Beyond the Pack’s Law: My stepsister or nobody else

Aiden’s POV

Tension hung in the night air like a blanket, heavy and suffocating over everyone there. The almost full moon was hanging low in the sky, giving off an eerie glow over the camp. There was a charge in the air-fear and determination intermingled with anticipation. The traitor was still out there, skulking through the shadows as we were being drawn into a corner with little time on our side.

“Yeah, we gotta be on our guard,” I whispered back. “Every moment counts.”

I nodded at my side. Hayley was as sharp with the eyes in her head. “We’ll find them, Aiden. We have to.”

Already, we had gone around and talked to everyone in the pack; pieces here and there of what little information anyone knew led back to someone close to my dad. It was a hard pill to swallow. My father, the Alpha, was a rock in his own right. The idea of one from his own inner circle ultimately betraying us was nearly unimaginable.

Father was in the council room talking with Luna Elara, but as I went through, their faces were knotted with worry, a reflection of the fear that ate my heart from within. Oh, without wasting any more time, she kept on following me.

“Dad,” I called as we neared. He turned, his eyes squinting at me, and he saw the desperation in mine.

“Aiden, what is it?” ‘What is anyone doing here?’ he demanded, his tone controlled but sharp with fear.

“Or we have a little information,” I said, looking at Hayley. It would appear that your traitor is one of you.

My father’s eyes widened momentarily, and a brief flash of hurt crossed his face before it disappeared. Anyone in mind, you think it might be?”

“Not until it is,” said Hayley’s determined voice. “But we’re getting closer. Never mind. But we have to interrogate everyone who had access to the archive.

My apprehension weighed heavily on me as we assembled the council. They were people I had grown up with and trusted completely. The very idea that one of them could be a spy was almost unbearable.

We met in the council room, all filled with a whisper of tension that was ripe with unspoken accusations. My father was at the head of the table, as he always is.

A traitorous voice sparked pure speculation. “We suspect one of you is helping the rogues,” he said evenly, a certainty that held bitterness and wrath. We need to learn who we are. Now.”

Council members looked at one another with alarm, sparking gasps of amazement in the room. I did not find my sole in their faces that day. I scanned them, looking for any signs of guilt or fear. However, the allegation appeared to take everyone off guard.

“Whoever it is, you have compromised the safety of our pack. You have betrayed our trust. And you will answer for this.”

The council began talking, each one of them denying being with the rogues. And the seconds passed, and we felt that room filled with a need to connect; by now our shoulders were tense, gathered together in this uproar of topic-less frenzy.

The atmosphere started to change as we questioned every single one of the members. An increased sense of dread, one with the feeling that someone is hiding something. When the last person left, I turned to look at Hayley, and she just grinned, giving me a smug, knowing glance.

We just need to look beyond, she whispered. We are missing something.

I nodded, my mind racing. ”Begin with those who may have accessed the archive shortly after we hid the amulet.”

We were zeroing in on the time frame, asking who had come and gone from the archive during those weeks with which we’d discovered Jaqen’s amulet. The specifics were few and far between, but at some point, slowly, everything began to connect. There were whispers of clandestine gatherings, comings and goings no one could account for, and side eyes seeking the threat in everyone who entered the room.

Eventually, as time continued to tick by that night, the pieces began coming together. One councilman stood out-someone who’d been a friend of my dad’s for years. Marcus is a trusted advisor and long-time friend of the family. That was when it hit me-llike a dagger into my stomach.

“Marcus,” I said, barely above a whisper. “It has to be him.”

And then Hayley opened her eyes as wide as possible. “Are you sure?”

I nodded, my heart heavy. “Everything points to him. The clandestine meetings, the unexplained disappearances-it fits.

My mind racing with the implications of what we were about to find, I went along as he led us towards Marcus’s quarters. That would be the lowest betrayal of all if Marcus were this traitor. My father had faith in him like no other, and the idea of that bond being broken felt nearly intolerable.

Adrenalin flowed through my veins as we neared Marcus’s quarters. This was it. The moment of truth. I approached the door consciously; my heart was in full swing.

“Marcus,” I called out. “We need to talk.”

The door creaked open after a long pause. Marcus was standing in front with the same carefully groomed, quiet expression on his face.

