Chapter Fifty-four
Faelen’s POV
I slipped back into my room, moving as silently as I could manage. The familiar creaks of the floorboards felt more normal now as I snuck back in.
Each step I took seemed to echo in my ears the weight of Raven’s words, and making my heart pound faster, louder.
Once inside, I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, exhaling shakily. I tried to slow my breathing, but I couldn’t stop trembling.
My mind was a mess of thoughts and emotions, tangled up completely, and I didn’t know how to manage it.
They’re planning to attack. Hunter’s pack. I sank onto the edge of my bed, my hands clasped tightly in my lap.
I couldn’t get the thought out of my head.
Belladonna Pack. My pack, the one that had taken me in when I was alone and lost. I’d grown up among them, lived with them, served them.
But after a while growing up among them… now I knew their plans were no good.
I’d always known what Alpha Zodd was capable of, and it sickened me, but somehow I hadn’t felt I needed to do something about it… until now.
How could I have been so blind? I asked myself. Alpha Zodd cared for nothing than fucking and conquering packs to gain more territories… that was the hard truth.
I felt bad about it, but what was worse now was the thought of Hunter falling under his cruelty.
The memories of his touch, the sound of his voice, the way his gaze softened when he looked at me all came rushing in my mind.
My whole body and mind grew weak thinking about him. Even though he had looked it, he was more than just some hard, cruel leader.
I knew he could do more than that, and something in me now told me that he deserved a chance to… He and all his people.
“Oh God.” I sighed, feeling the conflict in my thoughts.
How could I be so confused? Still care for him?
I was supposed to be loyal to my pack, to the wolves who were my people, to the person who had taken care of me when I had no one.
But the truth pressed in my mind, I was caught between a man I should hate, who I’d developed feelings for, and a man who in truth was a tyrant.
I buried my face in my hands, the reality of my situation crashing over me. It was becoming impossible to keep living this double life.
How long could I continue like this? How long before I slipped up, before someone… Hunter or even someone else discovered the truth?
It was clear I was torn between loyalty and love, between duty and desire… and it was tearing me apart from the inside.
I stood up abruptly, crossing the room to stare out the small window. The moon hung high in the sky shining its pale light across the estate grounds.
I could see the shadows of the trees, the outline of the forest surrounding the estate. It all felt so normal, so peaceful, but I knew better.
Beneath that calm sight, a storm was gathering, and close. One that could destroy everything.
What would Hunter think if he knew? I couldn’t help but wonder.
What would he do if he knew that I was supposed to be spying on him, that I was supposed to be gathering information to help launch an attack against his pack?
Would he hate me? Would he be furious… or would he feel betrayed?
I closed my eyes, pressing my forehead against the hard wood. I didn’t want to think about it. I didn’t want to imagine the look on his face if he ever found out.
But then, I had to make a decision. If I kept delaying and hiding in the shadows, it would only get worse. I had to choose a side before it was too late.
If I stayed loyal to Belladonna, that meant that I would have to betray everything I felt for Hunter, every emotion that had started to grow between us.
I would have to be the one to help destroy him and his pack apart.
But if I chose him… and his pack… then I would be turning my back on everything my parents had taught me, on the family I’d known since I was a child.
I opened my eyes, staring blankly out at the darkness. What am I going to do?
The pressure was mounting, tightening around me. If I obeyed and eventually went to Raven with the information I discovered, helped Alpha Zodd plan his attack… I didn’t know if I could live with myself afterward.
But if I didn’t, they would see right through me. And Alpha Zodd wouldn’t hesitate to punish me for my disobedience.
I had asked for more time. But now I felt deep down that it wasn’t more time I needed. It was the courage make a choice. Courage to face the consequences of whichever path I chose to take.
In the morning, as the sun rose high up in the sky, I sat on the edge of my bed, my hands rubbing against in my lap, trying to steady my breathing.
The events of the previous night kept replaying in my mind…. Raven’s cold eyes, her harsh words, the weight of what she’d told me.
Belladonna planning an attack through Steeprock pack. An assault that would leave Howle Wulf weak and vulnerable possibly, but they finally finished them off.
All for Alpha Zodd’s relentless thirst for power and dominance. He would crush anyone who stood in his way, using anyone who could serve his ambitions.
Like me.
