Chapter 5 - The Betrayal Unmasked
Night had cast a deep, ink-black shadow over the Red Pine compound, but the tension inside the perimeter was blindingly bright. Shouts erupted from the lower training barracks as a secondary fire broke out, drawing the remaining pack warriors away from the central lodge. It was a calculated distraction.
Inside the royal recovery room, Elise sat quietly beside Oral, who had drifted into a deep, restorative sleep. Her mind raced with the king’s words. Royal physicians. The Moonward lineage. The Great Purge. Everything she thought she knew about her quiet, insignificant life was a carefully constructed lie designed to protect her from a pack that viewed her heritage as a threat.
Suddenly, the heavy iron latch of the side door rattled.
Elise stood up, her hand instinctively reaching for her medical shears. The door creaked open, and a figure stepped through the shadows. It wasn't a guard. It was Marissa Vale, her face twisted into a cold, predatory sneer, holding a heavy silver-bladed hunting dagger.
“Clever little omega,” Marissa hissed softly, closing the door behind her and locking it with a sharp click. “You just had to play the hero, didn't you? If you had stayed in your place, the king’s beast would have died in the gorge, and Marcus’s plan would have gone off without a hitch.”
Elise backed away slowly, putting herself between the intruder and the sleeping wolf. “What did you do to the bridge, Marissa?”
“We cut it,” Marissa replied with casual malice, stepping closer. “Marcus wants the northern trade routes under Red Pine control, and Rowan has been sniffing around our territory too much. Taking out his prized wolf was supposed to send a message. But you had to ruin it with your pathetic little healing tricks.”
Marissa lunged forward with terrifying speed, aiming the dagger directly at Elise’s chest.
Instinct took over. Instead of freezing, Elise ducked beneath the arc of the blade, using her momentum to slam her leather medical bag hard into Marissa’s knee. The warrior stumbled, cursing, but recovered instantly, swinging her arm back for a vicious backhand strike that sent Elise crashing against the stone wall. Pain flared across Elise's cheek, and the taste of iron filled her mouth.
Marissa loomed over her, raising the dagger for the killing blow. “Time for the omega to finally disappear.”
Before the blade could descend, a deafening, thunderous roar shook the foundation of the entire lodge.
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Oral was on his feet. Despite his severe leg injury, the sheer adrenaline and protective fury of the bonded wolf drove him forward. With a blinding flash of silver-white fur, Oral slammed his massive body directly into Marissa, sending her flying across the room into a heavy oak bookshelf that shattered under her weight.
Before she could recover, the doors burst open, and King Rowan, followed by Caleb and a dozen fully armed royal guards, poured into the room.
