All Chapters of THE ALPHA'S FORSAKEN SECRET : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Ava’s POVThe morning came with a chill that seeped into my bones, and the forest was heavy with a silence that spoke of danger. I hadn’t slept. None of us had, really. Not after what had happened. Lucia was back at camp, her side bandaged, and the boy—a frail reminder of how close we’d come to losing everything—slept fitfully by the fire.I stood at the edge of the clearing, my eyes scanning the trees for any sign of movement. Every rustle of leaves, every creak of a branch set my nerves on edge. We were being hunted. I could feel it, like a predator’s breath on the back of my neck.Footsteps crunched behind me. I didn’t have to turn to know it was Ava. I’d grown attuned to her presence, the way she carried herself, the quiet strength she exuded. “You should rest,” she said, her voice soft but firm.“Can’t,” I replied, my jaw tight. “Not when we’re being stalked like prey.”She came to stand beside me, her attention locked on the same shadows I’d been watching. “We’ll figure it out.”

Ava’s POVThe wind rustled through the trees, whispering mysteries I couldn’t quite fathom. The fire crackled low, throwing an eerie glow across the clearing where we had made camp. Every shadow looked alive, every sound intensified by the suffocating blackness surrounding us. My gaze kept drifting back to Seraph, our enigmatic visitor with silver eyes that reflected the flames like molten metal. Her words had been circling my mind since she delivered them, weighted with ramifications I wasn’t ready to embrace.“I know who the traitor is.”The weight of her disclosure pressed down on me, and I battled to regain my breath. Trust was already a weak thread among us, strained by Kieran’s warning and the innumerable close calls we’d barely survived. Now it felt like it might snap totally.“Start talking,” I commanded, my voice louder than I intended. “Who is it?”Seraph’s eyes met me, unblinking and cold. “Trust isn’t given freely,” she said, each syllable measured. “Especially not when be

Ava’s POVThe fire crackled quietly in the clearing, a dramatic contrast to the tempest of emotions whirling around us. My eyes were focused on Lucia, every instinct screaming at me to either trust her or take her down. I couldn’t decide which was more risky. Seraph’s confession had rocked us all, but the image of Lucia, standing with tears flowing down her face, pierced harder than any sword.I forced myself to take a breath, to quiet the wrath and bewilderment trying to consume me. “Start talking,” I ordered, my voice harsh and steely. “If you want us to believe you, now’s your chance.”Lucia gazed at each of us in turn, her attention lingering on Ava. “I was trying to protect them,” she replied, her voice raspy. “My family. The shadows—they have them. I didn’t have a choice.”“There’s always a choice,” Ava fired back, her words filled with malice. “You chose to betray us.”“I didn’t—” Lucia’s voice cracked. “You don’t understand. They were going to kill them.”“And how do we know y

Ava’s POVThe dawn had barely dawned, sending a pale glow over the woodland that encircled the pack’s encampment. The air was brisk, biting against my skin, yet I scarcely felt it. I strode back and forth outside the improvised tent, my head a swirl of contradictory thoughts. Trust had always been a tenuous thing, but now, with every step I took, it felt more like shattered glass beneath my feet.Inside, Eli and Seraph were talking in quiet tones, their voices too low for me to grasp the specifics, but the tension seeped through the thin canvas. They had been at it all night, and while they tried to shelter me from their words, I could sense it was about the traitor among us. About Blackthorn’s widening reach. And about the threat pressing in from every side.“Are we just going to wait?” Lucia’s voice broke me out of my whirling thoughts. She stood a few paces away, arms crossed, her face a mask of barely hidden rage. “Is that the grand plan? To wait till Blackthorn picks us off one b

Ava’s POVThe flickering brightness of the campfire threw lengthy shadows that danced across the trees, creating transient patterns that felt almost alive. I drew my cloak more about my shoulders, pushing myself to ignore the chill that had nothing to do with the night air. The twins were finally asleep, their calm breaths the only thing anchoring me to sanity. Everything else was mayhem.I could still hear the echoes of the battle—the clang of steel, the fierce growls of wolves, the cries of the wounded. It wasn’t over, not by a long shot. But for this little time, there was a delicate semblance of tranquility, and I clutched to it like a lifeline.“Are you all right?” Eli’s voice pierced through the calm, low and scratchy around the edges. He stepped inside the circle of firelight, his eyes darkened with tiredness. There was blood on his garment, but I couldn’t determine if it was his.I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure whether it was true. “They’re safe for now.”His gaze wandered