Page 17

Chapter eight

Tristan

T he dusky silhouette of the Stormvale compound loomed ahead, shrouded in twilight and secrets.

Shadows crept along the forest floor as we made our way back, each step a reminder of the ambush that had left us raw and weary.

Serena walked beside me, still in her bra and jeans, her silence more unnerving than any threat.

I could feel the watchful eyes of the pack as we approached, especially those stealing glances at Serena’s body.

I resisted the urge to wrap my arm around her.

Not because she needed the protection—Serena didn’t need anyone’s shield—but because every stare felt like an insult I couldn’t afford to answer with teeth.

But it was Ewan's presence at the gate—his stance tense and wary—that sent a jolt through me.

His eyes locked onto us, searching and accusing, igniting an uneasy flicker of doubt in my mind.

“Where the hell have you been?” Ewan's voice cut through the air as we reached the gates.

His arms were crossed, and he tapped one foot impatiently, eyes darting between us.

“Nice to see you too,” I said, trying to sound calm. But the words came out sharper than I intended, edged with the strain of the last twelve hours.

Serena remained quiet, her expression unreadable. She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, a gesture I'd come to recognize as a shield. A mask for whatever she didn't want us to see.

“We've been expecting you back for hours,” Ewan continued. “Thought you'd been taken or killed, or—” His gaze pierced mine, demanding an explanation.

The compound loomed behind him, its rough-hewn timbers casting long shadows in the fading light. The pack watched from shadows and windows, their gazes sharp as blades. I didn’t know if they were looking to me for leadership or waiting for me to fall.

“We ran into trouble,” I said finally, glancing at Serena.

Ewan's posture shifted, a flicker of something like satisfaction crossing his face before he masked it with feigned concern. His eyes flicked to the dried blood on my shoulder. Too quick. Too knowing. He hadn’t asked about the injury—hadn’t needed to. “What kind of trouble?”

“Ambush in the woods,” Serena said, her voice steady and cold. She studied Ewan with a focus that matched his, refusing to look away.

“Silver Ridge?” Ewan asked, but I caught an edge of eagerness in his tone.

I nodded, the memory of the attack still vivid—wolves circling, snarls in the dark. Alaric's unmistakable scent. “Had to take the long way back to lose them.”

Ewan frowned, but there was something wrong in his expression. His surprise felt forced, rehearsed. I didn't like the way he looked at Serena, as if she were a puzzle he needed to solve.

“And you're both... fine?” He said it like a challenge, daring us to admit we weren't.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Tired, but fine.”

He stepped closer, eyes narrowing. “You sure you're not leaving anything out?”

Serena smiled, but there was no warmth in it. “Don't worry, Ewan. We wouldn't want to distract you from whatever important business you were tending to while we were getting chased.”

Her sarcasm hung in the air, and I almost laughed. Ewan didn't.

“I'm just making sure you didn't lead them back here,” he said, casting a nervous glance around the compound. The restlessness in him was unmistakable, like he couldn't wait to be done with us and move on to something else. “Tristan, we need to talk.”

Serena raised an eyebrow at me, the challenge clear in her eyes. I hesitated, the words sticking in my throat. Everything in me screamed not to trust what I was seeing, but I pushed it down. Old habits.

“You’ve said enough,” I told him. My voice was low, final. “I’ll call you when I need your opinion.”

Ewan gave me a hard look, the lines around his mouth tightening. “Fine,” he said finally. “But don't wait too long. You might not like what you hear.”

I watched him turn and walk away, his movements stiff and hurried.

I tried to tell myself that my suspicions were just the product of too little sleep and too many surprises.

That the unease gnawing at me would pass if I let it.

But I couldn't shake the image of Ewan's face, the way he'd almost smiled at Serena's mention of the attack.

“We can't stay out here,” Serena said, her voice pulling me back. “They're all watching.”

I glanced around at the compound, at the pack who depended on me to make the right decisions. I needed to get a grip. For them, if not for myself.

“Let's go inside,” I said, trying to sound more certain than I felt. Serena's eyes lingered on me a moment longer, filled with questions I wasn't ready to answer. Then she nodded, and together we walked past the gates, leaving Ewan's shadow behind.

The old library whispered with ancient secrets as I slipped inside, the heavy wooden door groaning in protest. Candlelight danced along the stone walls, breathing life into the forgotten symbols etched by wolves long dead.

Serena stood by the window, silhouetted against the night sky, an alluring mystery I couldn't unravel.

The room hummed with something deeper than silence—a tension that echoed the beat of my own heart.

She turned as I approached, and the way her eyes met mine stirred the storm inside me.

I closed the distance between us, drawn by a force I didn't fully understand. “Couldn't sleep either?” I asked, my voice softer than I'd intended.

“Not when there's so much to unravel,” she said, gesturing to the scattered papers and books. Her eyes were watchful, as if gauging how much she could trust me.

The weight of yesterday’s ambush still clung to us, a shadow in every word we shared. I took a seat beside her, letting our shoulders touch—a simple gesture, but it sent a rush through me that I couldn't ignore.

“We're getting closer to the truth,” I said, trying to focus on the task at hand, not the way her nearness scrambled my thoughts. “But the more we find, the more dangerous it gets.”

“That's never stopped me before,” Serena replied with a hint of defiance, her lips curving in a way that made it hard to look away.

We bent over the table, the flickering candlelight casting a circle of warmth around us. It felt like the rest of the world had faded, leaving only the two of us and the questions that lay between.

“The celestial stones,” I began, choosing my words carefully. “They're not just powerful. They're the heart of what binds my pack to this place.”

