as well.

"We have to talk," he continued, his voice firm and low.

I nodded and started walking to the battle room in step beside him. Once within, he shut the door behind us, leaving a dense quiet between us. I waited, observing Jackson migrate across the table to the map spread out. His fingertips followed the boundaries of our country, the places noted where reports of illegal activities had come from. I knew, though, his mind was elsewhere.

His voice tense, he continued at last, "We have been thinking about this the wrong way." "We have missed the larger picture while so preoccupied with the Raven and her hiding place."

I scowled and stepped forward closely. "What do you mean?"

Jackson stared at me, keen and deliberate. "She is not working by herself. We have suspicions, but right now I am confident. One pack member is providing her information. They had to be.

Though I had experienced it too, my gut turned at his words. The assaults had been too exact, too timed. Someone was providing her the information she required to hit where we were most vulnerable.

"Do you have any idea who?" My voice just above a whisper, I asked.

Jackson shook his head, clearly frustrated on his face. “Not yet. I have, however, started to limit the options. Only a small number of persons close enough to the pack's inner dynamics have access to the material she is referencing.

I shivered down my spine at the idea that someone we trusted was turning on us. Whoever it was, they had let the Raven steal our kids, therefore endangering our family. The boiling rage beneath the surface erupted, but I pushed myself to remain cool. Right now more than ever, we need clarity.

Quietly leaning on the table, I whispered, "We have to be careful." She will react if she believes we are onto her. Another attack is unaffordable for us.

Jackson closed his mouth and tightened his hands into fists at his sides. "I understand." We cannot, however, let this continue any more either. She gets more authority the longer we wait. Before it's too late, we have to identify those turning on us.

I nodded, the weight of the matter coating me like a dense cloud. Now we were walking a tightrope, stuck between the necessity for action and the danger of revealing our preparations too soon. One bad action might cost us all.

Jackson moved closer, his voice almost silent. " Ava, I need your assistance. You have to be open-minded and look for anything that seems strange. Whoever this is, they are close—closer than we could possibly imagine.

I nodded and started to chew hard. "I will."

The next several days went in a haze of anxiety and discomfort. Jackson and I maintained our misgivings to ourselves, wary not to give in that we were looking for signals of treachery. Seeing familiar faces, individuals I had trusted for years, and wondering if one of them was the traitor made it harder than I had imagined. Though I could not afford to allow my feelings to distort my judgment, the idea ate at me.

Leo had been covertly challenging council members, but thus far nothing specific had surfaced. The Raven had been cautious, sparingly accessing her inner source, which made tracking her much more difficult. Still, I sensed the strain developing in the group. Constant threat of another attack has people on edge and restless. Should we fail to locate the mole quickly, we would become internally divided.

Lost in contemplation, I was strolling across the packhouse one afternoon when I heard two of the younger pack members chatting softly near the rear entrance.

One of them mumbled, annoyed, "I don't know why they're keeping us in the dark." We are entitled to know what is happening.

"They're trying to shield us," the other said. You heard about the Raven's incident. Going poking about right now is perilous.

I stopped, just out of sight as their discussion went on.

"But what if they don't have it under control?" the first voice asked, descending yet further. "What if she cannot be stopped?"

The second voice stopped as well. We simply have to believe the Alpha. He is doing what he knows.

Their comments whirled in my head as I waited a little more before disappearing. The Raven desired exactly what doubt was beginning to slink through the pack. She lived in uncertainty and anarchy. She would be much more likely to strike once the pack lost faith in Jackson, in our capacity to guard them.

I discovered Jackson in his office late that evening, carefully reading additional maps and reports. Though his eyes were still keen, concentrated, the wrinkles of tiredness sank further into his face.

Closing the door behind me, I replied, "I overheard something today."

Jackson raised his head, his face inscrutable. "What did you learn??"

I crossed the room to stand next to him and remarked, "Some of the younger pack members are beginning to doubt." Jackson, they are afraid. Their ignorance of what is ahead makes them doubt whether we can stop it.

His jaw tensed, but he did not reply immediately. He was clearly under the weight of leadership—that of preserving the pack from an enemy lurking in the shadows, of keeping it together.

I added gently, "They need reassurance." "We all do.".

Jackson moaned and ran a hand over his hair. Knowing is great. But since we hardly know who we are fighting for, how can I reassure them?

"We know it's the Raven," I added, voice steely. We are also coming closer to learning who is supporting her. Once we do, we will be ahead.

Jackson looked at me, the fire of will flickering once again. We are not going to give up. I will not let her rip apart this pack.

I softly squeezed my fingers on his arm. "We won't let her".

Everything changed early the next morning.

Leo exploded into the battle room, his face white and his eyes wide with something I had not seen before—fear.

"Jackson, Ava," he whispered, his voice choking. "We have something here."

As I stood, my heart skipped a beat and my pulse raced. Jackson was already headed toward Leo, his face stiffening.

"What is it?” Jackson begged.

Leo hesitated for a second before turning over a little, worn-out piece of paper. She crumpled it. "It was left concealed close to one of the old rogue dens on the northern border."

Reading the note over Jackson's shoulder, I moved forward. Though brief, it struck me like a kick to the gut:

"The traitor is nearer than you might believe. Trust no one.

My blood was frigid. The Raven was not merely amusing us now. She was mocking us, moving with increasing boldness. She was leaving us a warning as well this time.

Jackson tightened his hold on the paper, his face a mask of wrath. She is working to turn us against one another.

But why should one leave this note? I questioned, my brain whirling. She may have just continued to pass misleading information over the mole. Tell us the traitor is close, why?

Jackson's eyes darkened as the weight of the awareness sank over him. "Because she wants us to question everything. She understands that if we start challenging the ones closest to us, the pack will disintegrate more quickly than any attack.

The room became colder, like a tempest of betrayed emotions hovering over us. Now we were treading on the edge of a knife, and one misplaced stride could send everything toppling.

One thing became agonizingly obvious as the quiet hung between us.

The Raven remained unfinished.

And still to come was the worst.