Chapter 4 Whispers of Revenge

Chapter Four: Whispers of Revenge

The cold wind bit at Astrid's skin as she stood on the cliff's edge, looking out over the dense forest that stretched below. The moon hung high and full, silver light spilling like liquid over the trees. The Night Fang pack lands looked peaceful, but her heart was anything but calm.

Her hands clenched the crescent moon brooch Cane had given her. It was warm, almost like it pulsed with a secret strength.

Whispers of the past echoed in her mind-Kael, Kara, the baby she had lost.

Revenge. The word tasted bitter and sweet at the same time.

Inside the pack house, the air was thick with tension. Warriors gathered in small groups, voices low but urgent. Astrid's new status as beta had shaken things up, but it was the news from Kael's pack that truly set tongues wagging.

In the great hall, Alpha Cane sat tall in his chair, silent as a mountain. His silver eyes scanned the room, sharp and unreadable.

Astrid entered quietly, the eyes of the entire pack falling on her.

"Luna," Cane said, rising to greet her.

She nodded, feeling the weight of every gaze like arrows.

The warriors looked at her with curiosity and some with doubt. What could a broken woman do now? How could she be a beta?

But Astrid held her head high.

Later that evening, Mira found her near the fire pit outside.

"People are talking," Mira said in a whisper. "About you. About what happened to Kael."

Astrid looked up, eyes tired.

"I don't want their pity," she said.

Mira shrugged. "No one is pitying you. They're scared."

"Aren't they supposed to be afraid of Kael?" Astrid asked.

Mira's smile was bitter. "Not anymore."

Astrid's mind raced. Kael was no longer alpha. He was banished. His power shattered. That was a start.

Days passed.

Astrid trained harder, pushed harder. Cane watched with approval, but there was something he didn't say out loud.

One evening, after a brutal sparring session, Cane approached her.

"You're ready," he said quietly. "But the fight ahead is not just with fists."

Astrid wiped sweat from her brow. "I know."

Cane's gaze darkened. "Kael's mistakes have made him dangerous. But the pack will follow the strongest. You need to be that strength."

Astrid nodded slowly. "I want to hurt him where it hurts. Make him feel the pain he caused me."

Cane's lips curved into a slight smile. "Good."

That night, as she lay in her room, the moonlight spilling in, Astrid's thoughts were restless.

She reached into her bag and pulled out a small, worn journal-her own writing from years before. Pages filled with hopes, fears, and dreams. She traced a finger over the words she had written when she first married Kael.

"I want to be his Luna. I want to heal him, even if he won't love me back."

The ache in her chest tightened.

She closed the journal and whispered to the silent room, "It's time to heal me instead."

The following morning, a messenger arrived from Kael's pack. Cane received the news with a hard look.

"The pack is in chaos," he said. "Kael's absence has left a void. Some want to take over. Others are loyal to him."

Astrid's eyes narrowed. "He still has followers."

Cane nodded. "And they won't stop until he's back."

She clenched her fists. Revenge wouldn't be easy.

Astrid decided to visit the village nearby under Cane's watchful eye.

She needed information-about Kael, about Kara, about the new alpha candidates.

The village was quiet when she arrived. Faces glanced her way, some open, some wary.

An old woman approached her, eyes sharp beneath a hood.

"You're the one who left," she said softly.

Astrid nodded. "Yes."

The woman sighed. "Kael was a good alpha once. But his heart was broken. He lost himself."

Astrid's throat tightened.

"Be careful," the woman warned. "Not all wounds heal with time. Some fester."

Back at the pack house, Cane and Astrid planned their next steps.

"We need allies," Cane said. "There are packs who would welcome our cause."

Astrid looked at him. "And if Kael comes for me?"

Cane's expression hardened. "Then he'll find a beta ready to fight."

She smiled, a flicker of hope sparking inside her.

One night, as the moon climbed high, Astrid dreamed of her lost child.

A small, fragile being with dark eyes, reaching out to her.

She woke with tears streaming down her face.

Cane found her then, sitting alone in the courtyard.

"Your pain is deep," he said softly.

"I don't know if I can do this," she admitted.

"You already are," he said.

Their hands touched briefly.

Astrid felt a spark-something she hadn't felt in years.

Days later, a secret meeting was called in the depths of the forest.

Leaders from neighboring packs gathered in hushed tones.

Cane stood beside Astrid, proud and protective.

"This is not just a fight for power," he told the group. "It's a fight for justice."

Whispers spread.

Astrid stepped forward.

"I was wronged by Kael," she said, voice steady. "I am not here for pity. I am here to reclaim what was stolen."

The crowd murmured, some nodding in agreement.

But the shadows were watching.

A spy from Kael's old pack slipped through the trees, reporting back.

Kael's anger burned hotter than ever.

He would not let Astrid's new strength go unanswered.

Cliffhanger:

One night, a messenger arrived at the Night Fang pack, breathless and pale.

"Kael is coming," he gasped. "With an army."

Astrid stood before the pack, heart pounding.

The fight was about to begin.