But could I really sit back and let it happen? Could I really keep silent, knowing what it meant?
Knowing that the wolves here, the pack I had come to know, could be torn apart in a matter of days.
And what about Hunter? The man I should see as my enemy… but had fallen in love with. My heart twisted painfully.
I’d tried so hard to ignore these feelings, to bury them deep, but I couldn’t stand the thought of him and his people ending up like that.
Not when I knew I could stop it.
Taking a deep breath, I stood up, determination settling over me like a cloak. I had to warn him.
I had to tell Hunter what was coming, even if it meant risking everything… my mission, and possibly life.
I knew what this would mean… what he would think, but I couldn’t let fear stop me.
I exited the servants quarters, and with each step I took towards Hunter’s office, my resolve shook in my mind, but I forced myself to keep moving.
I tried not to think about our last encounter in his office, the way things had gone out of control between us. I couldn’t afford to think about that now.
This wasn’t about me or what had happened between us. This was about saving lives and doing the right thing.
I pushed open the heavy wooden door to his office, my heart pounding in my chest. Hunter was standing by the window, a glass of something dark and strong in his hand.
He looked different in the morning light… hardened, his broad shoulders tense. When he turned and saw me, his eyes widened, shock and anger flashing across his face.
“What are you doing here?” he growled, his voice low. “I don’t think…”
“Please, just listen,” I interrupted, my voice trembling but firm.
I took a step closer, ignoring the way his eyes narrowed, or the way his grip tightened around the glass. I just needed to say it to him.
“I know you don’t want to see me right now. I know after yesterday… after what happened, it’s awkward, but this is more important than any of that.”
He set his drink down on the desk with a sharp clink, turning fully to face me. “You shouldn’t be here. What happened yesterday was…”
“Hunter, please!” I blurted out, the desperation showing in my voice. “Just… just hear me out. I don’t have much time.”
He stared at me for a long moment, his brows raised in confusion and his jaw clenched tight, the tension of the moment apparently coming off him in.
But finally, he let out a harsh breath, crossing his arms over his chest. “Fine. Speak.”
I took a deep breath, steadying myself. This was it. “There’s going to be an attack. From Steeprock pack.”
Hunter’s gaze sharpened, his entire body going rigid as his eye curved a shocking look at me. “What did you just say?”
“Steeprock pack,” I repeated, forcing myself to hold his gaze. “They’re planning to attack Howle Wulf soon, but they’re not doing it alone. They have powerful backing.”
His eyes narrowed, suspicion and confusion spinning together. “Who?”
“Belladonna pack.” The word fell from my lips like a stone, heavy and irreversible.
Hunter’s face twisted in shock, then fury, and then he took a step toward me, his presence towering and overwhelming.
“Belladonna?” he spat, disbelief coloring his voice. “And you… how do you know this?”
My throat tightened, the truth clawing at me, desperate to be released. This was it… the moment that would seal my fate. “I… I’m connected to them.”
Hunter’s face squeezed, a mixt of betrayal and rage appearing on his face . “What are you saying, Faelen? That you’re… you’re from Belladonna?” His voice rose, raw with emotion, and I flinched.
“Yes,” I whispered, looking down, unable to bear the pain in his eyes. “I’m… I’m supposed to be spying for them.”
There was a cloud of silence that quickly came over us, heavy and suffocating. Then, suddenly, Hunter’s hand lashed out, swiping the glass off the desk.
It shattered against the wall, the sound ringing through the room like a gunshot. I jumped, my heart leaping into my throat.
“You…!” he growled, his fists clenched at his sides. “You’ve been lying to me this whole time? You’re a spy?”
Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them back. “I never wanted to hurt you, Hunter. I… I was given a mission, but then… things changed for me. I changed. I…”
“Don’t,” he bit out, his voice low and dangerous. “Don’t say you didn’t mean for this to happen. You played me… you played all of us!” he barked.
“No!” I cried, taking a step closer, my hands outstretched. “I’m trying to stop this. I’m risking everything just by telling you…”
“And why should I believe you?” he demanded, his eyes blazing with rage. “Why should I trust anything you say now?”
“Because I’m here!” I shot back, my voice breaking. “I’m standing here, putting my life in your hands, because I can’t stand to see you and your people destroyed. I… I care about you, okay. I care about this pack. That’s why I’m telling you.”