Chapter 182
The summit grounds were buzzing as usual. Warriors sparring, alphas deep in whispered conversation, emissaries gliding past like this was a masquerade ball and not a political battlefield. But all I could hear was her laugh. It was too high-pitched to be real, too polished. Like glass scraping against stone.
And there he was. Jeremiah.
He stood beside her with that relaxed posture, arms crossed like he didn’t have a care in the world. Like he hadn’t turned my insides upside down just weeks ago. Like I hadn’t watched him look at me like I was the only person left in a burning world.
But now?
Now he looked at her that way.
And the worst part? I almost believed he meant it.
But not today.
I turned my head, forcing my eyes away even though my heart twisted. I wasn’t going to make a scene. Not for someone who could treat me like a choice.
If this is what he wanted… then fine. Let him have it.
“Astrid,” came a voice from my right.
I blinked, jolted out of my thoughts.
Alex stood beside me, arms casually tucked into the pockets of his jacket. He had that half-crooked smile he wore when he knew I wasn’t okay but wasn’t sure if I’d punch someone for asking.
“You okay?” he asked, softer this time.
I nodded. “Peachy.”
He arched a brow. “And I’m a fairy princess.”
I almost smiled. Almost.
Alex had this way of showing up at the right time. Like he had a radar for when people were about to unravel. I didn’t know why he cared—not really—but I was grateful.
“We have more important things to worry about,” I said.
“Good. Because I think I found something.”
He nodded toward the edge of the forest. I followed him silently, my heart still heavier than I liked to admit.
“Remember the rune we found yesterday?” he asked as we ducked beneath a low branch.
“The one carved into the border stone?”
“Yeah. I thought it was a one-off.” He crouched, brushing leaves away from the base of a tree. “But then I saw this.”
Another rune. Identical to the first. Recently etched.
“Someone’s been busy,” I muttered.
“It’s fresh. Within the last twenty-four hours,” he said. “This is planned. Coordinated. Someone is weakening the wards systematically.”
“Which means they’re getting ready for something.”
I looked around. The forest was eerily quiet, the kind of quiet that sinks into your bones. I hated it.
As we stood, I caught movement from the corner of my eye—three shadows slipping through the trees.
Anna, Tomas, and Chloe. Our makeshift team.
“We followed the trail,” Anna said, holding up a piece of cloth. “Found this snagged on a broken branch near the training fields.”
It was dark fabric, soft. Velvet.
Not warrior gear. Not something you wore if you expected to run.
“Definitely ceremonial,” Tomas added. “Someone who attended the summit feast.”
“Which narrows it down to about a hundred people,” Chloe said, annoyed.
Chloe was one of Tomas friends ,she was quite a character and definitely impatient.
“Still,” I said, turning the cloth over. “There’s a scent.”
I closed my eyes, inhaling slowly. Oak. Clove. A faint trace of sandalwood.
Then I froze.
It was familiar.
Too familiar.
“Someone from our delegation,” I whispered. “Or very close to it.”
The group exchanged glances.
“We need to find out who’s been sneaking around at night,” Alex said. “And fast.”
As we turned back toward the estate, I felt the prickling sensation crawl up my spine. I didn’t know if it was the chill in the wind or the way everything suddenly felt wrong.
We were getting close. Too close.
Back at the dorms, Anna spread everything we had on the floor—fabric, hair samples, photos of the runes. Clues that felt disjointed until you looked at them from above.
Patterns.
That’s what this was. A pattern. Someone was staging evidence, leading the trail away from themselves. Which meant they were either incredibly smart—or desperate.
But one thing still didn’t add up.
Why the emblem?
“What if the emblem wasn’t the target?” I asked suddenly.
Everyone looked at me.
“What if it’s a distraction? A way to create chaos, to break trust between the packs, while the real plan is something else entirely?”
Alex nodded slowly. “Like a diversion.”
“Exactly.”
Anna tapped her pen against the map. “Okay… so if the theft is just a smokescreen, what’s the fire?”
“Maybe it has to do with the summit vote,” Tomas suggested. “Unifying the northern and southern councils… it would change everything.”
“Or maybe,” I said, “someone wants to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
Alex stiffened beside me.
“What?” I asked.
He hesitated, then said, “There’s something I didn’t tell you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Now’s not the time for secrets.”
“I know. But I wasn’t sure it meant anything until now.”
He pulled something out of his jacket—a note. Crumpled, smudged. But the words were still legible.
It was a warning.
Keep your head down. The emblem is just the beginning. Don’t get involved.
—A Friend
My pulse spiked. “Where did you get this?”
“It was slipped under my door last night.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Anna asked sharply.
“Because it could’ve been a prank. But now…”
Now it wasn’t.
Someone was watching us. Someone who knew what we were doing.
And they didn’t want us anywhere near the truth.
“We’re in danger,” Chloe whispered.
“We’ve always been in danger,” I said. “Now we just know it.”
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
I stepped outside, needing air, needing space.
The stars were cold and distant above me. The world felt too quiet, like it was holding its breath.
And then I saw him.
Jeremiah.
Alone this time, standing near the fountain.
I could’ve walked away. I should’ve.
But instead, I stood frozen.
He looked up, like he could feel me watching.
Our eyes met.
Something flickered in his gaze. Regret? Guilt?
Too little, too late.
I turned before he could say anything.
Let him play his games. I had more important things to do.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
