Chapter 15 Painful betrayal
~Kaitlyn's POV~
“Kaitlyn,” I heard Taryn call while I was attending to a patient. His voice cut through the low hum of the ward, firm but edged with urgency. When I turned to him, he had already stepped fully inside. His eyes searched mine with a concern that did not sit well with me. “I tried reaching you through the mindlink but I could not get through.”
“Now you know why. Is something wrong?” I asked, noticing the slight crease forming between his brows. That crease had always been his tell, the warning sign that trouble was already rooted deep and growing fast.
“Your presence is needed urgently at the Alpha’s office,” Taren informed me. His tone carried weight, and I felt a shift inside me. I quickly rounded up what I was doing, gave instructions to the nurse on duty, and only then turned to him completely.
“Why? Did something happen?” I asked, matching his pace as we walked out of the ward.
“Yes. Something serious happened, and you need to forgive me in advance for involving you. It was the only option available at that moment,” he said, not meeting my eyes. That alone made my stomach coil with tension.
“You are scaring me. What exactly happened?” I asked. I could already feel discomfort settling inside my bones. Taren was not only a colleague but one of my closest friends. If he was shaken, then the matter was far worse than anything I was imagining.
“Alpha will explain,” he said, keeping his voice steady but clipped. That did not help my anxiety. It only made it bloom wider and heavier.
When I stepped into Alpha Kael’s office, the atmosphere almost shoved itself into my lungs. The tension was thick and unforgiving. Alpha Kael was standing behind his desk with a rigid posture that radiated authority and impatience. Beta Dagan and Elder Rowan were already there, both locked in expressions that told me nothing good was happening.
“Alpha, you sent for me,” I said softly, lowering my head.
“Yes, I did. Sit down,” Alpha Kael said. His voice held no room for argument. He pointed toward one of the chairs opposite him. I quietly took my seat, my heart beating faster as all eyes focused on me.
“Pack security is at risk, Kaitlyn,” Alpha Kael said, leaning slightly forward, his expression hard. “We need to urgently find a witch who specializes in tracking. Do you happen to know anyone?”
My heart skipped a full beat. Then another.
This caught me completely off guard. Alpha Kael despised witches. Everyone knew that. He avoided them, pushed them away, and wanted absolutely nothing to do with their kind. So why was he suddenly searching for one? And how did I get dragged into it?
I slowly shifted my gaze toward Taren, the realization dawning immediately. So this was what he meant earlier. This was why he asked me to forgive him.
“You will not get into trouble, Kaitlyn,” Alpha Kael said, snapping my attention back to him. His gaze was direct, sharp, and unyielding. “This is urgent. If you have any information that can help, speak now.”
I let out a slow breath. He would not speak like this unless the situation was truly critical. And since I had already pledged allegiance to the pack and taken an oath to protect its safety above all else, I knew what I had to do.
“Witches like that are in hiding, Alpha,” I said carefully. “Even if we find one, they will not help us. They despise us.” I reminded him of the bitter history between our species, the history that had been deteriorating faster than we could repair it.
“They despise us, not you,” Elder Rowan said, folding his hands in front of him. “If they will not help us, they will help you. The safety of the packs depends on it.”
Even though I did not understand how the safety of all the packs depended on a tracker, the severity in their expressions told me that this was no ordinary situation.
“I know one,” I admitted finally. “His name is Xavier. He lives in a cave in Blandlands. I can reach out to him and find out if he can help. But who exactly are we trying to track?” I asked. A tracker would need a clear target.
“The witch we captured and imprisoned days ago,” Alpha Kael revealed. “She is missing, and you know how important she is to us.”
My jaw fell open. Shock shot through me so fast I felt dizzy.
“Oh no. That changes everything. Alpha, Xavier will not help us track a fellow witch,” I said, shaking my head.
It was the truth. A witch would do absolutely anything to protect another witch from falling into the hands of a werewolf. Xavier especially. He would rather let the world burn than betray his own kind.
“Do you know another person who can do it?” Alpha Kael asked.
“No,” I said firmly. I knew only one tracker, and that was Xavier.
“Then it has to be him,” Alpha Kael concluded. “If he will not help us willingly, then we must find a way to motivate him to help us, if you understand what I mean.”
I felt my chest tighten. I understood far too well, but I refused to believe he was suggesting what I thought he was suggesting. So I pretended not to understand.
“I am not sure I understand what you are implying, Alpha,” I said quietly.
“Does he have someone or something he cares about deeply?” Alpha Kael asked. His voice was calm, but the meaning behind it carried the force of a hammer. “Someone or something he would not risk losing for anything in the world?”
My heart skipped again, painfully this time.
I did not think I could do that to Xavier. He was a good man with a wounded past. He had suffered more losses than most people could endure. The thought of betraying him felt like swallowing fire.
As if he sensed the hesitation in me, Alpha Kael continued speaking, this time in a steadier, more reassuring tone.
“I understand that this person may mean a great deal to you, and I understand that what we are asking may damage your relationship with him. But this is extremely important, Kaitlyn. It concerns all our safety. I want to assure you that we will not harm him or anything that belongs to him. We will compensate him afterwards.”
“He has a daughter,” I finally said, my voice tight. “Her name is Amelia. She is currently in a boarding high school.” The words felt like betrayal spilling from my mouth. I could only hope Xavier would one day forgive me. I gave them all the details they needed, and Alpha Kael immediately turned to Elder Rowan and began issuing instructions to retrieve the girl.
“Thank you, Kaitlyn. This sacrifice will not be forgotten,” Alpha Kael said. Then he leaned back slightly and asked, “What do you think he will need to get the job done?”
“If I remember correctly, he will need an item that belongs to the missing person,” I replied. “I can contact him to find out if anything else is required.”
“Do not contact him,” Alpha said immediately. “We need to surprise him.” He then turned to Taren. “Do we have anything that belonged to her here?”
“Yes, Alpha. We still have the clothes she came with. They are with Kaitlyn.”