Chapter 39: Shadows Within

Claire’s POV 

After exposing Theo and Lydia's betrayal, I barely had time to catch my breath before dealing with a more severe problem.  

Derek's anger was directed not at me but at the whole situation—the very concept of having some of his underlings reverse him. His rage burned under the surface, restrained yet deadly, gathering strength like a storm.  

Theo was incarcerated immediately, under instructions of interrogation by daybreak. Lydia, though, had already vanished, and Redwater patrols were in hot pursuit.  

But something still felt off about that.  

Betrayals do not occur in isolation. Theo and Lydia were not acting alone. I felt that the real menace was lurking in the shadows.  

For the next day, I scrutinized everyone. Every conversation, every sidelong glance, every small pause—I studied it all. And the more attention I paid, the more I started noticing the heavy atmosphere among the entire pack.  

Something was not right.  

And I was not the only one who sensed it.  

Late at night, Derek sent for me.  

The room was dim with light filtered from a single lamp. Maps and war plans were spread haphazardly across his desk. He didn't look up when I entered; his voice was taut when he spoke.  

"Another problem."  

I straightened. "Another traitor?"  

He clenched his jaw. "Worse."  

He slid a folded letter along the desk. I picked it up and read it quickly. The handwriting was strange to me, but the message was clear:  

Midnight Moon had gotten hold of some inside information about Redwater's secrets.  

And someone deemed to be in the inner circle was feeding them that intelligence.  

I slowly lowered the letter. "You think there's another spy?"  

His eyes were sharp and calculating. "I know there is."  

A shiver crept down my spine. If someone in Redwater's upper ranks was working for Jared, then Jared would always stay a step ahead.  

That was lethal.  

"Do you have any idea who?"  

Derek hesitated. Then: "I have a suspicion."  

I waited, but he said nothing more. It seemed he was putting me to the test, to see whether I had come to the same conclusion.  

I went back over every conversation I had overheard, every unexpected change in Redwater's movements. A traitor in the inner circle had to be someone close to Derek. Someone he trusted.  

And then it dawned on me.  

I sucked in a breath. "No, it can't be..."  

Derek's silence told me all I needed to know.  

His Beta.  

Sam.  

Sam, who had stood by Derek for years. Sam, as loyal could get was dedicated to the pack. Sam, who had overseen nearly all of the defences of Redwater, the very aspects Midnight Moon seemed to know too much about.  

I felt my stomach twist. "Are you certain?"  

Derek took a slow breath, his eyes darkening. "Not yet. But I need to be."  

He shoved himself away from the desk and stood. "We are going to find out the truth."  

We didn't have to wait long.  

Some few hours after midnight aam was making his move.  

The two of us were there watching in the shadows from behind the camp when we saw him slip away from the barracks, moving cautiously but making haste nevertheless.  

And that was our cue to follow.  

He led us deep into the woods and seemed quite intent on hurrying. I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears, and breathing slow and steady.  

Then hand e stopped.slowlyAfricsteadilystanding ahead on an altar that seemed graven from the darkness. An ethereal woman; long and lean, with an eerie presence that crawled on my skin.  

Lydia.  

I clenched my fists. So she hadn't run far after all.  

Sam handed her something—papers, tightly rolled and bound with twine. I couldn't see what was written on them and, truth be told, I didn't need to.  

That was proof.  

Sam had betrayed Redwater.  

Betrayed Derek.  

And I could tell by the tautness in Derek's stance beside me that he would not go easy on any of them.  

He stepped forward before I had a chance to stop him. "Sam, you better have a good reason for this," he said, and the sound of his voice cut the silence of the night with a knife.  

Sam stood still.  

The first to scream was Lydia. She tried to escape, but I was quicker. I sprang out of the shadow and slammed into her before she could bolt. A sharp snarl came out of her throat as she twisted away from my grasp, but I managed to hold on and twisted her body against a large oak.  

Sam slowly turned around to face Derek again.  

And for the first time since I had known him, I saw fear flicker in his eyes.   

"Derek," he began, but Derek's face was as hard as stone.  

"Save it."  

Sam had paused to breathe heavily, "I did what I had to do."  

Derek's fists clenched. "You had to betray your pack?"  

"You don't understand." Sam's voice was now desperate. "Jared—he's not going to stop. Stronger than you think. Stronger than any of us. If we don't work with him, we'll all be wiped out."  

Derek's jaw was rigid. "So you sold us out to save yourself."  

"I tried to save you too," Sam protested. "If you had just listened..."  

"You think I'd ever listen to *him*?" Derek's voice was clipped, his stance unyielding. "Jared would burn this entire pack to the ground if he could. And you *helped* him."  

Sam swallowed thickly.  

I locked my arm around Lydia's throat, closing to find the escape route.   

"You are a fool," I said to him, steady of voice. "Jared doesn't want an alliance. He wants you destroyed. He will use you until you have become worthless and then discard you."  

The expression of Sam contorted denial at the tip of his tongue, but he knew the truth.  

"You were my Beta," Derek said softly. "I trusted you."  

A flash of guilt crossed Sam's face. Regret. But something else as well.  

Fear.  

And just like that, he moved.  

Before either of us could do anything about it, he unlatched a dagger from his belt and lunged—  

Not for Derek.  

For *me*.  

I hardly had a second to react. I twisted away trying to avoid the blade, but pain exploded through my side as the dagger sliced through flesh.

Sam was down on the ground a second later.

Derek was over him, his body sword against Sam's neck, raspy breaths in and out.

No sound spoke for a long time.

Then, in such a low voice as to send chills through me, Derek said, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

Chest heaving, blood dripping from his lip. But he said nothing.

Derek's grip tightened on the hilt.

And then a sharp whistle from the trees pierced the stillness.

I froze.

Lydia's backup.

More footsteps. More shadows moving in the darkness.

Jared's forces were already here.

I looked at Derek.

And just from the look in his eyes, I knew this wasn't just a betrayal. This was an ambush.