MOONLIT REVENGE

A Dangerous Alliance

Aria's pov.

“You shouldn't be here, Evelyn,” I said, my voice sharp as I stood at the pack's meeting hall. The moonlight glinted off raven hair, but her eyes held a secret I didn't trust.

“I came to warn you for the last time, Aria,” she softly said, stepping forward. “Ryder is planning to destroy your pack”.

I narrowed my eyes, my wolf stirring restlessly beneath my skin. Evelyn was Ryder's sister and that made her dangerous. “Why would I believe you?"

She held up a worn leather satchel and pulled out a bundle of maps, her finger trembling. “Because I stole these from him. They show his attack strategies. He plans to strike when the moon is full”.

I took the map and my instincts were on high alert. The linked lines detailed routes and weak points in our defenses. If these were real, we were in grave danger.

“You expect me to believe you betrayed your brother?” I asked scanning her face for any hint of deceit.

Evelyn's lips pressed into a thin line. “I have my reasons. Ryder has gone too far. He's power hungry, and he will destroy anyone in his way, including me”.

I was torn between doubt and the possibility that she was telling the truth. "What do you get out of this, Evelyn?"

Her gaze faltered. "Survival. If Ryder wins, no one will be safe, not even his family."

I clenched my fists, conflicted. Trusting Evelyn could backfire, but ignoring her warning might cost my pack everything.

Just then, Sarah, my Beta and closest confidant, entered the room. Her presence was steadying, her amber eyes filled with concern. "What’s going on?"

"Evelyn claims Ryder is planning an attack," I said, handing her the maps. "She brought these as proof."

Sarah studied the maps, her expression darkening. "If this is real, we’re in trouble. But can we trust her?"

"I don't know, trusting her is risky" I admitted. "But we can't afford to ignore this."

Evelyn's voice softened. "I know I’m asking a lot, Aria. But I swear I’m on your side."

Sarah crossed her arms, her protective instincts evident. "If you betray us, Evelyn, I’ll personally see to it that you regret it."

She met her gaze without flinching. "I wouldn't expect anything less. You'll be proud you heed my advice"

As Sarah and I poured over the maps, we were struck with nagging doubt that lingered in my mind. Evelyn was a master manipulator—Ryder’s flesh and blood. Trusting her felt like playing with fire.

Later that night, after Evelyn was escorted to a guarded cabin, Sarah and I walked through the quiet woods. The cool night air did little to calm my racing thoughts.

"You think she’s lying?" Sarah asked, her voice low.

"I don’t know," I admitted. "But something doesn’t sit right with me."

"We need to verify those maps," she said firmly. "If they’re fake, this could be a trap."

I nodded. "Agreed. I’ll have the scouts compare them with our intelligence."

As we approached the packhouse, a sudden thought struck me. "What if Evelyn's playing both sides?”

Sarah's Jaw dropped. “Then we'll deal with her accordingly. But for now, we need to be ready for anything.

The following morning I called an emergency council meeting. The pack elders sat along the long oak table, their faces etched with concern.

“Evelyn has brought us intelligence about a possible track from Ryder,” I began keeping my tone steady. “We need to decide on how to proceed”.

One of the elders, a stern woman named Maria, frowned. “Evelyn is Ryder's sister. Why should we trust her? Who knows if they both planned this together?”.

“You have a point there because if she's telling the truth, ignoring this information could be catastrophic,” I countered.

Another Elder, Tobias, spoke up. “And if she's lying, she could be leading us into a trap”.

Sarah stood beside me with her commanding presence. “That's why we are verifying the maps. But until then, we must prepare for the worst.

The council murmured in agreement though doubt still lingered in their eyes.

After the meeting I headed back to my quarters, my mind swirling with questions. Evelyn's sudden appearance, her claims about Ryder, and the maps—it all felt too convenient.

I spread the map across my desk, studying each line and marker. Yet I couldn't pinpoint that something about them gnawed at me.

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. "Come in," I called.

Evelyn stepped inside, her expression guarded. "I need to know what you’ve decided."

"We’re verifying the maps," I said bluntly. "If they’re real, we’ll act accordingly. If not..." I let the threat hang in the air.

She nodded, her gaze steady. "I understand. I just hope you’re ready for what’s coming."

As she turned to leave, a chilling thought struck me. What if the maps were fakes?

And if they were, who was pulling the strings—Ryder or Evelyn?

I stared at the maps long after Evelyn left, my instincts on edge. There was something about this situation that didn't feel right.

The ink lines were precise, too neat as if drawn by someone who knew exactly what we wanted to see.

Sarah walked in, his expression grim. “The scouts returned,” he said, dropping a report on my desk. “They compared the maps to our territory layouts. There's a problem.

My heart loudly thumped. “What kind of problem are you talking about?”.

Sarah pointed to one section of the map. “This path here doesn't exist. It leads straight into a dead zone—a thick forest with no clear routes.

If we followed this during a battle, we'd be sitting ducks.

I clenched my fists. "So the maps are fake."

"It looks that way," he said. "But here's the real question—why would Evelyn give us bad intel? Was she setting us up for a trap, or is she being played too?"

The door creaked open, and Evelyn stepped inside, her eyes narrowing as she saw Liam and me hovering over the maps.

"You figured it out, didn’t you?" she asked, her voice calm yet unsettling.

I stood, my wolf ready to surface. "Who are you working for, Evelyn?"