Chapter 248 AURORA

Morning sunlight leaked into my office and striped the wood desk piled high with reports. My head ached in protest as I went over the latest updates about pack matters. My mind went back to the increasingly weird behavior Rowan had shown of late.

The confrontations, the outbursts, the whispered discontent in the pack—all these had reached a point where they could not be ignored.

I let out a deep sigh and leaned back into my chair. Just then, a sharp knock startled me from outside the door.

“Enter,” I called, straightening further when a guard burst in, pale and in a rush with every step.

“Luna,” he said, still catching his breath. “We’ve confirmed Rowan’s involvement in… suspicious activities. He’s been having secret meetings with Alina, and…” The guard didn’t continue, his gaze fixed on the papers on my desk.

“He has been spreading rumors in the pack."

I had thought by this time such frustration from him should have gone, a phase he should get past. “Are you certain?” I asked, stiff, though shaking inside.

He nodded, laying a small pile of papers on my desk. “These were found in his quarters—plans for… something more than a simple rebellion.”

Not surprised, my eyes finally came to rest on the incriminating evidence laid before me, and I began turning over theory upon theory in my head.

“Where is he now?”

“In his room,” the guard said. “Shall we…”

I breathed a deep, soul-searching, inward breath while my mind balanced out various options. With firm resolve then, I nodded. “Yes. Arrest him. Silently. I don’t want to panic the pack.”

Muttering had begun almost immediately. By the time he was being marched out, manhandled by two guards, the pack in groups gathered, all whispering and guessing as to who it was.

“This can’t be happening.”

“Rowan? But why?” he hushed out, surprise laced deep into his tone.

Loud protests came from Rowan as he was dragged toward the packhouse. “This is a mistake!” he yelled, the desperation in his voice high enough that it cracked. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

I stepped down onto the packhouse steps. The noise of the crowd ceased as my presence was noted.

“Enough,” I said, clear and sure. “Rowan, we have proof of your actions. You will get your chance to explain yourself, but for now, you’ll be detained.”

His eyes flashed to mine, and in that one moment, I saw the boy he had been: all earnest, all yearning, all desperate for someone’s approval.

Then his features darkened in a mask of rage. “You think you’re perfect, don’t you?” he said. “You think you’re better than the rest of us.”

Dane came beside me, solid, sure, a stabilizing presence. “Take him away to the holding cells,” he said to the guards.

In less than a moment, Rowan’s eyes flicked to Alina, who stood no more than at the edge of the crowd, crossing her arms over her chest.

She didn’t take one step closer to us or even say one word, yet her smile ran chills up my spine.

I sat at my office desk; it was almost nighttime. My head resting on my hands.

“You did what you had to,” Dane whispered, his hand warm against my shoulder.

I looked up then, searching for reassurance on his face. “Did I? Did I fail him?”

“Rowan made his choices,” Dane said with certainty. “You gave him every chance to prove himself. This isn’t on you.”

Of course, the words did encourage me, yet a doubt remained.

As soon as I finished all my work, I went to the dungeon. I wanted to see how Rowan was doing.

The cell was cold, dimly lit. I stood in a spot where the darkness shielded me as I looked at him.

Rowan sat on the narrow bench, head in hands, the oppressive silence broken only by the periodic dripping water from the ceiling.

The sound of footsteps lifted his gaze; his eyes narrowed as Alina came into view. She walked to the bars and held them.

“Well, well,” she said, her tone mocking. “Looks like you’ve finally found your place.”

Rowan rose, fists balled. “You…”

“What? Betrayed you?” Alina’s smile spread wide.

“Oh, Rowan. You did that all on your own. I just gave you the push you needed.”

“You used me,” he growled in a low voice and with trembling rage.

Alina leaned on the bars, her eyes glowing. “Of course, I did. And you let me. Because deep down, you wanted all I promised, right?”

The anger seeped from Rowan, vanquished, his shoulders sagging in defeat. “Why?”

She cocked her head, pretending innocence. “Because I could.”

As Alina turned to leave, Rowan sank back onto the bench, bowing his head. He sat amidst the silence after Alina was long gone, words ringing in his head.

They hit at him, shredding layers of his anger to reveal raw shame lying beneath.

Overwhelming, to say the least, this realization of what he had been up to and how he was being played upon. He hunched over, his head between his knees, and went into quick shallow breathing. His chains clang together.

The cell felt suddenly even smaller, restrictive to such an extent that its walls seemed to close in on him.

He reminded himself that he had been thinking all the while along the road, the quiet envy and frustrations; the urge and need to amount to something.

This time the footsteps came louder, firmer. He didn’t raise his head as they stopped outside his cell.

“Rowan,” my voice came soft, yet laced with an edge he had never heard before.

He looked up more slowly. His gaze met mine. For one moment no anger glinted in my eyes, no triumph, only disappointment.

“You come to see the fallen traitor?” His voice was bitter, rough.

I took another step closer to the bars, laying my hands lightly on the cold metal. “I came to understand,” I said.

Rowan laughed; it wasn’t a funny sound. “Understand what? That I am a disappointment? That I let her wrap me into this?”

I didn’t flinch, I didn’t let the slightest change grace my face. “I want to understand why you didn’t come to me, why you felt this would get you seen.”

My words cut deep, and his fists on his thighs curled tightly.

“Because you would not have seen me otherwise!” he spat, anger lacing his tone. “You and Dane, you have it all! The pack, the respect, each other! And I’m nothing but nothing.”

My jaw firmed, my eyes unflinching. “You were never nothing, Rowan. You were one of us. You still are.”

His laughter then was more reduced, almost hollow. “I don’t think that the pack does anymore.”

I moved forward a bit, softening my voice. “That’s because you stopped seeing it yourself first.”

The breath hitched in Rowan’s chest as he looked away. “What happens now?” he asked well below a whisper.

I didn’t immediately answer. “You’ll be judged. What happens after that is pack business. But, Rowan…”

He met my gaze now, the vulnerable edge to my tone startling him.

“What you do from here matters more than what you’ve done.”

I straightened, my gaze holding a moment, then turned and walked away, leaving Rowan to his thoughts.

Outside, Dane waited with his arms across his chest and a furrow on his brow. I was a bit shocked to see him there.

“How did it go?” he asked slowly.

I raised a brow at him. “How did you know I was here?”

He leaned in. “You are my mate… Aurora… I know you.”

I sighed and leaned back against the wall. “He’s torn. He knows he’s screwed up, but I don’t think he fully realizes the damage yet.”

Dane’s jaw clenched. “We can’t afford to have this tear the pack further apart. If the others start to question our ability to deal with this…”

“I know,” I cut in softly. “But it’s not about Rowan anymore. Alina’s out there, and the threat she posed wasn’t what we thought she was.”

Dane’s eyes darkened. “You don’t think she is plotting something more?”

I nodded. “She has always been. Rowan was just a part of her game, and now that’s taken away; she’ll find another way.”

Dane’s hand settled onto my shoulder, and the grounding sensation released some of the tension.

“We will be ready.”