Eclipsed Destiny

The pack was crumbling from the inside.

Rowan's betrayal had shattered the fragile sense of unity they had left, and his chilling words still echoed in Celia's mind.

"You'll never find them in time."

A second traitor. Someone close. Someone who had been watching, listening, waiting.

Celia sat at the war table in the middle of camp, her fingers drumming into the wood so hard her knuckles turned white. Aziel paced beside her, his body taut, his jaw locked in barely contained rage.

Marcus crossed his arms across his chest, his face shadowed with suspicion. Kaelen was unusually quiet, his golden eyes raking the room as if half-expecting an enemy to appear from the walls.

No one said a word.

No one trusted each other anymore.

The Hunt Begins

Aziel finally stopped pacing. "We're not waiting for them to strike first." His voice was sharp, unforgiving. "We flush them out. Now."

Marcus let out a slow breath. "And how exactly do we do that? Walk up to each warrior and demand they confess?"noveldrama

Aziel's eyes flickered dangerously. "If that's what it takes."

Celia breathed out, forcing herself to think. The pack was already ruffled. They required strategy, not blind rage. "We can't be that stupid," she said. "If we slander the wrong person, we risk turning our own people against us."

Kaelen nodded. "We need bait."

Aziel's head snapped toward him. "You mean a trap.

Kaelen's eyes grew dark. "A traitor won't sit still. If we make them believe something valuable is at risk, they'll act."

Celia's chest constricted. "You're suggesting we use ourselves as targets."

A heavy silence fell over them.

Aziel clenched his fists. "No. I won't risk you."

Celia met his gaze, her jaw tightening. "We don't have a choice."

Setting the Trap

The plan was simple: spread false information and wait.

A rumor was whispered among the warriors-that Rowan had talked. That he had

given up the identity of the second traitor. That their name would be revealed at dawn. And then, they waited.

Celia stood in the center of camp, her senses on high alert. The air was thick with tension, the wolves uneasy. She could feel their doubt, their fear.

Someone was about to make a move.

Aziel stood there, his body a shield, his presence a silent promise nothing's going to happen to you.

Marcus and Kaelen stayed hidden in the darkness, watching and waiting.

The fire crackled. The wind howled.

And then-

A rustle. A flicker of movement in the dark.

Celia's pulse spiked.

The traitor had taken the bait.

The Attack

A blur of motion-a shadow moving too fast.

Celia barely had time to react before a blade sliced through the air.

She twisted just barely avoiding the strike. A figure stepped from the darkness, his face contorted in rage and panic.

It was Jared.

A trusted warrior. A wolf who had fought beside them for years.

Celia's stomach twisted.

"Jared," she breathed. "It is you."

He said not a word to deny it.

His hands were shaking, but his eyes were burning with conviction. "You were never meant to lead," he spat. "This war-it should have ended long ago. But you kept pushing, kept fighting, and now we've lost everything."

Aziel lunged.

Jared barely managed to deflect the strike, staggering backward. "You think this is about survival?" Jared snarled. "You think you're saving the pack? You're killing us." Celia's chest ached. "You sold us out."

Jared's eyes fluttered. "I did what needed to be done."

Marcus growled. "You killed our warriors."

"I saved them from a war we could never hope to win," Jared snarled. "You just can't

see it, can you? The rogues-they're stronger. We weren't supposed to fight them. We should have given in."

The bitter pang inside her chest.

He gave up on them.

He betrayed all of them.

The War Inside

Aziel raged on.

His claws lashed through the air, and Jared just barely dodged in time. "You don't get

to decide that," Aziel spat. "You don't get to choose who lives and who dies."

Jared lunged forward; his blade caught Aziel across his side. Blood splattered across the ground.

Aziel didn't even blink.

Celia moved fast.

She thrust her blade toward Jared's shoulder. He managed to twist just in time, and she flew back from him with a forceful kick.

Marcus threw a fist that connected with Jared's ribs. Jared grunted, staggering back, but he was far from going down without a fight.

The camp went into complete pandemonium.

Wolves pushed forward, panic and confusion growing. Some yelled, some paused, confused-who was the enemy?

Celia's pulse drummed. If they didn't stop this now, the pack would turn on itself.

Jared sneered. "You can't stop it. The pack is already broken."

Celia's vision flashed red.

She was not going to let him rip them apart.

She launched herself.

A Final Blow

Jared saw too late.

Celia's blade sank deep into his chest.

His breath hitched.

His eyes widened in shock.

For a moment, everything stilled.

Then, he stumbled backward, falling to his knees.

Blood spread beneath him, his body shuddering. He raised his gaze to Celia,

something almost like regret dancing across his face.

And then he fell.

And didn't move again.

The Aftermath

Silence.

The battle was done.

Celia stood there, frozen, her breath ragged. Her hands shook.

Jared was dead.

Aziel rested a hand on her shoulder, his hold steadying her.

Kaelen took a deep breath. "It's done."

Marcus looked around at the wolves, his eyes raking over the pack that had gathered. "And now?"

Celia swallowed hard, her chest heavy with emotion. She turned to the pack, speaking

quietly but firmly.

"Now we rebuild."

Aziel met her gaze, and something unspoken passed between them.

The battle wasn't over. The war wasn't over.

But this part was.

And for now, that had to be enough.

A New Threat

But peace never lasted.

Not for long.

As Celia turned away from Jared's body, a sharp pain flared through her mark.

A warning. A pulse of something dark.

And then, from the depths of the forest-

A new howl pierced the night.

One Celia had never heard before.

One that sent ice through her veins.

Because whoever it belonged to... wasn't one of them.