CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 47

Kael’s POV.

The throne chamber doors slammed shut, the sound echoing, my Luna’s footsteps fading as she left the place, the elder’s angry whispers earlier still ringing in my ears.

I turned to Brian, my heart pounding, my jaw tight, my side throbbing under the bandage that hid my wound.

Aria had just walked in, her silver hair loose, her blue dress simple, her eyes on the floor, avoiding me.

I’d reached for her, desperate to understand why she was pulling away, but she’d stepped back, her silence cutting deeper than any blade.

My wolf, Zeus, whined, his protectiveness fierce, urging me to chase her, to fix this, but Brian’s urgent words, "Alpha, you need to see this!" stopped me, his face red, his breath heavy.

My chest tightened, worry and frustration mixing. I’d asked Brian to find out why Aria, my Luna, who I knew was pretending to be Celeste, was avoiding me, and now he stood here, his eyes bright, his smile strange.

"Please tell me what you found." I uttered, my voice rough, my hands clenching, my eyes burning into his.

"Hope it’s about my Luna? Why she’s avoiding me?" My heart raced, my mind spinning with her scared eyes from the charity event, her fake sleep last night, her quick exit this morning.

Brian’s smile widened, his eyes glinting, his voice calm but excited.

"I’ve got something better," he said, his hand gesturing to the door.

"Come with me." His words were vague, his smile unsettling, and my jaw tightened, suspicion growing.

Zeus growled, his instincts wary, but Brian was my Beta, in some cases, my friend, and I trusted him, even if my worry for Aria screamed louder.

"This better be worth it," I warned, my voice low, my eyes hard.

"I was about to talk to my Luna, and you stopped me." My chest ached, her absence heavy, her distance a wound deeper than the one on my side.

Brian nodded, his face serious, his hand on my arm.

"Trust me, Alpha," he said, his voice firm.

"You’ll want to see this." His assurance was steady, but my heart sank, my worry for Aria clashing with his urgency.

I followed him, my boots heavy, the packhouse halls quiet, the torches flickering, the air cool.

My wound burned, my body weak, but I pushed through, my mind on Aria, her bowed head, her step back, her silence.

Brian led me out, past the courtyard, the grass damp under my boots, the sun high, the air warm.

I expected the training field, but he turned, heading toward the dungeon, its stone entrance dark, tucked behind the packhouse.

My heart jumped, curiosity and suspicion mixing, Zeus growling louder, his senses sharp.

"Where are we going?" I asked, my voice sharp, my hands clenching.

"What’s this about, Brian?" My wound throbbed, my worry for Aria loud, but his secrecy, his calm smile, pulled me forward.

"Just trust me," he said, his voice low, his eyes meeting mine.

"Get inside." His words were firm, his hand pointing to the dungeon’s iron door, its hinges rusted, its surface cold.

I hesitated, my chest tight, my mind racing. The dungeon was for traitors, rogues, enemies, why here? What did this have to do with any information about Aria?

Zeus whined, his protectiveness urging me to go back, to find her, but Brian’s urgency, his certainty, pushed me.

I nodded, my jaw tight, and stepped inside, the door creaking, the air damp and heavy, the stone steps cold under my boots.

The dungeon was dark, the torches weak, their light barely reaching the moldy walls. Chains rattled, the smell of rust and earth thick.

Brian led me deeper, his steps sure, his face tense but focused. My heart pounded, my hands clenching, my wound burning, and then I froze, my breath catching, my eyes wide.

A man was tied to a pole, his wrists bound, his head low, his dark hair matted, his clothes torn.

His face was bruised, his eyes tired, but I knew him instantly, my heart stopping. "Elijah?" I said, my voice low, my eyes squinting, disbelief hitting hard.

Elijah had been my personal Gamma, my friend, loyal and strong, always at my side. But after a pack event two years ago, he vanished, no trace, no word, despite our searches.

Some said he was dead, others said he’d run, and the pain of his loss had cut deep, a wound I’d buried.

I’d mourned him, forced myself to move on, but now he was here, alive, tied up like a criminal? My chest tightened, anger and shock mixing, Zeus growling, his confusion loud.

"What’s going on?" I asked, my voice sharp, my eyes snapping to Brian, my hands fisting.

Brian stepped closer, his smile gone, his eyes hard. "Meet Elijah," he said, his voice low, his hand pointing to the man.

"You remember him. He’s the one who started the fire at the Fang pack." His words hit like a blow, my heart racing, my eyes squinting in disbelief, my breath short.

The fire? The one that nearly killed me, the flames roaring, the smoke choking, my heart still unhealing from that night, flashed in my mind.

Elijah? Part of my former Gamma? A traitor?

"No," I said, my voice loud, my eyes burning into Brian’s.

"It’s not possible. Elijah’s from the Shadow Claw pack. He’d never hurt his Alpha!" My heart pounded, my hands shaking, Zeus roaring, his loyalty to Elijah clashing with Brian’s words.

Elijah was my friend, my brother, not a traitor. I turned to him, his head still low, his silence heavy, his bruised face unreadable.

"Tell him it’s not true," I said, my voice cracking, my chest aching, desperation rising.

Brian shook his head, his voice steady, his eyes fierce.

"You’re wrong, Alpha," he said, his words sharp, his hand gesturing to Elijah.

"Elijah’s from the Fang pack. He was never one of us. He was here as a spy, a traitor. You housed an enemy, Alpha Kael." His words were a knife, my heart stopping, my eyes widening, anger and rage flooding me.

A spy? Elijah, who’d fought beside me, laughed with me, sworn loyalty to me, a traitor from the Fang pack, our rivals?

My mind spun, memories of his smiles, his vows, crashing against Brian’s accusation, the fire’s heat, the wound’s pain.

My fists clenched tight, my nails digging into my palms, my breath heavy, Zeus growling, his rage hot.

I stared at Elijah, his silence damning, his eyes still down, and my heart broke, betrayal cutting deep, my anger surging.

How could I have missed it? How could I have trusted him, let him close, while he planned to kill me?