Chapter 40: Beneath the Surface
Rowan stood at the tall window of his office, the morning light casting long shadows over the stone floor. His fists clenched behind his back, knuckles white as his wolf paced with impatience in his mind.
‘They’ve gone too far.’ His wolf snarled. ‘She’s loyal. And they know it.’
Rowan didn’t answer. He couldn’t. The rage coiling in his gut made his throat feel too tight. When the knock came on his door, sharp and imperious, he already knew who it would be.
He strode to the chamber room without a word, summoning all five Elders through the pack link with a command tone that couldn’t be ignored. The guards outside the council doors barely had time to bow before he pushed them open with a growl of frustration.
The Elders sat in their high-backed chairs, gathered like vultures at the end of the long stone table. Elder Malric looked particularly smug, hands steepled as if he’d been waiting for this confrontation.
“Alpha Rowan,” Elder Thorne greeted coolly. “To what do we owe this early visit?”
Rowan didn’t sit. He braced his hands on the end of the table, eyes burning into each of them in turn. “I want to know why Sylah has been imprisoned.”
Elder Malric’s smile faltered slightly. “She’s under investigation. She had suspicious interactions with guards the night Elia went missing.”
“And that warrants imprisonment?” Rowan demanded, his voice sharp. “Not questioning, not surveillance—imprisonment?”
“She has connections to Giselle,” Elder Brenna added cautiously. “And her change in behavior raised concerns. If there’s rot in our ranks—”
“There is rot,” Rowan cut in. “But it isn’t Sylah.”
His wolf snarled in agreement. ‘Lies. Deceit. You smell it on them.’
Elder Malric leaned forward, feigning calm. “You forget yourself, Alpha.”
“No,” Rowan said, voice cold and deliberate. “You forget your place. I am the Alpha. You serve the pack—not your own agenda.”
The room crackled with tension.
“You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgment,” Elder Malric said, his tone clipped. “First with the rogue girl, now with your enforcers. You’re compromising the safety of this pack.”
“I’m uncovering the truth,” Rowan snapped, standing tall. “And Sylah will be released.”
“You don’t have proof.”
“Yet.” Rowan’s glare could have cut stone. He straightened and turned for the door. “Release Sylah,” he said without looking back. “Or I’ll tear down this entire chamber brick by brick to find out who’s working with the rogues.”
With that, he left, his wolf still pacing. ‘We’re getting close,’ his wolf said.
Rowan didn’t answer. But in his chest, a fire burned hotter than ever.
—
Rowan paced his office with heavy steps, the sound of his boots muffled against the thick rug. The fire in the hearth flickered low, casting dim shadows that danced across the walls. His wolf growled impatiently in his head, pacing just as restlessly behind his eyes.
‘We’re wasting time,’ his wolf snarled. ‘Get her out. Protect what’s ours.’
“I know,” Rowan muttered aloud, just as the knock on the door came.
Beta Kalen entered, his face grim, leading a bruised but defiant Sylah. Her wrists were red where the shackles had rubbed, her braid disheveled and clothes wrinkled from days in a holding cell. But her eyes… they still burned with fire.
The second the door closed behind them, Rowan crossed the room and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. “You shouldn’t have been locked up,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”
Sylah scoffed. “I knew there would be blowback, but I didn’t think they’d act that fast. Guess I was too close.”
Rowan motioned for them to sit, but Sylah remained standing. “I didn’t do anything to Elia,” she said firmly, her voice laced with anger. “Whatever lies they’re spreading—”
“I already know,” Rowan cut in, holding her gaze. “I don’t think you’re the traitor, Sylah. But someone’s trying hard to make you look like one.”
Beta Kalen crossed his arms beside the window. “What did you find out before they came for you?”
Sylah let out a breath, her posture relaxing slightly now that she knew they believed her. “I spoke with all the guards scheduled that night. Most reported nothing unusual, but one guard, Marcus, mentioned seeing Elia near the cells late that night. He admitted that Elder Malric himself changed Elia’s access level the night Giselle disappeared. Said he was told she was there on official Elder business. No one questioned it.”
Rowan's jaw tightened. "Did he see her enter the cells?"
Sylah shook her head. "No, but he did notice she had a set of keys. When he asked about them, she brushed him off."
Rowan paced the room, the pieces starting to form a troubling picture.
"Anything else?"
"Another guard, Liana, mentioned hearing movement in the lower corridors after her shift ended. She assumed it was the next shift arriving early, but now she's not so sure. I was just starting to connect the dots when they dragged me off.”
Rowan exchanged a look with Kalen. It was confirmation of what they had already begun to suspect. Malric was orchestrating more than just council manipulation—he was sabotaging their pack from within.
“You have to get out of here,” Rowan said, his voice low. “Now.”
Sylah blinked. “What?”
“I don’t trust Malric not to try again. He’ll find a way to silence you if you stay.”
“You want me to run?” she asked, incredulous. “Rowan, I’m not afraid of him—”
“This isn’t about fear. It’s about staying alive long enough to help. I need you to head to Charlie’s pack. Tell her what’s happening here. Tell her and her mates everything—about Malric, Elia, the tunnel. All of it.”
Sylah’s eyes narrowed. “Charlie? You sure?”
“She’ll believe you,” Rowan said. “And she’s strong enough to act on it. I need allies outside these walls, people I can trust when it comes time to take Malric down.”
Beta Kalen stepped forward. “You won’t go alone. Rowan wants you to take Giselle’s mother and sister with you.”
Sylah blinked again. “You’re sending them away?”
“They won’t survive another blow from the Elders if this escalates. They’ve been pawns in this game from the beginning. I won’t let them pay the price for what Malric is doing.”
A long silence stretched between them before Sylah nodded. “I’ll get them to safety,” she promised. “With my life, if that’s what it takes.”
Rowan reached for her hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “Thank you.”
She smirked. “Guess I’m more useful alive after all.”
He gave her a faint smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Be careful, Sylah. They’re watching everything. Kalen will get you out—quietly.”
Sylah turned to go, but paused at the door. “Tell Giselle…” she hesitated, then shook her head. “Never mind. Just bring her back.”
“I will,” Rowan said.
“I’ll get the others,” Kalen said, nodding to Rowan before following Sylah out.
As the door clicked shut behind them, Rowan let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. His wolf was still pacing, still bristling.
‘You’re sending away everyone we care about.’
“For now,” Rowan murmured, staring into the flames. “But we’ll bring them home. All of them.”
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