CHAPTER 13: THE ENEMY WITHIN

Celine POV

I felt a sense of relief wash over me as Magnus agreed to reconsider our options. It was a small victory, but it was a start. I knew I still had a long way to go to convince him to abandon Lewis's proposal, but I was determined to try.

Over the next few days, I made it a point to spend more time with Magnus. I wanted to help him see things from my perspective. I shared my fears and concerns with him, and I could see the doubt in his eyes. He was starting to question his own decisions, and I knew that I had to keep pushing him to see the truth.

But Lewis was not about to give up easily. He continued to manipulate Magnus, feeding his ambition and fueling his desire for power. I could see the influence he had over Magnus, and it scared me. I knew I had to do something to counteract Lewis's influence, but I didn't know what.

One day, as I was out on a walk, I ran into Ryan. He looked troubled, and I could tell he was struggling with his own doubts and fears.

"Ryan, what's wrong?" I asked, concern etched on my face.

"It's just...I don't know if I can support Magnus on this," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I know he's the Alpha, but I can't shake the feeling that we're heading down a dangerous path."

I nodded, feeling a sense of solidarity with him. "I know exactly what you mean," I said. "I've been trying to convince Magnus to reconsider, but it's like he's not listening."

Ryan looked at me with a determined glint in his eye. "We need to do something, Celine. We can't just sit back and watch our pack destroy itself."

I felt a surge of hope at his words. Maybe, just maybe, we could make a difference after all.

As we continued talking, I noticed a shadow moving in the woods nearby. My heart skipped a beat. "Ryan, did you see that?" I whispered.

He nodded, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the trees. "Stay behind me," he said, stepping protectively in front of me.

Suddenly, a figure emerged from the shadows. It was a young woman, looking dishevelled and scared. She stumbled toward us, her eyes wide with fear.

"Help me," she gasped, collapsing at our feet.

Ryan and I exchanged a quick glance before kneeling beside her. "Who are you?" I asked gently.

"My name is Lydia," she said, her voice trembling. "I'm from a neighbouring pack. Lewis...he's planning something terrible. He's been working with outsiders, trying to overthrow your Alpha and take control."

My blood ran cold. This was worse than I had imagined. "Are you sure?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Lydia nodded frantically. "I overheard him talking to them. They're planning to attack your pack in a few days."

Ryan clenched his fists, anger flashing in his eyes. "We have to warn Magnus."

I grabbed his arm, stopping him. "No, we can't let Lewis know we're onto him. We need to keep Lydia a secret for now. If Lewis finds out, he might act faster."

Ryan looked conflicted, but he nodded. "You're right. What do we do?"

"We need to find a safe place for Lydia," I said. "Somewhere Lewis won't think to look."

We helped Lydia to her feet and made our way to an old, abandoned cabin deep in the woods. It was a place only a few of us knew about, a perfect hiding spot.

Over the next few days, I took care of Lydia. I brought her food and water, tended to her wounds, and tried to make her as comfortable as possible. She was weak, but she grew stronger each day.

"Thank you," Lydia said one evening, her voice still shaky but stronger than before. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"You're safe here," I assured her. "But we need you to stay hidden until we can figure out how to expose Lewis."

Lydia nodded. "I'll do whatever I can to help."

I spent my days with Magnus, continuing to plant seeds of doubt about Lewis, and my nights with Lydia, gathering more details about Lewis's plan. She told me everything she knew about his dealings with the outsiders, and together we formulated a plan to reveal his treachery.

Ryan was our link to the outside world. He helped me gather evidence and kept an eye on Lewis's movements. We were a small team, but we were determined.

One evening, as I was bringing Lydia her dinner, she grabbed my hand. "Celine, I think I remember something important," she said, her eyes wide with urgency. "Lewis mentioned a meeting place. If we can catch him there, we'll have proof."

My heart raced. "Where is it?"

"It's an old warehouse on the edge of town," Lydia said. "He meets with the outsiders there every week."

I knew this was our chance. "Thank you, Lydia. We'll make sure this ends soon."

That night, I met with Ryan in secret and told him about the warehouse. "We need to catch Lewis in the act," I said. "If we can get Magnus to see it with his own eyes, he won't be able to deny the truth."

Ryan nodded. "Let's do it."

We planned to confront Lewis at the warehouse, but we had to be careful. One wrong move and everything could fall apart. But I felt a newfound determination. With Lydia's information, we had a real chance to save our pack.

We pleaded as a matter of urgency for Alpha Magnus to go with us to this secret warehouse to expose Lewis. Upon our arrival, we discovered that the place was cold and empty. Yes, we found the warehouse as Lydia described but there were no traces of any soul.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Alpha spoke with rage. Ryan and I looked utterly confused and speechless. “Alpha this was supposed to be the secret place that a reliable source had given us and we were certain of it.” I spoke while confused.

“And who is this source, Ryan I can’t believe you dragged me out here when we have important matters to attend to, you of all people know the plans we intend to carry out.” As enraged as he was, he still couldn’t raise his voice towards me. I only felt pity for Ryan because he took the hit instead.

“Please Alpha, we made a mistake, he wasn’t alone in this, I needed to make you see who you were trusting.” I tried to defend Ryan. “Silence, I do not want to hear anything else. I want everyone out of here now.” I had only seen him in this furious state long before I had been crowned Luna. I was scared of what he might do next after this unfortunate encounter. I knew I had no chance in exposing Lewis. He seemed to have beaten us at our own gain but regardless, I would stop at nothing to expose his true intentions.

Back at the cabin, Lydia was pacing anxiously when I returned. "What happened?" she asked, her eyes filled with worry.

I sighed heavily, sitting down beside her. "It was a trap. The warehouse was empty. Lewis must have known we were coming."

Lydia's face paled. "What are we going to do now?"

"We have to be more careful," I said, determination hardening my voice. "Lewis is more cunning than we thought. But we won't give up. We'll find another way to expose him."

Ryan soon joined us at the cabin, his face drawn with worry. "Magnus is furious," he said, running a hand through his hair. "But we can't stop now. We have to be smarter."

Lydia nodded. "I overheard something else. Lewis has another meeting, a backup plan in case things went wrong. It's at a different location, a remote cabin by the river."

"We have to be sure this time," I said. "We can't risk another failure. Ryan, we'll need more eyes on this. We need to gather more evidence and make sure this information is solid before we act."

Over the next few days, we meticulously planned our next move. I took care of Lydia, ensuring she stayed hidden and safe. Every moment spent with her strengthened my resolve. I couldn't let Lewis destroy our pack.