Serena's gaze was steady, drawing the truth out of me like a lure. “So what happens if we break the curse?”

I hesitated, the answer clawing at me. “I don’t know yet, but I have a feeling it would have major consequences for my pack. This mountain.”

Her silence was more profound than any response, filling the room with the gravity of what I'd said. I watched her, waiting for a sign of what she thought. What she felt.

“Then why help me?” she asked, her voice a careful blend of challenge and vulnerability.

Because I'm already in too deep, I thought, but the words stayed lodged inside. I ran a hand through my hair, frustration gnawing at me. “I need to show you something,” I said instead, rising to retrieve the manuscript.

The stone walls seemed to watch us, a presence that felt both protective and ominous. I found the loose rock in the far corner, the manuscript tucked away like a forbidden secret.

“It's old,” I said, handing it to her, our fingers brushing for an electric moment. “Very old.”

We settled back into the candle's glow, the world narrowing to the fragile pages before us. The words were dense and tangled, but Serena's focus was unwavering. She was a puzzle of contradictions—sharp and soft, daring and guarded. I was losing myself to the pull of her, the mystery that she was.

Her scent wound around me—wild honey and moonlight—leaving me breathless.

“What is it?” she asked, sensing my distraction.

“Nothing,” I lied, my voice betraying me. “Everything.”

Our eyes met, and I saw the flicker of understanding in hers. It was terrifying and thrilling, this thing growing between us.

As we read on, the room closed in, the air thick with the revelation: The stones could break her curse, but at a price. The cost was too great, too unthinkable. I struggled to breathe, the weight of it pressing down.

“The pack—” I started, my words tangled with emotion. “Serena, I can't—”

The sudden noise outside shattered the moment. Footsteps. Voices. I leapt to my feet, heart pounding.

“Someone's there,” Serena said, urgency in her eyes. We moved quickly, hiding the manuscript back in its place.

The hallway was empty when we opened the door, but I couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, of someone knowing what we were trying to uncover. Is someone already on to us? Is it too late to hide what we’ve found?

The risk was growing, and with it, the choices I wasn't sure I was ready to make.

I left the library with the chill of unanswered questions clinging to my skin.

The shadows in the compound seemed darker, every corner concealing a potential threat.

Serena's worried expression haunted me, her eyes reflecting the doubts I'd tried to push aside.

But the unease gnawed too deeply, and my wolf demanded answers.

I slipped through the halls, silent as the tension that wound itself around my heart.

Each step toward Ewan's quarters was a betrayal in itself, a path I couldn't turn back from.

The night was quiet, the kind of quiet that spoke of watchful eyes and unspoken intentions. My instincts pulled me forward, warning me that time was short, that the danger was too close to ignore.

Serena's parting words echoed in my mind, a mixture of concern and challenge. I couldn't tell her what I suspected—not until I knew for sure. But leaving her alone in the compound made my gut twist with doubt.

Ewan's quarters were tucked in the far wing, away from the others. His absence was like an accusation, as if he'd known I'd come looking. The door creaked as I pushed it open, a sound that seemed to amplify the treachery I was about to uncover.

My eyes swept the room, noting the signs of his recent departure.

A jacket thrown carelessly on the chair.

Boots missing from their usual place. It felt wrong to invade his space, but my resolve hardened.

I needed to know. I began searching, my movements quick and methodical.

Each drawer and hidden corner was a new lead or a dead end.

Guilt gnawed at me, but the drive to uncover the truth was stronger.

Under the mattress, I found it—a leather pouch, worn and inconspicuous. My pulse quickened, and I opened it with hands that trembled despite my efforts to stay calm. The contents spilled into my lap, damning in their clarity.

Letters.

They were marked with the seal of Silver Ridge, Alaric Sterling's mark unmistakable even in the dim light. I picked them up one by one, reading the words that confirmed my worst fears.

Ewan.

Alaric.

Their names linked by plans to overthrow me and take control of the stones. The correspondence detailed everything—the ambushes, the strategies, even Serena's role in their twisted game.

Once we have the stones, we'll no longer need either of them.

The final sentence seared itself into my mind, a brutal truth I couldn't escape. I felt something break inside me, a fracture that ran deeper than any wound I'd ever taken.

How long had he been planning this? How had I been so blind?

The footsteps came suddenly, jolting me into action. They were quick and purposeful, heading straight for the room. Panic surged, and I shoved the letters back into the pouch, replacing it with shaking hands.

I slipped into the shadows just as the door swung open.

Ewan entered, his expression tight and wary.

Mud clung to his boots, and the scent of Silver Ridge tainted the air around him.

I watched him from my hiding place, the betrayal cutting into me with every breath he took.

This was the wolf I'd trusted with my life, and he'd sold me out to our worst enemy.

My heart pounded with the need to confront him, but the timing wasn't right.

Not yet. Not until I had a plan that wouldn't put Serena or the pack in more danger.

Ewan moved through the room, his actions too precise, too controlled.

Did he know I'd been here? Was he already aware of how close I'd come to unraveling his secrets?

I held my ground, silent and still, as he sniffed around the room. The urge to reveal myself, to force the truth out of him, burned in my chest. But I waited. I needed him to believe I hadn't figured it out yet.

When he finally turned away, leaving the door ajar, I slipped out behind him. The hallway swallowed me in shadows, but my path was clear now. I couldn't let Ewan's betrayal destroy everything I'd fought to protect.

Even if it meant tearing my own heart out in the process. I looked down at the mark on my shoulder. It pulsed—bright, angry, alive. A reminder that fate doesn’t wait for anyone. And neither would I.