He murmured quietly, his voice just as firm, “Aiden.” No. What had brought you here at this time of day?

We have some questions to ask you,” I said, my voice heavy with authority. “It’s important.”

Marcus nodded for us to come in. He lived in a clean room for someone who kept things as they were. I could actually feel tension in his manner as we took our seats; he was less relaxed than I had assumed.

“What’s this about?” His deep, warm-toned eyes met mine, and he asked gently, “What do you want, Elle?”

A spy has been rooted out of the pack,” I added, looking at him for a response. One of those recently associated with the rogues.

Marcus had an enigmatic look on his face; there was a flicker in his eyes, but nothing was read by anyone present. Fear? Guilt? It was hard to tell.

“And you think it’s me?” He asked, his voice sure but a little defensive.

It could have been; we thought it might actually be,” Hayley whispered softly but more determined. Where Were You the Nights Leading Up to Amulet’s Discovery?

Marcus sat back in his chair, squinting.

And I have nothing to hide, whatever you are suggesting. With the council, get ready to fight rogues!

“There were people watching you. You made a connection with them in secret that day,” I said, my voice as hard as stone. “A stranger, someone outside our pack.”

Marcus’ eyes went a little wide, and panic flashed across his face. “That’s ridiculous. I will never betray the pack.

“Then why the disappearances?” Hayley persisted. The Secret Meetings

There was a moment of silence between us, and Marcus scanned both our faces evenly with his eyes. And then, all at once, he threw himself into the door. Hayley and I sprung instantly, but Marcus was quicker; he darted past us and hauled ass out into the night.

“Stop him!” I yelled, my voice reverberating through the camp.

Several more pack members leapt to the attack, but Marcus was already disappearing into the blackness. I felt it stab me in the gut. The dog-owl had been making his escape, and we could do nothing but watch him go.

We go running after him as the night air bursts with yelling and the sound of feet. His one big advantage was that Marcus knew the land better than anyone. He was getting away and taking our only opportunity to find out how deep it went with him.

Hayley had a clear conviction in her voice: “We can’t just let him get away with this.

No, I answered, my heart racing. “We have to find him. No matter what.”Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

The dog did go willingly with the squadron leader. To a point, anyway, the kind he was going to manage to keep up the chase for all that long in this thick forest and dim light of nightfall. He could track better than most and knew every trick to hide his own. The longer it went on, the more real this was. We were losing him.

And we finally came to a stop, panting and exhausted. The woods were very quiet now, with the wind sending occasional rustling waves across open spaces. Marcus left, and with him came the answers we were all so eager to get.

We will find him,” Hayley declared with determination. “This isn’t over.”

I nodded, my jaw clenched. “No, it’s not. But we will not stop till we find him and bring him to justice.

Returning to camp, the weight of it sat all over me like a thick cloak. The traitor was discovered, but he got away. We had plenty of fight left in us, and the danger to our pack was as real as ever.

My father and Luna Elara were by the door immediately, concern written all over their faces as we came inside.

“What happened?” “Where were you?” my father asked, no trace of warmth in his voice.

“Marcus,” I said venomously. “He’s a traitor. But he escaped.”

Luna Elara was left stunned. “Marcus? Are you sure?”

I nodded, my heart heavy. “Of course, he never admitted anything, but his deeds spoke loud and clear. We need to catch that son of a bitch before he does something worse.

My dad put his hand on my shoulder and looked me straight in the eyes, determined. “We’ll find him, Aiden. We’ll protect the pack. No matter what.”

Into the night, we labored to secure our fortified position and prepare for what’s next. That sense of urgency and determination was real-a weight or invisible glue that held one another in the face of tragedy.

I resorted to the easiest type of speaking words, giving my voice a level of certainty. When we find him, he’ll wish to hell that he never turned his back on our kind.

I felt Hayley place a hand on my arm, her eyes full of fierce determination. “Together, Aiden. We’ll face this together.”

The new dawn was just breaking when I awoke and gave the people breakfast. The traitor still cast a long shadow, but we were prepared. We zoned out, and we protected our pack at all costs-to hell with it! We would find Marcus. It was definitely not the end of it, but I had strength and determination in me when Hayley and her backup package arrived.