The wind carried the scent of ash and pine as Lyra paced along the edge of Ravenguard's southern wall. Dawn had barely broken, yet sleep had eluded her all night. Her conversation with Ronan still echoed in her mind the way he'd crushed the vial, the unspoken threat in his voice, the quiet promise that this was far from over.
Ronan wouldn't retreat quietly.
And that terrified her more than she wanted to admit.
She turned at the sound of footsteps. Cassian approached, eyes tired but alert. "You're up early," he said.
"Didn't sleep."
He didn't ask why. They both knew the answer.
"He'll make his next move soon," Cassian said grimly. "You humiliated him. That never goes unpunished with someone like Ronan."
"Then we have to be ready."
Cassian hesitated. "There's something else. We have a spy."
Lyra's blood ran cold. "Who?"
"We don't know yet. But Ronan knew things he shouldn't. Information only those in the inner circle would have. And it's not just leaks. Someone helped him track your movements before you were captured."
Lyra clenched her fists. "Then we find them."
Cassian nodded. "Alaric's already started an internal inquiry. He's being quiet about it, so as not to tip off the traitor."
The weight of that truth settled heavily between them. Someone inside Ravenguard someone trusted had betrayed them.
And soon, the consequences would come crashing down.
Later that day, Alaric stood before the war council, eyes dark as storm clouds.
"Double the patrols at all borders," he ordered. "No one leaves the grounds without clearance from Cassian or me. Until we root out the spy, trust no one."
The room buzzed with tension. The warriors exchanged uneasy glances, but no one challenged him.
Lyra stood beside Cassian, observing the subtle cues. Nervous glances. Fidgeting fingers. She wasn't trained in interrogation, but she had instincts. And one face stood out Beta Kellen. He looked too calm. Too composed. And he never made eye contact.
When the meeting ended, she followed Alaric to his quarters.
"I think it might be Kellen," she said.
Alaric turned to her, eyebrows raised. "What makes you think that?"
"It's a gut feeling. He wouldn't look at me. And he didn't ask a single question the whole meeting. Everyone else did."
Alaric considered this. "He's been loyal for years. But even loyalty has a price."
She nodded. "I want to confront him."
His eyes darkened. "No."
"If he thinks we suspect him, he'll run. Or do something desperate."
Alaric paced. "Let me handle it."
"No," she said. "Let me talk to him. Alone. If he thinks it's just me asking questions not accusing him he might slip."
Reluctantly, Alaric agreed.
That evening, Lyra found Kellen in the training yard, sharpening blades.
"Mind some company?" she asked.
He looked up and smiled. "Always."
She sat beside him. "Strange times, huh?"
He chuckled. "You could say that again."
She watched his hands. Steady. Too steady.
"How long have you known Alaric?"
"Since we were pups," he replied. "We trained together, bled together. I'd follow him into death."
"Even if he made mistakes?"
Kellen paused. "Mistakes?"
"Just… hypothetically. Would loyalty still hold if the Alpha faltered?"
He didn't answer.
"You know what happened to me, Kellen. Someone gave Ronan information. Someone betrayed Ravenguard."
He met her gaze finally. "Do you think it was me?"
"I think someone close to Alaric made a choice. Maybe they thought it was for the good of the pack. Maybe they thought they had no choice."
Silence stretched.
Then Kellen whispered, "I didn't think he'd take you."
Lyra's stomach dropped.
Kellen looked tortured. "He promised no blood. He said it would just be a conversation. He said… he said you deserve the truth."
"You gave him my location," she said.
He nodded, shame written in every line of his body. "I thought if he spoke to you, you'd see that Alaric wasn't the only path."
"And if I'd died?" she asked, voice trembling.
He bowed his head. "Then I would never forgive myself."
She stood. "You need to come with me."
He didn't resist.
The next morning, Kellen was stripped of his rank and imprisoned. Alaric didn't order his execution not yet. Too many emotions clouded the air. Kellen had once been a brother.
But consequences had to come.
Lyra watched from a distance as Kellen was led to the dungeons. He didn't fight. Didn't speak.
Later, Alaric found her in the war room. He looked worn.
"You were right," he said. "It was him."
She nodded. "He didn't think Ronan would hurt me."
"That doesn't matter."
"No," she agreed. "It doesn't."
They stood in silence.
Then Alaric said, "He betrayed me. But I almost lost you."
She looked at him, eyes softening. "You didn't. I came back."
He stepped closer. "Not because of the bond. Because you chose me."
"Yes."
He cupped her face. "Then I swear to never give you a reason to regret it."
Their kiss was slow. Reverent. A vow.
But outside those walls, Ronan was preparing his next strike.
And this time, he wouldn't be asking.