Chapter 280

The moon was low in the sky, casting a thin sheen over the meeting point. My heart skittered with anticipation as I stepped out into the clearing where trees whispered ominous nothings all around. Calla leaned against a tree, her smirk slicing through the tension.

“Right on time,” she said, her voice a silk-lined dagger.

I halted a few feet away, crossing my arms to keep them from shaking. “What is it that you want now?”

Calla pushed off from the tree, each movement smooth and purposeful. “Oh, Lila, don’t be so indignant. We both know why you are here.”

I cut her off, clenching my jaw to avoid showing her how she affected me. “Get to the point.”

Calla’s smile grew. “Well, Rowan. He has been doing so well, hasn’t he? Closing in. Drawing nearer. But he’s gotten sidetracked.”

Something in her tone twisted my gut. “Rowan is no danger to the pack,” I said, harder than I intended.

Calla cocked her head, concern twinkling in her eyes.

Chapter 280 (Continued)

“Oh, sweet Lila. It’s not about what Rowan is or isn’t. It’s about what he represents as an opportunity.”

“What opportunity?” I asked.

“No,” I said, firmly, though my voice shook. “I’m done with this. I won’t betray the pack.”

Calla’s eyes slitted, the smirk gone. She took another step closer, her voice going low, almost deadly in its whisper: “You think you can just walk away? Like it’s that simple?” I didn’t back down, but my legs did shake.

“I’ve done everything you wanted, kept quiet, played along, and I won’t anymore. Rowan doesn’t deserve this, neither does the pack.”

Calla cocked her head. Her face was impassive. “How noble of you,” she spat. “But let me remind you of something, Lila. You owe me. Without me, you wouldn’t even be here.”

I clenched my fists. “And for how long do you think that’ll faze me? The pack has enough suspicions concerning me, Calla. And once you drive a bit further—”

Calla let out a low, cutthroat laugh. “Sweet Lila. Really think they’d believe you and not me? You’re but an outsider with the group; every single moment of this pack’s survival, you always will be.”

Those words cut much deeper than I was willing to admit, but I didn’t back off. “Maybe I’m an outsider, but at least I’m trying to belong. What about you? All you do is destroy.”

That smirk was back, sharper than before. “Destroying is a lot easier than building. You ought to know that by now.”

Before I could say a word, footsteps behind me froze us both. I turned to see Piper step into the clearing, her gaze flicking between Calla and me.

“Well, well,” Piper said, her tone rife with sarcasm. “This looks… interesting.”

Calla was quick on the rebound; her smirk gentled into a more neutral curve. “Piper, how… unexpected. Nobody told you that trying to put your ear in other people’s business is impolite?”

Piper lifted a brow, folding her arms. “I wasn’t eavesdropping. I was following. Big difference.” She kept her keen gaze on me. “And you? What’s this all about, Lila?”

My throat was dry, the words wrestling with each other in my brain. “I—”

“She’s just confused,” Calla said smoothly, pushing in front of me, as if to block me. “You know how tough pack life is sometimes when someone’s still settling in.” Piper wasn’t buying it.

“Tough enough that they hold secret meetings in the middle of the night? Yeah, right. Again.”

Chapter 280 (Continued)

Calla dramatically huffed, as if Piper was some disturbance she put up with. “Honestly, Piper, you’ve been everywhere exhausts me. If you spent a little more time minding your own business, you wouldn’t have to go poking around in other people’s affairs.”

Piper’s eyes narrowed. “And if you weren’t being so shifty, I wouldn’t have to.”

The silence between them was electric with tension; I could hardly breathe. “Stop,” I said, my voice much louder than I intended. They looked at me, their glares cutting.

“I… I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” I stammered, glancing between the pair. “I only wanted to help the pack.”

“Help the pack?” Piper repeated, her tone honing like a razor. “By sneaking around with her?” She pointed at Calla.

Calla snorted, clearly thrilled by the conflict. “It’s adorable, really, how protective you are. But don’t you think you’re overreacting just a bit?”

Piper ignored her, moving closer to me. “Lila, if you’re keeping something from us, now’s the time to spill. Otherwise, I’m not helping you.”

The sincerity in her voice broke something in me, but before I could utter a word, Calla’s voice cut through.

“Enough of this, Lila doesn’t owe you an explanation, and if anything, you owe her an apology for your baseless accusations.”

Piper laughed, a sound devoid of humor. “Baseless? You mean like the way you’ve been manipulating everyone around you? How long do you think you can keep this act up, Calla?”

Piper’s words wiped the smirk off Calla’s face; her eyes had gone ice. “Long enough to outlast you, Piper.”

“Try me,” Piper shot back.

The air was thick with tension, and I felt torn between two storms. Every fiber in my body screamed to run, yet this was something from which I could not escape.

Piper’s face softened as she looked at me again. “Lila, if you’re in some sort of trouble, I can help. Just tell me the truth.”

Calla leaned in, her words a whispered threat. “Speak very carefully, Lila. Consider what you could lose.”

Their words whipped against me like ropes, lashing at my face. My chest felt the heavy weight of choice, and in a nanosecond, I forgot to breathe.

It was the first time that Piper hesitated; a shade of doubt passed over her features. “What’s going on?”

Venom dripped from Calla’s voice; her smile grew wider. “Oh, Piper, so righteous and yet even the righteous have secrets of their own. I wonder how the pack is going to take it when they find out about him.”

Chapter 280 (Continued)

I felt my stomach drop. “Calla, don’t—”

She raised her hand, silencing me. “You aren’t running things here, Lila. You never were.”

Piper took another step closer; her voice was shaking with pent-up anger. “You’re bluffing.”

“Am I?” Calla’s smile twisted cruelly. “One little whisper, Piper, and everything you’ve worked for comes crashing down. The pack’s trust, Warrick’s love… all gone. Do you want to take that risk?”

Piper’s fists clenched at her sides, her breathing uneven. For a moment, I thought she might rush at Calla. Instead, she turned to me, her eyes imploring. “Lila, is she telling the truth? Does she really know something?”

The weight of their gazes pressed upon me, threatening to shatter me. “Piper, I…”

Calla cut me off, an acid undertone in her whisper. “Choose wisely, Lila. The next move could determine everything.”