Fault lines
1001 Words
Chapter Three
Fault Lines
Raven paced the length of her new bedroom, arms crossed, mind racing.
The words scrawled in blood haunted her.
"The bond will break. The war will come."
She wasn’t afraid of threats—she’d spent her entire life standing on battlefields, facing down wolves who wanted her dead. But this wasn’t just about her anymore. Someone wanted her marriage to fail. Someone wanted this fragile alliance between their packs to shatter.
And that meant she had a choice to make.
She could keep fighting Killian at every turn. Or she could figure out who was trying to destroy them before they even had a chance to fail on their own.
A knock at the door yanked her from her thoughts.
She exhaled sharply. "What?"
The door creaked open, and Killian stepped inside.
She tensed automatically. Too close.
He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "We need to talk."
Raven smirked. "We do?"
Killian ignored her sarcasm. "I’m doubling patrols. We’ll start questioning anyone with access to the southern gate. But I need to know if you recognize that message."
Her smirk faded. "You think it’s from my pack?"
His expression remained unreadable. "I think it’s a message meant for both of us."
Raven clenched her jaw. She hated that he was right.
She exhaled, shaking her head. "No. I’ve never seen that phrase before."
Killian watched her, as if measuring her words for truth. Then he nodded. "We’ll investigate separately. Your Beta, my Beta. We share information, nothing more."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "So, we’re playing nice now?"
"Hardly," he said flatly. "I just don’t want to fight a war on two fronts."
Raven studied him. There was something in his voice—something almost like exhaustion. Like this was taking as much out of him as it was her.
For the first time, she wondered if Killian hated this as much as she did.
Interrogations Begin
By nightfall, the estate was restless. Wolves whispered in corridors, patrols moved in pairs instead of alone, and tension thickened like a storm about to break.
Raven stood in the main hall, arms folded, as her Beta, Darius, stepped forward.
"Three wolves had access to the southern gate within the last forty-eight hours," Darius reported. "Two were on scheduled patrol. The third? Not supposed to be there."
Raven’s brow furrowed. "Who?"
Darius hesitated. "Lena."
Raven went still.
Lena was one of hers. A Shadowfang wolf who had come with her as part of the alliance. One of the few wolves she actually trusted.
And now she was a suspect.
"Where is she?"
Darius gestured down the hall. "Waiting for you."
Lena was already sitting in the interrogation room when Raven entered.
Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose ponytail, her expression unreadable. But Raven saw the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers tapped against the table.
Nervous.
"Tell me why your name is on that list," Raven said, voice level.
Lena met her gaze. "I went for a run. Couldn’t sleep."
Raven’s jaw tightened. "That’s not an answer."
Lena exhaled. "You think I had something to do with this?"
"I think someone is trying to sabotage this alliance," Raven said. "And you were exactly where that body was found."
Lena hesitated.
And that hesitation was everything.
Raven took a slow step closer. "Lena," she said carefully, "if you know something—"
A loud bang interrupted her.
The door flew open, and one of Killian’s wolves rushed inside. "Alpha—there’s been another attack."
A Second Body
The courtyard was already packed when Raven and Killian arrived.
Another body lay on the ground.
Another patrol wolf. Another message written in blood.
"ONE MUST FALL FOR THE OTHER TO RISE."
Raven’s stomach twisted.
"This isn’t just a warning," she muttered. "They’re setting rules."
Killian stood beside her, fists clenched. "A game," he said bitterly. "And we’re the pieces."
The crowd parted, revealing Elder Garrick. His expression was dark. "This cannot continue," he said. "Whoever is behind this is growing bolder."
"We’re handling it," Killian said.
"Not fast enough," Garrick snapped. "This alliance is fragile, Killian. If one more body turns up, the Elders will intervene."
Raven’s lips thinned. "Meaning what, exactly?"
Garrick’s gaze flicked between them. "Meaning if you can’t protect your own people, we will end this marriage ourselves."
Raven’s blood ran cold.
Killian’s voice was deadly quiet. "That’s not your decision to make."
"No?" Garrick stepped closer. "Then tell me, Killian—if the killings don’t stop, what do you plan to do?"
A beat of silence.
Raven’s pulse pounded. The Elders wouldn’t just end the marriage. They’d sever the packs completely. Turn them against each other. And if that happened—
The war would come.
A Midnight Decision
The estate was eerily quiet that night.
Raven stood on the balcony, looking over the darkened courtyard. Below, wolves patrolled in tight groups, their senses stretched thin from exhaustion and tension.
The Elders wanted results. Fast.
But that wasn’t what was keeping her awake.
It was Lena.
And her hesitation.
Raven’s gut told her that Lena knew something. Maybe not the whole truth, but something important. And if Raven waited for Killian to make his move first, she might never get the answers she needed.
A presence appeared behind her.
"You’re thinking too loud."
She didn’t turn. "What do you want, Killian?"
He leaned against the railing beside her. "Same thing as you," he said. "To end this before another body drops."
Raven glanced at him. "You trust your own wolves?"
Killian exhaled. "More than I trust yours."
She smirked. "Fair enough."
Silence stretched between them.
Then—
"If this was all a setup," Killian murmured, "if someone is orchestrating this marriage just to break it apart… who benefits?"
Raven hesitated.
Because the truth was?
She didn’t know.
She turned to face him fully. "There’s only one way to find out."
Killian arched a brow. "And that is?"
Raven’s eyes glinted.
"We stop playing by their rules."
- Writer
