CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
"You only need to check on Luna Celeste. There’s no need to linger through the dead of night," Alpha Thorne instructed through the phone. Burke answered promptly, "Understood, Alpha."

Though Thorne gave the order, his heart had already resolved to return sooner than planned. The distance from Celeste gnawed at him more fiercely than he anticipated.

Stripping away his disguise, he drove until he reached the remote site where his chopper waited. Before leaving the Obsidian Lynx Hypercar hidden beneath heavy branches, he secured his false-identity gear in a concealed compartment.

Shifting into Kaelion, his wolf form, Thorne sprinted swiftly toward the helicopter, where a change of comfortable clothes awaited.

Moments later, his chopper sliced through the mountain breeze, heading toward Duskwatch City. Thorne’s mind sharpened with one singular intent: unmask the hidden adversary who dared to toy with him and Celeste.

Meanwhile, at the Wolfsbane Pack, Alpha Alaric had returned from patrol, longing for a brief rest before resuming drills at the Ironfang Yard. His momentary reprieve shattered when his phone buzzed. A strange number glared back at him. Dread coiled in his stomach, but curiosity pushed him to open the message.

The words carved a pit into his chest:

“You still don’t understand, do you? I’m Luna Celeste’s silent protector. Her suffering is my suffering. Lift the ban on her name and release the imprisoned Shadow Elite. You have thirty minutes, or copies of the video will flood every pack and council. We’ll see how you defend yourself when the truth spreads—when all learn what you did to the late Alpha’s daughter. Time begins now.”

The blood drained from Alaric’s face. His title, his strength, all seemed hollow before this invisible hand pulling his strings. He, the Alpha of Wolfsbane, reduced to a puppet for Celeste’s sake. Thirty minutes—that was all. Perhaps ten could be spared to uncover the snake hissing from the shadows.

"Brielle!" Alaric’s voice snapped through the silence as he roused her from restless slumber. She blinked up at him groggily.

"What is it now? Spirits above, Alaric, I was asleep."

"Think. How many friends did Celeste have?" His urgency startled her.

Brielle rubbed her eyes, irritation in her voice. "How would I know? We were close, but she never let anyone in too deeply. All she cared for was the pack’s stability and her duties. If she had friends, her endless schedule likely drove them away."

Alaric’s temper flared. "Then think harder—or soon, we’ll both be condemned."

That cut through Brielle’s haze. Her posture stiffened. "What are you talking about?"

He thrust the phone into her hands. The words seared into her eyes. The color drained from her face.

"Someone has the video," Alaric growled. "They’re blackmailing me—demanding the release of the prisoners and the restoration of Celeste’s name. If I resist, the entire world will see."

"Who is it?"

"I don’t know," Alaric spat. "But I’ll comply for now. I’ll order their release. Still, we must craft a plan to corner this shadow before he ruins us."

The walls around Brielle seemed to close in. If this reached the council, Alaric could lose his throne—or worse, his life. She leaned close, whispering hurried words into his ear. His eyes widened.

"You’d dare?"

She nodded firmly. "I have contacts in Shadowglen. Old allies. Warriors of formidable strength. I’ll call them."

Inwardly, Brielle trembled. If Celeste truly walked free again, everything she had clawed for would shatter. It was better Celeste disappeared permanently. Without hesitation, Brielle began dialing. Meanwhile, Alaric mind-linked his Shadow Elite, commanding them to unbar the dungeon and release the captives. The bitterest command of his reign was yet to come: allowing his wolves to speak Celeste’s name openly once more.

Far away, in Shadowglen Pack, a warrior’s phone rang during the mountain breeze. "Brielle… no—Luna Brielle," the man corrected himself. "How long has it been? Are you well?"

"I’ve endured," she replied with feigned calm. "But what of my sister? Surely Alpha Thorne treats Celeste mercifully? Our entire pack rues the past."

The warrior chuckled dryly. "You speak differently now. Less childish, more… careful."

Brielle forced a laugh. "And Celeste?"

Silence hung for a moment before the voice came through, hesitant. "No one knows where she is. Rumor says Alpha Thorne brought her briefly to the packhouse, but then she vanished. The maids swear she’s not in the healer’s ward, nor in the dungeons. It’s as though he spirited her away."

Brielle’s throat tightened. If Celeste was hidden, then eliminating her was near impossible. Unless—had she already escaped? Panic clawed her chest.

At the Duskridge Pack, training resounded across the Ironfang Yard when Kaelin’s phone buzzed against her hip. Gasps and stern glances followed. No one dared disrupt drills, least of all in Alpha Kalen’s presence. Kaelin fumbled, ready to silence it, but the name flashing across the screen turned her blood to ice.

She bolted from the yard before Kalen’s order could lash out, clutching the phone like a lifeline.

The call ended with Kaelin pale as frost.

She turned only to find Alpha Kalen behind her, eyes blazing crimson. "Who were you speaking with?" His voice was low and dangerous. "Have you been feeding secrets to Shadowglen? Or Wolfsbane?"

Kaelin’s heart thundered in her chest. Words tangled in her throat. She had no idea how to explain without unraveling everything.