Chapter 108: A Seat at the Table

Claire's POV

"Are you sure it was her writing?"  As we stood outside the healer's tent, Derek asked. His voice was quiet but clear.

With my arms crossed over my chest, I nodded.  "Same angle.  She closed her "e" and looped her "r" in the same way.  There were five times I thought it looked like the letter in my pocket.

Derek ran his hand through his hair and looked around the camp as if the trees could speak and tell him what to do.  "She is been with you from the start."  Are you ready to face her if you are wrong?"

"I would rather talk to her about it than let doubt grow," I said, my voice low.  "This will eat the pack from the inside if we do not do something about it now."

He let out a sigh and turned to look at me again, his jaw tight.  "Let us talk to her together."  Tonight.  Before tomorrow's meeting of the Lunar Council.

I felt sick to my stomach when I heard about the Council.  Planning for weeks, that meeting was an official ceremony to recognize Derek and me as the leaders of the region.  It would change Redwater's future.  Now that there might be a traitor hiding in plain sight, that future felt like it was in danger.

In the late evening, I ran into Maren again.  She was putting dried herbs into small linen bags while sitting on the healer's porch.  Her fingers were moving quickly, but she did not look at me.

Derek was with me as I walked up slowly.  I tried to keep my voice calm as I said, "Maren."

She smiled when she looked up, but it did not last long when she saw Derek's serious face.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

I took the folded letter out of my pocket and said, "We need to ask you something."  “This note was left at the border.  It told us that there was a spy in our pack.  The writing looks a lot like that of a few pack members, and..."

She froze as her eyes landed on the paper.

I continued, “Your writing looks just like this.”

Maren's face lost all of its color.  She opened and closed her lips.  For a moment, no sound came out.  Then she whispered, “Claire, I can explain—”

“I need you to be honest,” I said, stepping forward.  “Right now.”

Maren stood slowly, her hands trembling.  “I did write it.  But not to threaten anyone.  I found a message hidden in one of the medical kits—written by someone I didn’t recognize.  It said Callum was here.  I panicked.  I didn’t want to scare everyone, so I rewrote it and left it at the border, hoping the guards would alert you quietly.”

Derek narrowed his eyes.  "Why do not you just come here?"

She said, "Because I did not trust anyone."  "Not after everything with Kaid."  I believed that the pack would turn on each other if word got out.

I looked at her face and watched as the fear and sincerity in her eyes changed.  She was scared and careful all the time.  Maybe being too careful.  Not bad, though.

I took a deep breath.  "You needed to come here."  But if you’re telling the truth, we still have a bigger problem—someone placed the original note inside a healer’s bag.”

Maren gave a slow nod.  "It was under a fake bottom."  I found it by accident.

Derek and I looked at each other.

The spy was still out there.

Redwater got together near the council circle in the morning.  A large stone ring had been cleared and decorated with new carvings—symbols of peace, strength, and unity.  Wolves from nearby packs had started to show up, wearing the colors and crests of their own packs.  The air was filled with greetings, cautious laughter, and cautious hope.

My simple dark cloak had the Redwater crest stitched across the back in silver. I stood next to Derek.  As we watched the last group approach, Derek's hand touched mine.

The Council of the Moon.

Four elders in long robes stepped into the clearing.  Each of them had been through more betrayals and wars than I can think of.  Their eyes held knowledge from hundreds of years ago.  They walked slowly but with authority, heads held high.

As they entered the circle, the rest of the pack bowed their heads.  I followed suit, heart pounding.

“Alpha Derek,” one of the elders said, her voice clear and firm, “Luna Claire.  Step forward.”

Derek and I obeyed.  The noise level dropped, and the only sound was the leaves rustling in the trees.

“We have watched your rise with interest,” said Elder Thorne, the tallest of the group.  “Redwater stood on the edge of collapse not long ago.  You have brought it back to life.”

Derek said, "We did it together."  "With the help of old and new allies."

“And with blood,” added Elder Mira, her eyes sharp.  "Being a leader does not come for free."

I said yes.  “We know the weight of it.”

They studied us a moment longer.  Then Elder Thorne raised a carved staff and struck it once on the stone floor.  "We are here to do something official for you."  Right now, Redwater will be the thing that holds the whole region together.  You, Alpha Derek, and you, Luna Claire, shall sit on the High Circle.”

There was a wave of murmuring in the crowd.  A few wolves shook their heads.  Some people whispered.  But most stood in stunned silence, absorbing the meaning of it.

This wasn’t just a title.

It was a promise.

A place among the most powerful leaders.  A duty that stretched beyond our borders.

After the ceremony, I stood alone near the river, staring into the slow-moving water.  My reflection rippled, uncertain.  I had never wanted to be powerful.  Peace only.  They did not always go together though; sometimes they did.

Derek found me there.

“They gave us more than I expected,” he said softly.

“They gave us more than I’m sure we deserve,” I replied.

He came up to me and put his arm around my waist.  "Perhaps we don't."  But we’ll earn it.  One choice at a time.”

I leaned into him, my head resting on his shoulder.  “What if we fail?”

“Then we learn.  We try again.  That is being a leader.

That night, there was a feast to honor Redwater.  Some delegates from different packs stayed behind because they were eager to make new alliances.  There were a lot of talks about trade, joint patrols, and upcoming parties.

I smiled, answered their questions, and told them things I hoped we could keep.

I tried not to think about the message Maren had found, but it kept coming back to me.  The spy.  What a warning.

The fact that we still did not know who wrote it...

Later, I sneaked away from the crowd and went to the storage barn close to the training grounds.  That was where Maren put the note she found in a hidden bag, and I wanted to see it for myself.

I slowly opened the barn door and walked inside. It was dark.  The air smelled like dust and old clothes.  Moonlight got in through the walls' cracks.

I found the kit near the back, just where she said it would be.  It had a false bottom, just as she described.

I pried it open and pulled out a torn scrap of paper.

The ink was smudged, but the writing was clear.

“The council gathering is our chance.  Strike when they bow.”

I held my breath.

Whoever wrote this hadn’t just been planning sabotage.

They were planning an attack.

During the ceremony.

While everyone else was busy.

As soon as the leaders bowed.

A noise behind me made me spin.

I turned just in time to see a shadow move across the barn entrance.

Then silence.

I stepped outside, scanning the trees.

But the shadow was gone.

I returned to Derek immediately, dragging him away from the gathering.

“We have to cancel the second day of talks,” I said quickly.  "There is a plan to attack."  The note was real.  I just saw it.”

His face turned darker.  "Callum?"

"Or someone who works for him."  They were going to strike during the bow.  If we hadn’t confronted Maren, we might’ve never known.”

Derek took my hand.  “We won’t let them get the chance.  We’ll shut it down tonight.  In peace.  Before they can do anything.

We talked to the guards for an hour and passed on orders by whispering.  There were twice as many patrols.  Key areas are safe.  We did not let the delegates know.  Not yet.  Not until we knew we could trust them.

By the time the moon reached its peak, Redwater was still and silent again.

But my heart would not settle down.

Because the person who planned this was still here.

Looking at.

Waiting.

And they would not stop now if they were brave enough to plan an attack on the Lunar Council.

They would just look for another chance.