Chapter 32 THE FACE IN THE SHADOWS

Chapter 32 THE FACE IN THE SHADOWS
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

"Anna!" Chris's voice sounded distant, muffled as if she were underwater.

Her pulse thundered violently in her ears while fragments of the vision continued flashing through her mind. Around her were flames, screams, and pools of blood. With that face that stood out amidst the thick smoke.

"Anna, talk to me." Chris cupped her cheeks gently, forcing her gaze to focus on him. The concern in his golden eyes grounded her slightly.

She inhaled sharply. "I.. I'm okay."

Chris looked unconvinced. "You collapsed."

"It was another vision." His expression immediately darkened.

The word vision no longer sounded harmless not after everything that had happened.

"What did you see?"

Anna opened her mouth but closed it quickly.l because she wasn't sure.

The face she'd seen… It couldn't be right.

Could it?

"Anna."

She looked away toward the valley. "I saw Blood Moon burning."

Chris went still. "And Draven?"

She nodded. "Yes."

The silence that followed felt dangerous and tense. Chris helped her carefully to her feet. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" She asked quietly.

"We're not discussing this standing on a cliff."

Despite everything, she almost smiled.

Her Alpha was back.

Back inside their cabin, Chris sat her near the fireplace before kneeling in front of her. His attention never left her face.

"What else did you see?"

The fire crackled softly. Anna twisted her fingers together. Her lips pressed against each other. "There was someone with him."

Chris immediately stiffened. "Someone?"

She nodded. "In the vision."

His jaw tightened. "The traitor?"

Anna swallowed. "Maybe..."

"Maybe?"

The uncertainty in her voice frustrated him. She could feel it.

"Chris, visions aren't like watching a movie."

He sighed. "I know."

"No, I don't think you do." She rubbed her temples tiredly. "It's pieces of emotions and mages. Sometimes they make sense later."

Chris leaned back slightly. He was thinking, processing the situation. "Did you recognize the person?" His question hit her off guards.

Anna's heart skipped because the answer terrified her.

"Yes."

The room fell silent. Chris stared at her.

Anna suddenly wished she hadn't seen anything at all.

"Who was it?" Chris asked, his voice slightly harsh.

She looked into the fire unable to meet his eyes.

If she was wrong… She could destroy someone's life. But if she was right… She could destroy the pack.

"Anna." His voice softened.

"You can tell me." He placed his hands softly on her arms.

She finally looked up and whispered, "I think it was Steve."

The words hung between them like a death sentence. Chris didn't react immediately.

His face became completely unreadable. That somehow frightened her more than anger would have.

"No." The response came instantly, certain.

Anna flinched slightly. "I know how it sounds."

"It doesn't sound like anything."

Chris stood abruptly. "It sounds impossible."

Anna watched him pace across the room.

His movements were sharp, he looked agitated.

"You said yourself, visions aren't always clear."

"Yes they aren't."

"Then you're wrong." The conviction in his voice surprised her.

Anna frowned. "Chris…"

"No." He stopped pacing. "Steve has fought beside me for years." His voice remained calm.

But she could hear the emotion underneath. The loyalty, trust, and years of brotherhood.

"He would've died for me dozens of times over."

Anna stood slowly. "I'm not accusing him."

"It sounds like you're accusing him." The tension in the room thickened instantly.

Neither of them wanted this conversation but neither could walk away from it either.

Anna folded her arms. "You asked what I saw."

"And you saw a shadow."

"No I didn't." Her voice sharpened. "I saw Steve."

Chris looked away immediately. He looked hurt. She knew exactly what he was thinking.

Not that she was lying, she was mistaken.

The fire crackled between them. Then Chris finally exhaled heavily. "What exactly happened in the vision?"

Anna recounted everything, every detail she could remember.

The burning territory with Draven standing like a ghost and the hidden figure, the moment the face became visible.

Chris listened silently. When she had finished, he sat down heavily.

Exhaustion lined every feature.

"Steve isn't the traitor." The certainty in his voice remained.

Anna lowered herself into the chair opposite him. "I hope you're right."

Chris closed his eyes briefly. The words stung because deep inside… a tiny seed of doubt had been planted, they both knew it.

A knock on the door interrupted them. Chris immediately rose.

When he opened the door, Steve stood outside. For one horrible second, Anna's stomach dropped. She couldn't stop seeing the face from the vision.

Steve noticed the tension instantly. His gaze moved between them.

"What happened?"

None of them answered immediately. That alone made Steve suspicious.

His expression hardened. "What happened?"

Chris stepped aside. "Come in."

The young Beta entered slowly. The atmosphere inside the cabin felt thick enough to choke on.

Steve crossed his arms. "I'm starting to hate that look."

"What look?" Chris asked.

"The one where you both know something and I don't."

Normally the comment would've earned a laugh but not tonight.

Steve's smile faded. His eyes moved toward Anna. Concern replacing amusement.

"Anna?"

She hated this, looking at him now… She couldn't imagine him betraying anyone. Especially Chris.

Steve had been there through everything. Every battle, every loss, every victory. He was family. Which made the vision even worse.

Chris rubbed a hand over his face. "Anna had another vision."

Steve immediately became serious. "What did she see?"

Silence fell across the room heavily.

Then Chris answered. "Blood Moon falling."

Steve swore quietly. "And?"

Chris hesitated and Anna felt it instantly.

That tiny hesitation, that hint of doubt. Then Chris finally said, "She saw someone standing beside Draven."

Steve's expression darkened. "The traitor."

Anna looked down. Unable to watch Steve's reaction. The next words felt like knives.

"She saw you."

The cabin became deathly silent. Steve froze. The color drained from his face.

For several seconds nobody moved. Then Steve let out a throaty laugh. A short, disbelieving laugh.

"That's not funny." No one responded.

His smile disappeared instantly.

Slowly… Steve looked toward Anna. Not angry but hurt, deeply hurt.

"You think I'd betray him?"

Anna's throat tightened. "I don't know what I saw."

Steve stared at her. Then looked at Chris. Chris met his gaze and said the words Steve needed to hear.

"I don't believe it."

The relief that crossed Steve's face lasted barely a second.

"But part of you wondered." He asked quietly.

The silence that followed was answer enough. Steve took a step back.

Pain flashing briefly across his expression. Years of loyalty suddenly weighed against a single vision.

A single possibility.

And for the first time since Anna met him… Steve looked truly wounded.

Then before anyone could say another word, a distant alarm howl echoed through the territory. Three times, everyone froze, they all recognized that signal.

Emergency council summons. Something had happened. Something really bad.

Steve immediately turned toward the door.

Anna noticed something before he left. For the first time since she arrived at Blood Moon… There was distance in his eyes when he looked at her. That terrified her more than the vision itself