Chapter 21: Betrayal Within The Ranks

After the big fight during the full moon, everyone was very busy. Jessica worked hard as the Luna. She made sure more wolves were watching for danger and helped different packs become friends. Every day, she felt more sure of herself. Her mates always supported her, which made her feel strong.

But one day, when Jessica was in another meeting about what to do next, she felt like something was wrong. Michael, who usually had lots of good ideas about fighting, was very quiet. He was sitting far away from everyone else, looking like he was thinking hard about something.

"Michael?" Jessica said softly. "What do you think about putting more wolves near the east side of our land?"

Michael looked surprised, like he forgot where he was. "What? Oh, yes. That sounds... okay," he said.

James looked worried. He looked at Jessica, and she knew he felt something was wrong too. This wasn't how Michael usually acted.

When the meeting was over, Jessica went to talk to Michael. "Is everything okay? You seem like you're thinking about something else," she said.

Michael smiled, but his eyes didn't look happy. "Just tired, I think. We've had so much to do since the fight," he said.

Jessica nodded, but she didn't really believe him. She watched him leave the room quickly. His shoulders looked very stiff.

"Something's not right," James said quietly, standing next to her.

"I know," Jessica said with a big breath. "But what is it?"

Before James could say anything, they heard lots of noise outside. They ran to the window and saw a group of wolves pulling someone into their home area. When they got closer, Jessica was very surprised. It was one of the bad people who wanted to hurt them. His dark clothes were torn and had blood on them.

"We caught him sneaking around near our land," Andrew said in an angry voice. He pushed the bad man down to his knees.

Jessica thought fast. This could be very good - they might be able to learn what the bad people were planning. But before she could say anything, Michael spoke.

"Kill him," he said in a cold voice. "We can't let him go back and tell the others about how we protect ourselves."

Jessica turned to look at Michael, very surprised. "Michael, no!" she said. "We need to ask him questions. He might know important things."

For a moment, Michael's eyes looked strange and dark. Then he looked normal again. "Of course," he said smoothly. "You're right, Luna. I spoke too fast."

As they took the bad man away to ask him questions, Jessica still felt worried. The way Michael acted was not normal for him. What was happening to Michael?

For the next few days, Jessica watched Michael carefully. She saw him going away at strange times and talking quietly with wolves she didn't know. When she asked him about it, he always had a good reason, but Jessica still felt worried.

One night when there was no moon, everything changed. Jessica couldn't sleep, so she went for a walk. When she got near the edge of their home area, she heard people talking. One voice was definitely Michael's.

"...we have to do something soon," a voice Jessica didn't know was saying. "The Luna gets stronger every day."

"I know," Michael said. He sounded very worried. "But we can't go too fast. If we make one mistake, we'll lose everything we worked for."

Jessica felt very cold and scared. Michael, one of her mates, the one she trusted with their most important plans, was working with the bad people.

She must have made a noise, because suddenly the voices stopped. Jessica tried to run away, but it was too late. Michael was standing in front of her. He looked very surprised, and then very sad.

"Jessica," he said quietly. "You weren't supposed to find out like this."

"How could you do this?" Jessica whispered. She felt like she might cry. "We trusted you. I trusted you."

Michael looked very sad and upset. "You don't understand. This is about more than just us, more than the packs. The bad people... they have my sister. They said they would let her go if I helped them."

Jessica was very surprised. Michael never talked about having a sister before. "Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped!" she said.

"I couldn't take that chance," Michael said, shaking his head. "They said they would kill her if I told anyone."

Before Jessica could say anything else, she saw people coming out of the dark trees. They were the bad people, at least twelve of them. They had weapons in their hands.

"I'm sorry, Jessica," Michael said. He sounded like he really meant it. "But I have to do this."

As the bad people came closer, Jessica felt the Luna's power start to grow inside her. But she didn't know if she could use it against Michael. He was one of her special mates. And even if she could, she didn't know if she was strong enough to fight so many bad people by herself.

Jessica felt like her heart was breaking. She was in a lot of danger. She had to make a very hard choice. Should she trust Michael, even though he had lied to her? Or should she try to fight all these bad people to save herself and all the wolves who needed her?

The night got darker. Jessica didn't know what would happen next.

She looked at Michael, feeling very sad and confused. "Michael, please," she said. "We can find another way. Let me help you save your sister."

Michael looked like he was fighting with himself. "I... I don't know if we can," he said. "They're too strong, too smart."

Jessica took a deep breath. She felt the Luna's power getting stronger. "We're stronger together," she said. "All of us. The pack, our mates. We can beat them if we work together."

Some of the bad people started to move closer. Jessica knew she had to do something fast.

"Michael," she said, looking right into his eyes. "I forgive you. I understand why you did this. But now you have to choose. Are you with us or with them?"

Michael looked at Jessica, then at the bad people. He looked very scared and sad. For a long moment, no one moved.

Then, very slowly, Michael stepped away from the bad people. He moved to stand next to Jessica.

"I'm sorry," he said to her. "I was wrong. I want to make this right."

Jessica felt relief wash over her. But they weren't safe yet. The bad people looked very angry.

"You'll both die for this," one of them growled.

Jessica stood up straight. She felt the Luna's power flowing through her, stronger than ever before. "No," she said in a strong voice. "We won't."

She raised her hands, and bright moonlight shot out from them. The bad people yelled and covered their eyes.

"Run!" Jessica shouted to Michael. "Get the others!"

As Michael ran to get help, Jessica faced the bad people. She was scared, but she also felt very strong. She knew she had to protect her home and her pack.

The fight was hard. Jessica used her Luna powers to push the bad people back, but there were so many of them. Just when she thought she couldn't fight anymore, she heard a loud howl.

James and the other mates came running out of the trees. They changed into their wolf forms and attacked the bad people.

With her mates by her side, Jessica felt stronger than ever. They fought together, protecting each other and their home.

Finally, the last of the bad people ran away. Jessica fell to her knees, very tired but happy they had won.

James changed back to his human form and hugged her. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Jessica nodded. "I'm okay," she said. Then she looked at Michael, who was standing nearby looking very sad.

"We need to talk," Jessica said to him. "But first, let's go save your sister."

Michael looked surprised, then very thankful. "Thank you," he said softly.

As they all walked back to the pack house, Jessica knew things would be different now. But she also knew that together, they could face anything.

The night was still dark, but Jessica felt hope growing inside her. They had faced a big challenge and won. She was ready for whatever came next.