Chapter 4 Secrets Unraveled

Chapter 4: Secrets Unraveled

"No!" I yelled, running at them.

Fast and with claws slicing through the air, the renegade wolf was Kailyn fought under it, her hands reaching for whatever she could use as a weapon. The heat of the moment took control; my wolf's primordial instinct surfaced. But I was late.

I got to Kailyn just as the rogue lunged for her throat, and I flung myself into the struggle, throwing the wolf off of her. Though it screamed in agony as my claws dug into its flesh, I kept going. I would not.

"Rise!" Not looking away from the wolf struggling under me, I yelled at Kailyn.

Her actions smooth even in the turmoil, she sprung to her feet. We swiftly dealt with the rogue together; the threat was still present.

Catching my breath, I stood over Kailyn. Are you okay?

Her eyes were tough as she wiped the wetness off her face. I am alright. We have to go on, though. Ezra is not far.

We discovered him in the forsaken cabin just outside the city boundaries. The door creaked open, the scent of stale air and damp wood striking me even before I entered. With his back to us, Ezra stood by the window. Though his shape was silhouetted against the low light, I could sense the room's tension. The treachery I had feared was finally genuine.

Kailyn, Vincent. Though his voice was quiet, I could hear the remorse in it, the burden of his choices. You located me.

You were located? Kailyn's voice was frigid, slicing across the air. Ezra, you've been hiding. Why?

Ezra turned slowly to face us, his eyes reflecting sadness and shame. Though his stance was defensive, the reality of what had occurred could not be denied. His gaze darted to me and then back to Kailyn. "It's not what you think," he started, his voice quivering somewhat. This was not what I wanted. I was attempting to save you, Vincent. Every one of you.

I could feel my jaw clenching. "Defend me?" By turning against us? All along, you have been cooperating with the Alpha Kings. Why?

Ezra's face contorted, his features betraying obvious inner struggle. I had no option. The Alpha Kings... they know it all. They understand what I have been safeguarding, what we have been constructing. You are all pawns in a game you cannot even grasp.

The words struck me like a slap, the understanding gradually dawning. A game? A game? You believe we are pawns?

Kailyn advanced, her voice insistent. Ezra, what game? Why include us then? Why not simply go?

Ezra's hands were tight at his sides as he gulped. "I was unable to. Not when I knew they were after you. The Alpha Kings... they seek power. They understand, nevertheless, that if they bring you down, everything else follows.

For a beat the room went quiet, his words' gravity hanging between us. Kailyn's face grew stern and I could sense my wrath growing. But there was something more as well, something deeper. A part of me wished to believe him, to grasp. But might I?

A sound from outside caught my notice to the door before I could answer. Footfalls too strong to ignore, the unmistakable sound of a pack moving through the trees. My gaze shifted to Ezra.

You brought them here? I snarled.

Ezra's eyes grew wide. "No, I,"

As the renegade wolves flooded into the hut, their presence saturating the space with a sense of danger so strong I could almost taste it, the air changed. Ezra stood motionless, his face changing from guilt to need.

Kailyn, her voice low but firm, remarked, "We don't have time for this." Her motions were flowing as she got ready for the worst and she grabbed for her blade.

I told her to "stay back" and moved in front of her to the group. "This is my battle."

Kailyn, though, remained undeterred. Her eyes, piercing and resolute, met mine. "No, this is our battle."

Snarling as they circled us, the renegade wolves got closer. A massive wolf with dark hair and bright red eyes, the leader strode forward and fixed his stare on me with such fervour that I felt a shiver go down my back.

The leader, his voice low and quivering in the air, said, "You are too late." The plot of the Alpha Kings is already underway. Your time is finished.

Though Kailyn was already at my side, her sword shining in the low light, I tightened my fists. Though we were outnumbered, there was no going back. We had to battle. We had to put an end to this.

The first blow came so quickly I hardly had time to respond. One of the rogue wolves pounced at me, claws raking across my shoulder. Fighting the agony, I gritted my teeth and pushed it away.

But just as I believed we may perhaps fend them off, I saw it, the enemy commander removing something from his coat. A gadget radiating an odd illumination.

"It's too late," he replied once more, his voice tinged with smug pleasure. Now the Alpha Kings run everything.

In that split second, I understood the reality; this was no longer only about us. It was about something far larger, something we were just starting to grasp.

