Chapter 237
SONIA’S POV
The room felt suffocating, the air heavy with tension as Ivy and I stood over the map sprawled across the table. The candlelight flickered, casting shadows over the carefully marked territories and notes. My fingers hovered over the northern border, where Cade’s armbush had taken place.
“We’re missing something.” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “Lorena’s always been cunning, but there’s no way she could move this efficiently without help.”
ou think it’s someone inside Bloodmoon!”
Ivy nodded. her green eyes sharp and focused. “You
“I don’t want to think it, I admitted, my chest tightening. “But how else would she know exactly where to strike? Someone’s feeding her information, and we need to find out who,”
Ivy frowned, her hands resting on the edge of the table. “If it’s true, then this isn’t just betrayal, it’s treason, Whoever it is, they’re risking all of our lives for what? Revenge? Gold?”
I closed my eyes, a wave of exhaustion crashing over me. My mind had been running in circles for days, and every thought led me back to the same conclusion, there was a traitor among us.
“We set a trap,” I said finally, opening my eyes to meet Ivy’s gaze. “Something small enough to lure them out but big enough to see where their loyalty lies.”
Ivy hesitated, then nodded. “What’s the plan
“I can say for now, but let’s go.” I ordered.
Hours later, we were standing near the northern border under the cover of darkness. The forest was eerily quiet, the usual sounds of nocturnal creatures absent. The cold bit at my skin, but I ignored it, my focus entirely on the task at hand.
Ivy stood beside me, her hand resting on the hilt of her dagger. “Do you think this will work?” she whispered.
“It has to,” I replied, though the doubt gnawed at the edges of my resolve,
We’d spread false information earlier that day, word of a vulnerable supply line traveling through the woods. If someone within the pack was freding Lorena information, they’d take the bait.
“Remember,” I said,
said, my voice low but firm. “We don’t move until
until we see proof”
Ivy nodded, and we fell into silence, our eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. My heart thudded in my chest, each beat a reminder of what was at stake.
with every passing moment. Just when I began to think we’d miscalculated, a figure emerged
Minutes turned into hours, the tension coiling tighter wi from the shadows
I sucked in a breath, my body going rigid as the figure crept toward the decoy supply line. My hand tightened around the hilt of my dagger, but I forced myself to stay will.
“Wait,” I im
murmured to Jvy
The figure paused, glancing around as if checking for witnesses. Then, they crouched near the supplies, their movements quick and deliberate. My heart satik as recognition washed over nr.
“Daniel,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Ivy’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything. We watched as Daniel pulled a small device from his pocket, a signaling stone used to send messages over long distances.
My stomach churned. He was the spy? Or was he just running an errand for Ramon.
Bore I could react, a deafening how tore through the night. My blood turned to lce as rogues emerged from the trees, their eyes gleaming with
malice.
“It’s a trap!” I shouted, drawing my dagger.
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Chapter 237
The forest erupted
upted into chaos, Rogues surged toward us, their movements swift and coordinated. Ivy and I fought back, but we were outnumbered.
From the comer of my eye, I saw Cade burst through the treeline, his massive wolf form a blur of motion as he tore into the rogues. Relief flooded ime, but it was short–lived.
“Cade, behind you!” I screamed as a rogue hunged at him from the shadows,
Cade spurt, his claws raking through the air, but the rogue was fast. Too fast. The blade caught Cade in the side, and he stumbled, blood blooming across his shirt.
“No!” The word ripped from my throat as I fought my way toward him.
Ivy was beside me. her movements precise and deadly as we carved a path through the rogues. By the time we reached Cade, he was on his knees, his face pale and drenched in sweat
1
“Cade,” I said, dropping to his side. “Stay with me.”
He gritted his teeth, his hand pressed against the wound. “I’m fine” he rasped, though the trembling in his voice betrayed him
“You’re not fine,” 1 snapped, my voice shaking. “You’re bleeding out. You’re not healing, why?”
“It’s silver… by murmurs in fear.
The rogues were retreating now, their ambush thwarted, but the damage had been done. I pressed my hands against Cade’s wound, trying to stem the flow of blood.
“You’re not dying on me,” I whispered, my vision blurring with tears. “Do you hear me You’re not allowed to die.”“”
He gave me a weak smile, his hand reaching up to touch my cheek. “Stubborn as ever, he murmured.
“I learned from the best,” I said, choking back a sob.
The
By the time we got Cade back to the chamber, his condition had worsened. The healers worked tirelessly, their faces grim as they tried to stabilize
him.
I stood outside his room, my hands stained with his blood. Ivy was beside me, her expression a mix of exhaustion and
“What do we do now?” she asked, her voice raw.
I stared at the floor, my y mind racing. “We find Daniel,” I said, my voice cold. “And we make him talk.
anger
Ivy hesitated. “What if he’s just a pawn? What if Lorena forced him into this? Or what if he’s not guilty and was just present there at the wrong time, unknowingly to know?”
“I don’t care,” I snapped, the anger spilling over. “He betrayed us. He betrayed Cade.”
Ivy placed a hand on my shoulder, her touch grounding me. “Sonia,” she said softly. “We’ll handle this. But you need to rest. You can’t fight this battle if you’re falling apart.”
I shook
my head, the tears spilling over. “I can’t lose him, Ivy. I can’t lose anyone else.
“You won’t,” she said firmly. “We’ll get through this. Together?”
That night, I sat by Cade’s bedside, watching the rise and fall of his chest. His face was pale, his breathing shallow, but he was alive.
*You’re going to pull through,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Because I’m not ready to say goodbye.”
My hand found hds, and I held it tightly, as if my grip alone could keep him tethered to this work.
In the silence, my iloughs drifted to Daniel. To the betrayal that had nearly cost Cade his life. “I trusted y
[ you,” I murmured, the anger simmering beneath the surface. “And you turned on us”
But beneath the anger, there was something else, something I didn’t want to acknowledge. Doubt.
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Chapter 237
Had Lorena manipulated him, just as she’d manipulated so many others? Or had he made the choice willingly, knowing the cost?
Either way, I knew one thing for certain: I wouldn’t rest until I had answers
And when I did, there would be no mercy.
As I sat in the quiet of Cade’s room, a faint whisper escaped his lips, his voice barely audible. It was a name,
