The fortress was silent, but it was a silence filled with teeth.
Elara lay motionless on the bed until she heard the rhythmic, heavy footsteps of the guards pass her door for the third time. She had memorized their rotation—every forty-five minutes, there was a blind spot of exactly ninety seconds between the North Tower and the Western Ramparts.
She didn't use the door. She slipped out through the high window, her body moving like a shadow against the rough stone walls. There were no ropes, no safety harnesses; she relied on the sheer strength of her fingers and the friction of her boots. To Ren, who was likely watching the main halls, she was still tucked under the silk sheets.
Once she cleared the outer wall, she vanished into the dense undergrowth of the forest.
Three miles from the border, near a ruined stone chapel, a carriage waited. It bore no crest, but the horses were of the finest breed. Standing beside it was a woman in an elegant, high-collared cloak—Nina, the adopted daughter of a powerful merchant family and Elara's only trusted friend in this world.
"You're late," Nina whispered as Elara emerged from the darkness.
"The Alpha is... persistent," Elara replied, her voice no longer trembling. It was cold, sharp, and commanding.
"I have the intel you asked for," Nina handed her a small, wax-sealed cylinder. "The Organization is getting restless. They don't believe the Moonstone is as hard to reach as you claim. They think you're being swayed by the wolf."
Elara's eyes flashed with a brief, dangerous light. "Let them think what they want. If they send another operative, they'll only end up as wolf feed. I need more time to bypass the inner sanctum's wards."
"Be careful, Elara," Nina's voice softened with genuine concern. "The Silver Moon Pack isn't like the human targets we've dealt with. They don't just kill; they hunt souls."
Before Elara could respond, a faint sound drifted through the trees—the crunch of dry leaves under a heavy boot.
Both women froze. Elara instinctively pushed Nina behind the carriage and dropped into a low crouch, her hand finding the hilt of the dagger she had hidden in the forest earlier that day.
About fifty yards away, in a moonlit clearing, two figures stood. One was unmistakable—the lean, lethal silhouette of Ren. He was supposed to be guarding the Alpha's quarters.
Opposite him was a man dressed in the grey robes of the Council of Elders, his face obscured by a hood.
"The girl is a problem," the Elder's voice was a thin rasp. "The Alpha is blinded by her. If she stays, he won't make the move against the Southern Pack that we discussed."
"She won't stay," Ren said, his voice like grinding metal. "I've seen her movements. She's a predator. I'm just waiting for her to reveal her employer. Once I have the proof, I'll kill her myself and present her head to Kaelen. It will be the wake-up call he needs."
"And the Moonstone?" the Elder asked.
"It will be ours," Ren replied. "Kaelen is too focused on 'protecting' the pack's traditions. He doesn't realize that to survive, we must weaponize the stone, not worship it."
Elara held her breath. Her heart was beating steady, her training kicking in. A coup, she realized. Ren isn't just a loyal shadow; he's a fanatic who thinks he's saving the pack from a 'weak' leader.
Suddenly, a distant, bone-shaking howl echoed from the direction of the fortress.
Kaelen.
The howl wasn't a call to hunt; it was a roar of fury. He had returned to his quarters and found the bird had flown the cage.
Ren's head snapped toward the fortress. "He's back early. I have to go." He vanished into the trees with a speed that blurred the air.
"Go! Now!" Elara hissed to Nina.
"What about you?"
"I have to get back before he checks the perimeter," Elara didn't wait for an answer. She sprinted through the woods, her lungs burning, her mind calculating the distance.
The Alpha's scent was already in the air—cold rain and cedar, but now it was scorched with anger. She could hear the guards shouting, the clatter of armor.
She reached the outer wall, her fingers bleeding as she clawed her way back up the stone. She slipped through the window just as she heard the heavy thud of Kaelen's boots in the hallway outside her room.
She dove onto the bed, pulled the sheets to her chin, and slowed her breathing to the rhythmic pace of deep sleep.
The door flew open with such force that it hit the stone wall with a crack.
Kaelen stood in the doorway, his eyes glowing a fierce, molten gold. He was drenched in sweat, his chest heaving. He walked to the bed in three giant strides and ripped the covers off her.
Elara sat up, wide-eyed and "terrified," rubbing her eyes as if startled from a dream. "Kaelen? What... what happened?"
Kaelen leaned down, his face inches from hers. He didn't say a word. He just inhaled deeply, his nose brushing against her neck, searching for the scent of the forest, the scent of a lie.
Elara's heart hammered against her ribs. She had washed her hands in a stream on the way back, but the smell of Nina's perfume or the damp earth might still be there.
"You're cold," Kaelen whispered, his voice a dangerous rumble. He grabbed her hand, his fingers overlapping her pulse point.
"The window... it blew open," she stammered, pointing to the latch she had purposefully left slightly ajar. "I was scared to close it."
Kaelen stared at her for what felt like an eternity. The gold in his eyes flickered, then slowly receded, replaced by a dark, unreadable intensity.
"Don't ever leave this room again, Elara," he said, his grip on her hand tightening until it hurt. "The forest is full of monsters tonight. And I'm the most dangerous one of all."
He stayed there, sitting on the edge of her bed, watching her until the sun began to rise.
Elara lay there, trapped by his gaze, knowing that the "Ghost" had almost been caught—and that Ren was no longer just an obstacle. He was a wild card that could ruin everything.
I have to move faster, she thought, even as she pretended to drift back to sleep. Before Ren kills me, or before Kaelen finds out that the girl he's 'protecting' just overheard his best friend's treason.