Chapter 031: The Silent Shadow

 Ava's POV

The weight of the Raven's most recent message hovered over us like a black cloud. The traitor is nearer than you would believe. Trust none. Her words had stirred something deep inside the pack, setting off a subtle fear—the kind that roots in the mind and spreads. Everywhere I turned, I found faces full of mistrust and warriors who had battled side by side suddenly questioning one another.

It was precisely what she yearned for. And I refused to let her triumph.

Surrounded by maps and strewn reports, Jackson and I stood in the middle of the packhouse and felt as though we were lacking something really vital, something that would lead us straight to the traitor. Who, though? We had been cautious, holding our misgivings inside a small circle. Still, every face I encountered begged questions about eyes. It was tiring.

Jackson said, " Whoever this is," his voice a low snarl, "they've been in our ranks for a long time." They are attacking us using our habits, secrets, which they know.

Right was what he said. This person had to be someone who slid among us, invisible yet trusted. Though I brushed it away, my heart hurt at the idea. We demanded clarity, not feeling.

"We have to flush them," I murmured, my voice calm despite the turbulence inside. Still, how? We cannot simply go around accusing everyone; this would split the pack.

Jackson nodded, his face becoming rigid. "Then we drive them to make a mistake."

Leaning over the map, he followed a line along the northern border where reports of outlaws had surged. We will move—a false lead—in this direction. Something large enough to call the Raven out, and whoever is working with her will have to interact with her.

Though we had little option, the strategy seemed dangerous. Looking at Jackson, I felt the weight of our shared accountability fall over us like a thick cloak. "What do you suppose?"

He straightened and tightened his jaw. "We will declare a fictitious mission, a drive to eradicate the rogues along the northern border. We will present ourselves as getting ready for a major attack. The traitor will notify her; we will track her.

I saw a sliver of hope. Though it was hardly likely, it was something. "When are we starting?"

Jackson said, his eyes focused with will tonight. "We gather the warriors; let everyone believe we are preparing for a major offensive."

I nodded, my head whirling with specifics already. Jackson's hand caught mine, though, dragging me back as I turned to go. His eyes softened, a vulnerable moment piercing the stress.

"Ava," he said, his voice hardly above a whisper. "I need you to be near. I cannot lose the youngsters or you.

His words wrapped around my heart, steadying me in a way nothing else could. I squeezed his hand, offering him the reassurance I knew he needed. “We’re in this together, Jackson. All of us.”

By dusk, the packhouse was a bustle of activity. Warriors walked in and out, gathering supplies, donning armor, their features set with purpose. The strategy was in motion, the illusion of an impending attack carefully manufactured. I kept my distance, watching the pack prepare, observing every emotion, every flicker of uncertainty in their eyes.

Jackson and Leo addressed the warriors, explaining the details of the “mission” with rehearsed precision. Every word was deliberate, every instruction laced with enough urgency to make it convincing. But it was what Jackson didn’t say that held the real power—the silent promise that he would protect them, that he would not let the Raven break our pack.

As I moved through the gathered crowd, I noticed a familiar face watching me. Carter, one of the older council members, stood near the back, his gaze unreadable. He was usually reserved, steady—a voice of wisdom in times of turmoil. But now, his eyes held something else, something that sent a chill down my spine.

I pushed the thought away, urging myself not to fall into the trap of mistrust. But I couldn't get rid of the sense that Carter knew something, something he wasn't sharing as the throng scattered.

I yelled "Carter," then walked toward him as the fighters left the hall. " Can we talk?"

He hesitated, his eyes flickering with something like doubt. Naturally, Ava. What else is on your mind?

I looked about to be sure we were out of earshot before I started talking. "I saw you tonight closely observing everything. Is there something you’re not telling us?”

Carter’s expression relaxed, a faint sigh departing him. “Ava, I’ve served this pack a long time. I’ve seen leaders rise and fall, battles fought and won. But this… this is different. The Raven isn’t just an enemy; she’s a sickness, spreading doubt among us. And doubt, sweetheart, can be more lethal than any knife.

I nodded, knowing his words but sensed he was keeping something back. But is there more, Carter? Something you have observed?

He stopped once more, a shadow playing across his face. "I am not sure exactly. Still, rumors abound that she is closer than we believe. Though I'm not sure whether it is accurate,... I worry she has eyes right here in the middle of our house.

The weight of his remarks enveloped me like a chilly cloak. The Raven was more dangerous than we had thought if she had crept even into our pack's inner sanctum.

"Thank you, Carter," I murmured, my voice more steady than I felt. We will exercise caution.

Though he said nothing more, he nodded and gave me an apparently threatening glance.

I became urgently conscious as I watched him go. Jackson had to hear this, and we had to tighten our guard more than we had ever done. Like the Raven, whoever the traitor was was clever, patient, and deliberate.

Jackson and I convened in the war room later that evening; our heads slanted over the chart as we examined every element of the bogus operation. Deployed to guard the northern border, the fighters had been meant to uncover the traitor from hiding. Though it was the only approach to reveal them, we were running a great danger.

Jackson's face was tight, his eyes darting the map with an intensity I had not seen before. "If this goes, we will at last have something specific."

I nodded, but my mind kept on Carter's comments, the uncertainty boiling just under the surface. Jackson, we must be ready for everything. The Raven is deeper than we could have imagined.

He raised his head and fixed me unflinchingly. I am aware of it. Ava, but, we cannot let anxiety rule us. We will defend the pack whatever it takes.

A scout walked into the room just as he was speaking, his face pallid and his breathing laboring. "Alpha, Luna..." We discovered something.

Jackson and I looked at one other then trailed the scout outdoors, our feet stealthy and swift. He brought us to the brink of the clearing, where a tiny piece of paper had been fastened to a tree and fluttered in the nighttime breeze.

Jackson stretched forward to grab the paper. Reading the lines, his eyes closed and his face grew gloomy with every phrase.

" What does it say?" With a thumping heart, I asked.

He gave me the note, his jaw tight. Though the message was brief, the ramifications were disturbing.

Your hidden mission will not save you. Every action you do is known to me.

As I read the words, my blood turned cold and the awareness sank in like a stone. Our strategy was known to the traitor. Again they had been observing, waiting, one step ahead.

Jackson glanced at the note, his fists clenched and his face wore a mask of rage. "She is playing with us, Ava. She manages to slip through our grasp every time we come near.

I choked hard, the weight of everything bearing down on me. "Then we have to modify the rules. We cannot keep running under her guidelines.

He fixed me with a keen, determined glare. Sure. When we uncover the traitor, this stops. We will locate the traitor.

We turned back toward the packhouse, a fresh will coating over us. With her games and her warnings, the Raven felt she could shatter us. She had, however, underpaid the force of our will.

I sensed we were on the verge of something—either triumph or disaster as we returned into the center of our house. Still, whatever came next we would be facing it together.

We wouldn't let the shadows eat us, no matter how dark they grew.