Fifty Five
Fifty Five
Aria’s P.O.V.
The next morning, I woke up feeling the weight of the pack’s troubles pressing down on me like a heavy fog. Kane was still out there, lurking somewhere in the shadows, and now the gnawing fear that we had a traitor within our ranks was growing stronger by the day. It felt like the walls were closing in, and no matter how hard we tried to strategize, Kane was always one step ahead.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that Carden’s theory was right. Someone was betraying us, but the thought of one of our own turning against the pack made me sick to my stomach. I needed to get to the bottom of this, but every step felt like I was walking on a minefield, unsure of who I could trust.
As I made my way to the training yard, I saw Carden already there, his movements fluid as he sparred with a group of younger wolves. Even in the midst of everything, he remained composed, focused. But I could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes flicked around like he was constantly assessing every situation for danger. He was feeling the pressure just as much as I was.
I approached slowly, watching him finish a set of defensive moves before he called for a break. When his eyes met mine, something flickered in his gaze—concern, maybe. Or maybe it was something else entirely, something I didn’t want to acknowledge.
“Carden,” I called, my voice soft but firm as I approached him.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, walking over to meet me. “Aria,” he greeted, his tone careful. “What’s going on?”
I hesitated, glancing around the yard to make sure no one was within earshot. “We need to talk,” I said quietly. “Somewhere private.”
Carden’s brow furrowed, but he nodded, gesturing for me to follow him. We walked in silence toward the edge of the forest, where the trees provided a quiet, secluded spot away from the prying eyes of the pack. Once we were far enough from the training yard, I turned to face him, my heart pounding in my chest.
“I spoke to Warren last night,” I began, keeping my voice low. “I told him about your theory—that there might be someone on the inside helping Kane.”
Carden’s jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing slightly. “And what did he say?”
“He agrees,” I said, letting out a breath. “But he wants proof. We can’t just accuse someone without solid evidence, and we can’t afford to let the pack know what we’re thinking. Not yet.”
Carden nodded slowly, his gaze thoughtful. “He’s right. If word gets out that there’s a traitor, it’ll tear the pack apart. People will start turning on each other.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I admitted. “But we can’t ignore this, Carden. If someone is working with Kane, they’re putting all of us in danger.”
He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “I know. We’ll find them, Aria. We just need to be careful.”
We stood in silence for a moment, the weight of the situation pressing down on us. There was so much at stake, and every decision felt like it could tip the balance one way or another. But I knew we didn’t have a choice. We had to find the traitor before Kane struck again.
“I’ve been thinking,” Carden said after a while, his voice low. “We need to start looking at the wolves who have been closest to the recent patrols. Whoever is feeding Kane information has to be someone with access to our plans—someone who knows when and where we’re vulnerable.”
I nodded, my mind already racing through the possibilities. There were only a few wolves who had that level of access, and the thought of any of them betraying us made my stomach turn. But we couldn’t afford to overlook anyone.
“We’ll start there,” I agreed. “But we need to be discreet. We can’t let anyone know what we’re investigating.”
Carden gave me a tight nod, his jaw set in determination. “Agreed. We’ll get to the bottom of this, Aria. We have to.”
\---
Later that day, I found myself in the pack house, going over the recent patrol logs with Warren. He sat across from me, his brow furrowed in concentration as he scanned the reports. His frustration was palpable, and I knew he felt just as helpless as I did. Kane’s escape had rattled all of us, and the possibility of a traitor was like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
“We’ve checked every possible lead,” Warren muttered, flipping through another report. “There’s nothing here that stands out.”
I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “There has to be something we’re missing. Kane isn’t working alone. He’s always been strategic, and he knows our weaknesses. Someone is helping him.”
Warren looked up at me, his eyes hard. “I know. But without proof, we’re just grasping at straws. We can’t afford to make a mistake here, Aria. If we accuse the wrong person…”
“I know,” I said quietly. “But we have to keep digging. We can’t let this go.”
Warren sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re right. But it feels like we’re running out of time.”
I nodded, feeling the weight of his words settle over me. Kane wasn’t going to wait forever. He was biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, and if we didn’t find him—or the traitor—soon, we’d be too late.
“We’ll figure it out,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “We have to.”
Warren’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at me. “I trust you, Aria. I always have. We’ll get through this.”
His words were meant to be reassuring, but they only made the knot in my chest tighten. Warren had always been supportive, always had my back, but the guilt I felt over my lingering feelings for Carden made it hard to breathe. I hated keeping things from him, but there was no easy way to explain what was happening between Carden and me. Especially not now.
“I hope so,” I whispered, looking down at the papers in front of me. “For all of our sakes.”
\---
That evening, after the patrols had been sent out, I found myself standing alone at the edge of the forest, the cool breeze brushing against my skin. The pack was quieter than usual, everyone on edge as we waited for the next move—whether from Kane or from the traitor lurking among us.
I didn’t hear Carden approach, but when I turned, I found him standing a few feet away, his expression unreadable.
“We need to talk,” he said quietly.
I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. I had a feeling I knew what this was about, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for it.
Carden walked closer, his eyes searching mine. “We can’t keep doing this, Aria.”
My stomach dropped at his words, and I swallowed hard. “Doing what?”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “This. Pretending like everything is fine between us, like nothing has changed. We both know that’s not true.”
I looked away, my chest tightening. “Carden…”
“Don’t,” he interrupted, his voice firm but not unkind. “You don’t have to explain. I know things have been complicated, and I know we’re both trying to do what’s best for the pack. But we can’t keep pretending that our feelings don’t matter.”
I clenched my fists at my sides, my emotions swirling inside me. “I thought we agreed to focus on the pack.”
“We did,” he said, his voice softening. “But that doesn’t mean we can just ignore what’s happening between us. It’s not fair to anyone—not to you, not to me, not to Warren.”
His words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I felt tears prick at my eyes. I didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. We had been pretending for too long, trying to push our feelings aside, but it was only making things worse.
“What do you want me to say, Carden?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “That I still have feelings for you? That I don’t know how to handle any of this?”
Carden stepped closer, his eyes filled with a mix of pain and understanding. “I just want you to be honest with yourself, Aria. You don’t have to have all the answers right now. But we can’t keep lying to ourselves.”
I looked up at him, my heart aching. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“I know,” he said softly. “Neither do I.”
We stood there in silence for what felt like an eternity, the weight of everything unspoken hanging between us. I didn’t know what to do, didn’t know how to fix the mess we were in.
But I knew one thing for sure.
We couldn’t keep pretending.
“I need time,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I need to figure this out.”
Carden nodded, his gaze softening. “Take all the time you need, Aria. I’m not going anywhere.”
And with that, he turned and walked away, leaving me standing alone in the fading light, the weight of my own heart pressing down on me.
\---
As I stood there, watching Carden disappear into the trees, I knew that things were far from resolved. Kane was still out there, the traitor still lurking in the shadows.