Chapter 288

“What is it?” I asked gruffly, my voice hoarse from sleep. Raven handed me a sealed letter. His hands shook. “It’s from the army you encountered. The leader is requesting an audience with you and Aurora.”

Aurora appeared beside me, looking guarded. “What do they want now?” The boy paused, as though carefully choosing his words. “They didn’t say much, but… their leader is coming here.”

Chapter 289

Dane paced the room, frustration practically radiating from him. “We shouldn’t be wasting our time negotiating with wolves who don’t have a right to that territory anyway,” he snapped.

I crossed my arms, leaning against the table. “And walking in blind into this meeting could get us straight into a trap. You haven’t thought of that?” Dane stopped pacing and turned to me, his jaw tight. “We don’t have a choice, Aurora. If we don’t show strength now, we risk looking weak. They’ll exploit that.”

“I’m not saying we don’t meet with them,” I said, trying to keep my tone level for what was sure to be an increasingly frustrating argument. “I’m saying we need a plan that isn’t dependent on fighting or showing strength.”

Trajan, sitting near the fire, cleared his throat. “Aurora’s right. If they think there’s a division between the two of you, it might give them courage. You have to make a united front.”

Dane’s glare relaxed slightly as he exhaled. “Okay. But if they push us, I’m not backing off.”

I looked at Trajan; silently, I begged him for patience. “We’ll go,” I said, “but we’re doing this carefully.”

We had arranged to meet the leader of the rival pack on neutral ground near the borders, and I was there, flanked by a few chosen wolves on either side, tense as the quiet trees. He was a lean wolf with piercing amber eyes and greeted us with a sly smile. Beside him were a few soldiers, and there stood a female in golden armor, tall among the men; her beauty and stature alone revealed her gender.

“Alpha Dane, Luna Aurora, I am Orion, the leader of this pack,” he said smoothly, his tone bordering on mockery. “How kind of you to meet us.”

“We are here to speak of a truce,” I said firmly. “We don’t come to waste time.”

The lady in golden armor raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Straight to business, then. My Alpha believes the disputed territory is rightfully ours. We’ve been patrolling it for months without interference.”

Dane scoffed, his fists clenching. “Kaida, patrolling it doesn’t make it yours.”

Kaida? It seems he had met her during the confrontation.

I placed a hand on Dane’s arm, urging restraint. “We’re willing to negotiate terms, but claiming what isn’t yours won’t be tolerated.”

Kaida’s smile spread. “And yet, here you are. If it wasn’t ours, why would you bother negotiating?”

“We’re here to prevent unnecessary bloodshed. Mistaking our willingness to talk for weakness is not advisable,” I replied. Dane clicked his tongue as if he disagreed.

Orion’s eyes darted between me and Dane. “Interesting,” he murmured. “It would seem that even the mighty Broken Ridge has its divisions.”

I felt the weight of his words settle into the air, my heart tightening. “We’re united in our goal to protect our pack,” I said, keeping my voice steady.

The more Orion spoke about his Alpha’s terms, the clearer it became that they wanted less to do with peace and more to do with a test of wills. Words dripped like stones onto the delicate scale that kept Dane and me in balance.

Dane shifted closer to me. “Do you hear them?” Dane asked in a whisper. “They’re questioning everything.”

I nodded. “We need to address it head-on before it spirals further.”

Dane’s jaw lightened. “And what about the negotiations? The longer we wait, the weaker we look.”

“Rushing into conflict isn’t strength, Dane,” I replied in a whisper, frustration bursting free. “It’s recklessness. First and foremost, we have to rebuild trust within the pack.”

His eyes flashed, and for a second, I knew he would resist. But then he blew out hard, running his hand through his hair. “Alright. What would you have me do?”

“Begin with squashing the rumors. Be open with them about what we intend to do. This pack needs to know that we stand as one.”

Dane hesitated a moment, then nodded. “I’ll talk with them. But if this doesn’t work…”

“It will,” I said with finality, though a flicker of doubt danced in the back of my mind.

“Seems we have to give you more time to discuss,” Kaida said out loud, cutting in.

Orion nodded. “We will send a message for the next meeting.”

I nodded and turned to Dane. Seeing him grit his teeth in anger, I took his hand and squeezed; he nodded too. Orion and his army vanished into the darkness of the forest.

“Luna,” a voice cut into my thoughts. I turned to see one of the warriors approaching, his face troubled. In his hand was a crumpled piece of paper.

“This was left behind near the edge of the clearing,” he said, handing it to me cautiously.

I unfolded the note, my heart racing as I read the hastily scrawled message: “Beware the betrayal closest to your heart. Your pack’s survival depends on it.”

The words were a knife twisting in my gut. My mind whirled, rewinding the veiled barbs from the rival pack and the growing unease within my own pack. Who could this betrayal refer to?

Dane’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Aurora, are you ready to head back?”

I folded the note quickly and tucked it inside my pocket, turning to him and forcing a nod. “Yes, let’s go.”

As we went back, with every step, I stole glances at Dane’s square shoulders, clamped tight, his expression equally stiff. Yet, in my mind, the note’s warnings echoed.

At the edge of the packhouse, a figure emerged from the shadows. Piper stood there, her face pale, her eyes darting nervously.

“Aurora,” she called out, her voice low but urgent.

I quickened my pace toward her and noted how she fidgeted with the hem of her cloak. “What is it, Piper?”

She hesitated, then looked around cautiously, as if making sure no one was around. “I heard something,” she whispered, fear and conviction combined in her tone.

“Come, you’ll tell me everything,” I told her. I walked in, and she followed.