Chapter 284

Fifer

Murmurings refused to leave me alone, hours into the night, long after the festival was over. Seated on a window seat beside the packhouse window, gazing into the moonlit woods, my head and heart reeled in a turmoil of thoughts and emotions. Marrick's face was in my head—the way he laughed, said sorry, admitted getting things wrong. And I loved him, didn't I? Why was Rowan's name weighing so heavily in my mind? Guilt, frustration, or something else entirely?

"You're being ridiculous," I told myself, shaking my head. Yet the questions wouldn't disappear. It had bothered me that Rowan was defending Lila. Why had that sharp thought pierced me as I watched them together at the festival? The thought propelled me to my feet. I needed air, clarity from this suffocating doubt.

It was no different inside the pack. The village buzzed with whispers and half-whispered conversations. Wherever I turned, wolves speculated about Rowan and Lila.

“Did you see how protective he was?” one wolf muttered as I passed by. “Does he have enough to prove already?” said another. "This only makes him look more guilty." I fisted my hands, tempted to jump into every conversation and shut them down.

Going around a bend, I spotted Dane and Aurora engaged in what looked very much like a heated debate. Aurora's arms were crossed over her chest, her face sad despite the recent celebrations.

“The pack is arguing and muttering, Dane. We need to address this now.”

Dane's voice was smooth, firm. “We can't act on impulse. We act before we have proof, and it will only drive us further apart.”

Aurora threw her hands up. “Do you think they care about proof? They’re questioning everything. Us, our choices, our leadership!”

The fight in their argument fizzled as I approached, and Aurora’s sharp gaze met mine. I hedged, looking from one to the other. “I’ve heard enough to know things are getting out of hand.”

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Aurora sighed, massaging her temples. “We need a way to calm them down. Warrick mentioned you’ve been trying to mediate. How’s that going?”

I bit my lip. “Not great. Every time I try to shut down one rumor, two more pop up. It’s like fighting shadows.”

Dane nodded grimly. “The pack thrives on unity. If we lose that, we lose everything.”

It was these words, amongst many others, that followed me later that evening as I made my way back to my quarters: jumbled words, muddled, incoherent, all tangled into one mess. The defense of Lila by Rowan, wolves cross-examining Aurora and Dane, quiet apologies from Warrick, the attempts he was making to repair what was broken between us.

As I approached my door, I stopped. A flickering light danced beside the middle square of the pile. Curiosity overcame my wariness, and I traced the light. A small crowd stared aghast at a notice emblazoned in great letters across an enormous sheet stretched on the meeting post. The words were splayed, so that they appeared almost to give up.

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“To the Wolves of this Pack: Your leaders have lied to you. They boast of strength but hide their weaknesses. They speak of unity, yet all they plant is division. For the truth, find me at the west edge of the forest tomorrow night. I am the one who can save you from their failures.”

The signature was plain: Calla. My stomach somersaulted. The hum of the crowd began to churn into a buzz of whispered questions.

“Is this some kind of joke?” one wolf whispered.

“Calla was exiled. How is she still reaching us? I’m sure Alina has something to do with it?”

“She has information,” someone else insisted. “We can’t ignore it.”

I stepped forward, my voice louder than I intended. “She’s manipulating you. Calla’s always had her own agenda.”

The wolves turned to me, their faces filled with question and doubt. “Why should we trust Aurora and Dane any more than her?” one of the younger wolves challenged.

I opened my mouth, but no words fell out. The truth was I didn’t have an answer that would satisfy them.

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Aurora and Dane appeared a few minutes later, pushing their way to the front through the crowd. The message caught her eye, her jaw clenching. Dane tore the sheet down, his voice ringing out.

“This is nothing but the desperate ploy of a wolf who’s already been cast out. Anyone who listens to her risks the safety of this pack.”

The crowd grumbled, murmuring, yet didn’t disperse. Seamless and smooth, Aurora stepped forward. “Calla thrives on fear and division. We won’t give her that power. Trust in your pack, not the whispers of a traitor.”

But I knew there was still a swirl of doubt hanging in the air. The crowd finally began to disperse, and Aurora turned to me.

“We’ll have to move fast. If Calla’s brazen enough to send a message like this, then she’s planning something bigger.”

I nodded, resolution setting in. Whatever Calla was planning, we couldn’t let it happen. Aurora’s words still clung to my mind as the crowd finally broke apart, leaving murmurs behind them in the night air like smoke.

I hung back and watched as wolves shuffled away; some shook their heads while others cast suspicious glances in Aurora’s and Dane’s direction. The tension grew thicker by the minute, twisted more tautly.

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Dane leaned in, placing his hand on Aurora’s shoulder. His voice was soft: “We need a plan, fast.”

Aurora nodded, her gaze stuck on the shredded message Dane was still clutching. “We can’t let this escalate. Calla knows how to stoke the pack’s fears. If even a fraction of them meet her tomorrow, it could unravel everything we’ve built.”

“She’s smart,” I said, my voice sharper than I intended. “She knows exactly how to make people doubt you.”

Aurora turned to me, her eyes searching. “What are you suggesting, Piper?”

I hesitated, but the words spilled out anyway. “We can’t just ignore this. Someone has to go to that meeting tomorrow. Not just to try and stop her, but to see what she’s planning.”

Dane frowned, his tone tight. “And who do you think we’re supposed to send? Whoever goes could be walking right into an ambush.”

“I’ll go,” I said with a steely conviction that seemed to form in my chest. “If she’s expecting chaos, then someone has to go in and bring the truth back.”

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Aurora shook her head. “It’s too dangerous, Piper. You’ve been through enough.”

“This isn’t about me,” I said, taking a step closer. “It’s about the pack. If we let Calla keep spreading her poison, she’ll divide us even further. We need someone who can stand against her lies.”

Dane and Aurora exchanged a look; some silent conversation passed between them. Finally, Dane exhaled, his face softening. “You’re right about one thing. We can’t ignore her.”

“I’ll go with her,” Warrick’s voice cut through the tension as he stepped forward from the darkness. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes locked on mine. “You’re not doing this alone.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but Aurora raised a hand. “We’ll decide this tomorrow,” she said firmly. “For now, everyone needs to rest. We’ll be stronger with clear heads.”

The tension didn’t break as we parted ways. Lying in bed that night, the message from Calla replayed in my mind. She had chosen every word with calculated precision, knowing exactly where to strike, where every fracture in the pack lay.

“Alina must have given her a lot of information concerning us.”