Chapter four
768 Words
Alexa stood on the edge of Silver Moon territory, her breathing shallow, her fists clenched. The forest whispered around her—branches swaying, animals stirring—but she didn’t notice. Her thoughts were fixed on the pack she had left behind and the man who had shattered her defenses yet again.
Ezekiel.
The bond between them, pulsing like a live wire, was impossible to ignore. But she couldn’t go back. Not until she had everything she needed to expose the truth.
Her wolf growled, restless. We should confront them. Make them listen.
Alexa shook her head. “Not without proof.”
For years, she’d chased whispers of her parents’ betrayal, following threads that led to one undeniable conclusion: they had been set up. The pack’s hatred for Marcus and Evelyn had been convenient, their deaths covering up the sins of others. And the trail always led back to two names—Katrina and Selene.
The envelope in her jacket felt heavy against her chest. It contained the truth, or at least the beginnings of it. Letters, alliances, and plans—evidence that Ezekiel’s sisters had orchestrated her parents’ downfall. Now, all she had to do was make Ezekiel see.
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Ezekiel stood alone in the training grounds, his fists slamming into a wooden dummy until it cracked under his force. The warriors had long since left, giving him the space he needed to vent his frustration.
Selene’s voice from the night before echoed in his mind. “You’re hesitating, Ezekiel. That’s dangerous. Alexa is dangerous.”
He sank onto a bench, his head in his hands. The pack came first—always. That was the mantra drilled into him by his father. But what if the pack’s leaders, his own blood, were the ones poisoning it from within? What if Alexa’s exile had been a mistake—a manipulation?
His wolf snarled in his chest. You know the truth. You’ve always known. You just don’t want to face it.
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The scent of lavender and rain hit him like a punch as he patrolled the northern border later that night. Ezekiel froze, his heart racing. He turned and found her standing in the moonlight, her green eyes blazing with anger and determination.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, his voice low.
“Finishing what your pack started,” Alexa replied. She stepped closer, defiance in every movement. “Or are you too busy protecting the wrong people to care?”
Ezekiel stiffened. “If you’ve come to make more accusations—”
“I’ve come to give you the truth,” she interrupted, pulling the envelope from her jacket and tossing it at his feet. “Read it.”
He crouched, picking it up carefully. The letters inside were old, the ink faded but clear. His stomach dropped as he recognized the handwriting.
Selene’s.
The letters outlined plans to frame Alexa’s parents, detailing alliances with rogues to destabilize the pack. His sisters’ names were all over it, along with one damning phrase that seared itself into his mind: “The traitors will take the fall. No one will ever know.”
His hands trembled as he looked back at Alexa. “Where did you get this?”
“A rogue,” she said sharply. “One of your sisters’ old allies. He kept copies as leverage. I didn’t want to believe it, but now...” She stepped closer, her voice cutting like ice. “Now I know the truth.”
Ezekiel’s wolf growled in rage, but his mind raced with doubt. Could his sisters have done this? Could he have been so blind?
“If this is real—” he started.
“It is real,” Alexa snapped, her voice rising. “You trusted them without question. You let them exile me. You let them destroy my family. And now you’re telling me you need more time to decide?”
Her words struck him like a blow. “I need to protect the pack—”
“Protect the pack?” Alexa’s laugh was bitter. “You’re protecting liars. Cowards. If you can’t see that by now, then maybe you don’t deserve to lead.”
She turned away, her movements stiff with anger.
“Alexa, wait,” he called, his voice cracking.
She paused, looking back over her shoulder. “I’m done waiting, Ezekiel. If you want to fix this, you’ll have to do it without me.”
Before he could respond, she disappeared into the forest, leaving him alone with the weight of her words—and the undeniable truth in his hands.
- Writer