Sharp and urgent, Kailyn's voice cut through the din. Vincent, we must stop him!

The truth's weight suffocated the space between us, thereby pressing it down on me. Kailyn stood on the other side of the room, arms crossed tightly over her chest and eyes narrowing in doubt. She didn't have to speak; I could sense the static-like crackling suspicion in the air.

"Vincent," she murmured softly, her voice tinged with something I couldn't quite identify. "How long were you planning to hide this from me?"

My mind was racing as I looked at her. I knew what she meant: the fact that I had kept secrets from her, just as she had from me. The Alpha King. Ezra The plot endangering everyone.

You believe I'm concealing something? My voice was low but tense with the charge.

"I believe we are both concealing something," she said, her eyes sparkling with perhaps fury or something else. Letdown? You no longer trust me, Vincent. And I can sense it.

I ground my teeth. This is not what it concerns.

Is it not? Though her voice was soft now, the pain in it was obvious. Not when everything's coming apart, you can't just keep me in the dark. We should be cooperating. But all I see is you withdrawing every damn time.

I felt a knot in my stomach. She was correct. Every time she had contacted me, I had pushed her away. I had withheld information from her not out of distrust but rather in an effort to shield her. But that justification was getting thin.

"I'm trying to save you," I murmured, my voice sounding more severe than I meant.

She remained unflinching. From what, Vincent? From the reality? You believe I can't manage it? You believe I can't manage you?

Though they hurt, I could not dismiss the words. It was the betrayal of everything we had achieved together, not only Ezra's treachery. I didn't know whether it was too late to correct it.

You believe I don't trust you? I moved closer and said softly. Kailyn, I have always believed in you. You were the one thing I knew I could rely on.

Her eyes were looking for mine as she gazed up at me. Then why does it seem as though you are always one step ahead of me? Why are you excluding me?

I could sense the heat between us, the constant crackling tension that had always there but was suddenly different. The battle, the rage, all of it mixed with something more profound. I could hear it in her words, see it in her eyes. She was furious. But there was also something else present. And I wasn't certain whether it was something I was prepared to confront.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, breaking the quiet before I could answer. I took it out and looked at the screen. The second in command.

What is it? I enquired, my heart racing.

"We have a problem," he replied, his voice strained. One of our own... it's not only the Alpha Kings. A traitor lurks within the flock. The eastern border is out of our control.

I felt a shiver go through me. A backstabber? The remarks struck more forcefully than they ought to have.

Her gaze fixed on me, I looked up at Kailyn. Not even with the fresh knowledge had the tension between us lessened. I whispered softly, "We have to go."

Her stare was constant and unflinching. Vincent, if we lose everything... how are we meant to endure this?

Surrounded by papers and reports, Kailyn and I had gone back to my office, our sole concern the truth that had just broken out. Ezra's disappearance, his secret deals, everything was starting to line up, and none of it was good.

Kailyn paced the room, her rapid, pointed steps suggesting the very movement may loosen the truth. She grumbled under her breath, "This is larger than we imagined." "A lot bigger."

Sitting at my desk, I tried to fit everything together looking at the map of the territory. It was all linked: the attacks, the betrayals, the wild wolf. But the more we found, the more I understood how far the decay went.

"I can't believe it," I said more to myself than to her. "I assumed we were handling rogue wolves, but this... this is a coordinated assault."

Her gaze icy and distant, Kailyn stopped pacing and faced me. Vincent, who else is engaged? Who else is using us, then?

The truth's weight pushing down on me made me run a palm over my face. I have no idea. Still, I have a hunch it's someone nearer to us than we believe.

The deep quiet was pierced by a knock on the door. I need not speak. My lieutenant entered, looking grave.

Vincent, Kailyn Holding out a folder, he remarked, "we discovered something." He placed it on the desk before me. I felt a beat miss.

The folder was thick; the paper aged and yellowed. My hands trembled as I read the first few lines, hence I opened it fast. A report, thorough, exacting, detailing every action we had taken, every fight, every strategy. But one paragraph at the end made me shiver: Your closest circle contains the traitor. The one you most trust.

I looked up to find Kailyn staring back at me. Her face reflected my own: perplexity, scepticism, and something more sinister I couldn't identify.

My voice was calm despite the internal turmoil, "We have to act quickly." "This cannot get any worse."