Chapter 112
**CAEDMON**
**"A traitor's greatest weapon is the belief that he belongs."**
The night had a strange silence to it, not the usual calm that blanketed the community once the sun dipped below the trees, but a quiet that felt like the hush before a scream. I stood in the shadows just beyond the edge of the inner courtyard, watching the lights flicker through Adam's office window. He had been in there for hours. No doubt plotting. They all were.
I clenched my fists behind my back and rolled my shoulders slowly, forcing myself to appear relaxed as a group of young wolves passed by, laughing about something trivial. They nodded politely as they walked past, and I returned the gesture, wearing the same well-worn mask I always did.
The one that said: I belong here.
I didn’t.
Not really. Not in this place where species merged, where nature’s lines blurred, where hybrids walked freely among the purebloods like gods among men. It was an abomination. One I had watched grow from a whisper into a prophecy.
Aria.
She was the key. She didn't know it yet, not truly. Maybe Adam suspected. Austin certainly seemed more animal than man when it came to her. But she was more than a mate. She was a symbol. Of change. Of danger. Of extinction for those like me.
I walked slowly back to the apartment the council had given me, the light glow of the moon casting my shadow across the cobblestones. Inside, I pulled the curtains and locked the door with deliberate care before sitting at the small desk tucked in the corner of the room. A single candle flickered beside me.
I retrieved the small communication mirror from the false bottom of my satchel. It hummed faintly as I whispered the incantation, and within moments, the surface shimmered to reveal the face of Elias, the alpha of the resistance pack nestled just across the border.
"You look tired," Elias said with a smirk.
"I’m surrounded by fools who believe they can rewrite the laws of nature and walk away unscathed. Of course I’m tired."
Elias chuckled. "Still playing nice with the hybrid lovers?"
"They think I am one of them," I said calmly. "Which is why we still have time. But not much."
His expression sobered. "News from the community?"
I hesitated. The words tasted bitter.
"Something has changed," I said carefully. "She’s been out of sight. Guarded more closely. The energy around her is different. It’s possible she’s preparing for
the transition—or has already undergone it."
Elias leaned forward. "You're guessing?"
"Observing," I corrected. "No one has confirmed it, not openly. But the signs are there. She's weaker than she was, but not in a failing way. Like something is… transforming inside her."
Elias frowned. "You're saying she's pregnant?"
"I don’t know. Not for certain," I said, jaw tight. "But if she is, and if she is what I think—then the prophecy may be closer than we feared."
The candle flickered sharply, its flame curling toward me like it too hungered for blood.
"We need to move before they confirm anything. I’ll stay inside and keep watching. But if she’s carrying hybrids—if she is one now herself—then we’re almost out of time."
"What do you suggest?"
"They don’t suspect that I know Lord Ambrose is dead," I said, my voice low. "They think his absence is enough to unbalance me, but they forget who he was to me. What he taught me."
"You think someone in the community killed him?"
"Not just someone," I said. "I think it was Adam. Or one of the hybrids. Lord Ambrose may have spoken of his doubts. And we both know how dangerous that would be."
Elias folded his arms. "So what now?"
I stared at the mirror, letting my anger simmer just beneath the surface. "We infiltrate deeper. I will continue to play the role. Gain their trust. And then, when they least expect it, we strike."
Elias said nothing for a long moment. Then, softly, "You still believe hybrids should not exist? Even after all this time?"
I met his gaze through the reflection. "I do not just believe it. I know it. Nature never meant for blood to mix like this. It is unstable. Dangerous. It weakens the pure lines. And in the end, it will mean the end of us all."
I ended the call with a flick of my fingers and leaned back in the chair. The candle’s flame danced in the stillness, casting a halo of gold light across the walls.
They would never see it coming. Not Adam. Not Austin. Not even Aria, with her instincts so sharpened now by whatever change she was undergoing.
The irony was exquisite. They had let me in. Given me room and shelter, asked me to eat at their table, and invited me to walk their halls.
And soon, I would tear it all down from within.
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