Chapter 104: Rejection to Redemption
Chapter 104: Rejection to Redemption
Claire's POV
I stood by the cliff's edge overlooking the valley all alone. Like a whisper from the past, the wind softly brushed against my hair and cloak.
I had come here to reflect.
Not as Luna, though.
Not as the head of a united pack.
But as Claire, the rejected omega, who once ran into the woods with nothing but a shattered heart and a dream of freedom.
I shut my eyes and let the memories flood over me.
Somewhere deep inside, Kaid's rejection still hurt. More like a scar than sharpness, it was not. It no longer made me weak, but it brought back memories of my former self.
Once, I was a girl who believed that being selected was the only means to be strong. Back then, I let others define my worth, choose my future, and speak for me.
But that girl was no more.
I opened my eyes to the land we had bled to defend. Redwater was no longer merely a pack. It was a sign. Of second opportunities. Of recovery. Of what might be restored following total devastation.
But even now, peace felt… fragile.
Derek increased the patrols following Callum's arrival close to the treeline. The sight of him disturbed him more than he admitted. Derek was a fighter, but even he understood Callum was not playing fair.
The Hollow Fangs were more than just rogues. Broken wolves, they were warped by rage, retribution, and something more sinister. We still did not know how many followed him, but we knew this: they would strike again.
I started walking back toward the centre of the village and drew my cloak closer. In the distance, fires illuminated the routes between houses. Wolves crept, repairing broken walls, checking in on one another. I walked past a young puppy bringing water to an elder's hut. Both of them grinned at me.
That straightforward grin made me feel tight in the chest.
How often had I believed I did not fit? Was I insufficient?
Now I was their Luna.
Their emblem of hope.
Walking into the meeting room, I spotted Derek already conversing with Maren and Jared. Red markers pushed into the wood like scars covered the long table's surface.
Jared said, "They have hit three more border towns." Little groups. No one left.
Derek glanced up as I came in. For a while, his face relaxed; yet, the strain in his shoulders remained.
"They are moving faster than we anticipated," he told me.
I agreed and got up to stand next to him. "They are measuring how quickly we respond."
Jared said, "Trying to identify weak areas."
Rubbing her temple, Maren said, "We lack the figures to protect every outpost."
I examined the map. Then we stop playing defence.
They gazed at me.
I said, "We let them believe we are stretched thin." Then we catch them.
Derek grinned weakly. "That sounds like the Claire I know."
Later that night, after the council had disbanded, I sat by the fire in our shared room, staring at the flames. Derek came and sat next to me, laying his hand over mine.
He gently inquired, "Do you ever consider how far we have come?"
Every time.
"Do you regret any of this?"
I looked at him. Not even the suffering. It made me strong.
He kissed my temple and leaned in. Claire, you saved this pack. You did.”
I did not accomplish it by myself.
He replied, "No." You were the first, though, to think it could be done.
I remained awake, still musing, when Derek dozed off.
I wrote in the little notebook I kept tucked away in the drawer next to the window. The day I departed my old pack, I had begun writing. I had to recall. I had to tell myself I was more than someone's second option.
Tonight, I penned: You are not who they claimed. You are greater. And they will notice it.
A howl from the woods rang out just as I finished the book.
Pressing.
Not one of ours.
My heart pounding, I dashed outside.
A guard encountered me halfway to the gates. Claire! Someone at the border—alone. Claims he has a message for you.
Who?
The guard was unsure. He would not identify himself. But he... he specifically requested you.
Shifting into my wolf mid-run, I followed the guard.
Under the shadow of trees, I changed back and moved forward at the border.
It was then that I spotted him.
Not Callum, then.
Not a Hollow Tooth.
But him.
Kaid
I gasped.
He seemed thinner, weary, but his eyes were unchanged—cold and piercing. His presence caused the guards to become anxious.
What brings you here? I inquired, my voice betraying no attempt to conceal the sharpness.
I did not come to battle, he remarked. I came to alert you.
My hands were tight.
"How noble," I said flatly.
He inhaled. "You can despise me, Claire. I merit it. But Callum... he has something more terrible planned than you are aware of. He is not only attempting to seize your territory. He wants to wipe out all those linked to the Council. He wishes to set everything ablaze.
We already worked that out.
You do not get it, no. He is collaborating with another person. Someone within your ranks.
I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.
What?
He agreed. I heard them. He has a secret agent. Near your council.
I looked at him, hoping to see the reality in his gaze.
And why should I trust you? I inquired.
He gazed downward. "Because I know what it is like to toss away something good... and regret it."
The guards came in; I held up a hand. Let him go.
They were unsure.
"I said let him go," I said again.
Grateful, Kaid nodded once. "Be careful, Claire. He’s already inside.”
Just as quickly as he had arrived, he vanished into the woods.
His words reverberating in my head, I stood motionless.
An agent.
Within.
I spun around and dashed back to the hamlet.
When I burst in, Derek was already up.
Kaid arrived.
What?
He cautioned me. Said Callum knows someone on the inside. A council member who is a spy.
Derek's expression grew more serious. "Who?"
Your guess is as good as mine. We have to discover, though. Quick.
He nodded and started locking the council down.
Standing there, I came to a horrible realisation.
We had been getting ready for an external assault.
But what if the actual danger was already behind our walls?