Chapter 249 ALINA 1/7

Firelight in the gathered hall danced upon the walls in long shadows while I sat toward the rear. I chose my place for a specific reason: I could let my eyes trail across them, from the babbling wolves to those nervous looks at neighbors and the more who whispered stories of Rowan’s rise and fall into destruction.

“Did you hear how he argued with Aurora before he was arrested?” I whispered to Lyra, a younger wolf sitting to my side.

Lyra’s ears twitched. “I heard him say something about her playing favorites. Is that true?”

I sighed, faking reluctance. “I wouldn’t say that outright, but... There’s truth to every rumor, isn’t there? Rowan wouldn’t have acted out for no reason.”

Lyra frowned, her gaze wandering to the front of the room, where Aurora stood beside Dane. “But Aurora’s always been fair.”

“Fair?” I let the word hang in the air, laced with doubt. “Fairness is not the same thing as a good leader, Lyra. Fair doesn’t mean it listens to everyone. Rowan wanted to be heard, and look where it got him."

2/7

And in that, the seed was sown. Lyra’s doubt would grow like a fire taking to burn slowly, and I would be the one fanning the flames.

Later that day, I made my way to the training grounds, where a group of wolves sparred beneath the sharp commands of Piper. Her voice rang out with authority, but with a jagged edge—a hairline crack that I was more than happy to widen.

“Piper,” I called, taunting her with a sweet smile.

She turned, wiping the sweat off her forehead. “What do you want, Alina?”

“Just a moment of your time,” I said innocently. “You work so hard. I thought you could use a little break.”

Piper crossed her arms. “I’m busy.”

“Too busy to hear what Warrick’s been saying?”

Her brows furrowed, and I knew I had her attention. “What are you talking about?”

I shrugged, looking offhandedly toward the sparring wolves. “Oh, it’s probably nothing. I just overheard him mentioning how he admires strong-willed wolves. He seemed awfully impressed with Freya the other day. You know, after that sparring match.”

3/7

Piper’s jaw clenched. “Warrick wouldn’t—”

“Of course, he wouldn’t,” I said smoothly. “But you know how it is. Wolves talk. And sometimes, admiration can turn into something more.”

Piper glared at me, her features hardening. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I thought that you should know,” I replied, trying to sound as concerned as possible. “You deserve to be prepared, Piper. Strong wolves like you don’t have to let others take advantage of them.”

The silence that ensued was satisfying… I walked away, glad that I was getting all of my work done.

That evening, I snuck into the now vacant quarters of Rowan in search of whatever secrets the accused traitor may have left behind.

The room was empty, his effects having been gathered together in haste following his arrest, but one thing caught my eye: a folded piece of parchment tucked beneath the edge of the bed.

I unfolded it carefully, scanning my eyes over the spidery, uneven handwriting. The words were cryptic, near nonsensical at first glance, but one phrase leapt out, “the truth hidden within the grove shall be their downfall.”

4/7

My heart was pounding in my chest, yet I kept my breathing straight.

“What are you doing?”

I turned sharply to face Piper standing at the door with her arms folded.

“Oh, just cleaning up,” I replied casually, hiding the letter behind my back. “Rowan’s mess, you know.”

Piper narrowed her eyes. “You shouldn’t be in here."

“And neither should you,” I said, advancing on the door. “But if anyone asks, we’ll just say you were checking in on me. After all, we’re just trying to help, right?”

I didn’t wait for an answer, brushing past her into the hallway as the letter seemed to burn like a secret in my palm.

I slipped into the silence of my own quarters, closing the door behind me.

My mind was racing, piecing together the implications of the cryptic words. “The truth buried in the grove will be their undoing…” What is the truth? And how could it undo Aurora and Dane?

I smoothed the papers on my desk, my fingers trembling in the mixture of excitement and fear.

5/7

Rowan might be a fool, but his desperation had unearthed something significant. This could be my leverage.

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the letter as if it might reveal more if I just looked hard enough.

The grove held secrets that had defined this pack, molded its leaders, and now could unravel it all. But why would Rowan have this? And why hadn’t he used it?

After a while I stepped outside. I sat on the training grounds, pretending to watch the sparring matches while my mind traveled.

Piper’s sharp voice cut through the space as she corrected some young wolf’s stance. Warrick stood off to the side, his easy grin back in place as he offered some kind of joke that made the group laugh.

Piper’s smile changed and I caught the quick glance shot in Warrick’s direction, unease still an evident mantle. Perfect.

I made my way over to her as the training session wrapped up. My steps were light, my expression carefully neutral.

“You seem a little distracted,” I said, turning my head.

Piper wiped her hands on her pants, narrowing her gaze. “What do you want again, Alina?"

6/7

“Nothing,” I said, affecting the hurt. “I just thought you might want a friend to talk to. You’ve been so uptight the last few days.”

She gave a sharp exhalation, tension bleeding into her shoulders. “I am fine.”

“Oh, of course, you are,” I lied smoothly. “But you know, that’s all right if you aren’t, specifically with everything that’s going on. The arrest of Rowan. The mutterings in the pack. Warrick being such a…” I stopped, leaving it hanging.

“So what?” Piper demanded, her voice sharper than she intended.

I shrugged, looking away as if reluctant to say more. “Well, it’s probably nothing. Just the way he talks to Freya sometimes. I’m sure it’s innocent, but…”

Piper’s jaw tightened, and I saw the crack widen just a little more… I smiled within me as she stormed away from me.

I slipped away from the packhouse, heading toward the grove.

The letter’s words replayed in my mind, taunting me with their possibilities. If Rowan had found something, I needed to know what it was.

I hunched down at the edge of the grove, allowing my fingers to graze the earth. It pulsed with energy, the grove still strong despite it all.

7/7

What secrets was it keeping? And how might I employ them?

A rustling behind me stilled my movements. Slowly, I turned, expecting either Piper or Warrick to have followed me, but the shadows told nothing.

“Just the wind,” I muttered into the darkness and shook off my unease.

But the feeling of being watched didn’t leave me as I walked back toward the village with the stolen letter heavier in my pocket.