Chapter 5 The Traitor Behind the Robes

"Say it one more time, and I will make sure you never see the sunrise again, soldier!"

Alpha Kael’s roar made the hallway walls vibrate. The poor guard in front of him trembled violently. His knees hit the marble floor with a heavy thud as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He knew his Alpha was at the height of a rage that could explode at any moment.

"He mentioned, he mentioned the name of Elder Silas, Alpha," the guard whispered, his voice nearly gone from terror. "The prisoner laughed right before the poison killed him. He said, 'Silas has already opened the gates for us'."

Selene, standing in the doorway, felt her heart stop for a beat. Elder Silas. The name was all too familiar. Silas was the most respected old man in the Silver Moon Pack. He was the one who had presided over her wedding ceremony to Kael. Yet, Silas was also the loudest voice demanding Kael exile Selene five years ago. Selene remembered vividly the cold stare of that old man as she was dragged out of the hall.

Kael turned. His face was a mask of pure fury. His eyes had turned pitch black, a sign that his wolf was impatient for blood and vengeance. "Silas. That old man is truly tired of living," Kael growled in a low, threatening tone.

"Kael, wait!" Selene stepped forward. She blocked Kael’s path before he could rush toward the council chamber. "If you attack him now without concrete proof, you will only tear this pack apart. You know he has immense influence over the other elders."

"He tried to sell my son, Selene! He worked with the enemy to kidnap my own flesh and blood!" Kael gripped Selene’s shoulders tightly. His breath came in hot gasps right in front of her face. "Do you want me to just stand by while he plans his next move?"

"I want you to use your brain, not just your muscle!" Selene met Kael’s gaze boldly. She did not flinch, even though Kael was in his Alpha state. "He isn't acting alone. Freya and Silas must be working together. If you attack Silas right now, Freya will flee immediately or erase every piece of evidence that could convict them."

Kael slowly released his grip on Selene’s shoulders. He took several long breaths, trying to suppress the wolfish instincts screaming for a kill. "Then what is your plan? What do you want us to do?"

Selene looked toward Leo, who was still fast asleep on the large bed. She looked at her son’s peaceful face, then turned back to Kael with resolve. "Use me as bait."

"No! I won't let that happen!" Kael countered instantly.

"Listen to me first!" Selene stepped closer, her voice dropping but remaining firm. "Silas still thinks I am the same weak Selene from before. He thinks my current strength is just luck. Tomorrow is the full moon ceremony. Announce to everyone that you are reinstating me as your Luna. It will force them to move faster. They won't want to see a 'traitor' like me holding power again."

Kael stared at Selene with an unreadable expression. There was a growing respect in his eyes, but also a profound fear of losing her a second time. "You are taking a massive risk by doing this, Selene."

"I already lost everything five years ago, Kael. Now, I have something worth defending," Selene glanced toward her son.

"And I will not let those monsters touch my child."

That night, the atmosphere inside the Pack House was suffocating. Selene could not sleep at all. She sat on the edge of Leo’s bed, stroking her son’s black hair while listening to the distant call of night birds. Her mind drifted through every possibility of what might happen tomorrow.

Suddenly, she sensed a presence near her room. It wasn't Kael. The scent wasn't the pine forest aroma she usually smelled on her husband. This scent was a mix of overpowering lily perfume and a slight, metallic hint of blood.

Selene did not move. She kept her back to the door, but her hand slowly reached under the pillow. She tightly gripped the silver dagger she had secretly taken from the armory that afternoon.

"Come in, Freya. I know you can't resist seeing me up close," Selene said in a flat voice.

The sound of soft footsteps approached. Freya stood in the center of the room. She wore an elegant red gown, but her face was twisted with malice.

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" Freya hissed. "You come back with that child and expect Kael to crawl back to you. You think your little slap earlier today won you the war?"

Selene turned slowly. She met Freya’s eyes with a cold stare. "I don't need Kael to crawl. I just want to see you groveling on the ground, begging for mercy for every tear I shed five years ago."

Freya laughed. The sound was sharp and manic. "You think Elder Silas will let you live until morning? You're just a minor inconvenience, Selene. The Blood Crest Pack doesn't just want your son. They want this entire territory, and Silas is the one who will hand them the keys."

"So you're admitting it now?" Selene stood up. She could feel her power beginning to gather. "You partnered with Silas to betray this pack just for a Luna title that will never be yours?"

"I will have everything!" Freya screamed and lunged forward. Her claws extended, ready to tear at Selene’s face. However, before Freya could touch Selene’s skin, a small hand shot out from the direction of the bed.

Leo was awake. His eyes had turned to pure gold, shining brilliantly in the dim room. Without a word, the boy raised his hand. Suddenly, an immense pressure slammed into Freya’s body. The woman was thrown against the marble floor so hard that the sound of shifting bones echoed through the room.

"Don't... touch... Mommy!"

Freya shrieked in pain. Her body was pinned to the floor as if crushed by thousands of pounds. She could not move a single finger under the weight of Leo’s power.

Selene was stunned to see her son’s strength manifest instinctively when he felt her threatened. She immediately pulled Leo into a hug, trying to soothe the boy’s raging emotions. "Easy, Leo. Mommy is fine. Be calm, sweetheart."

The bedroom door was kicked open. Kael entered with his sword drawn, followed by several personal guards. He stopped dead at the sight of Freya squirming on the floor like a crushed insect, while Leo watched her with a gaze far too mature for a child his age.

"Take her to the dungeon!" Kael ordered, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion. "And summon the entire council right now. We aren't waiting until morning to settle this."

Kael approached Selene and Leo. He saw the fear in Selene’s face, not fear of Freya, but fear of the massive power dwelling within her own child.

"He is too strong, Kael," Selene whispered, her voice shaking. "The world will never let him live in peace if they find out what he is."

Kael knelt before them both. He wrapped his large arms around his wife and son.

"Then we will build a world strong enough to protect him. I promise you, Selene. This time, no one will ever touch you again."

Yet, in the dark corridor, a servant slipped quietly toward the back gate. In her hand, she held a small bottle filled with a thick, pitch black liquid. It was an ancient, lethal poison, crafted specifically to kill only one kind of being, the Golden Wolf.