Chapter 45

Claire’s POV

The fire crackled in the center of the war room, casting flickering shadows against the stone walls. The scent of burning wood mixed with the tension in the air. Redwater’s warriors sat in tense silence, murmuring among themselves about Jared’s ultimatum. Three days. Three days before Midnight Moon came for me. Before war bled through the borders.

I was still trying to process it myself when the door swung open with a gust of cold wind.

Sophia stood in the entrance, her cloak damp with rain, her breath coming fast as if she had run the entire way. But it wasn’t the exhaustion in her eyes that sent a chill down my spine. It was fear.

Derek stood before anyone else could react. His golden eyes sharpened. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Sophia shook her head. “I had to come. You need to hear this.” Her gaze found mine. “Claire, Lila is coming for you. Not Jared. Lila.”

My stomach twisted. “What?”

Sophia strode forward, dropping her soaked cloak onto the wooden table. The warriors who had been gathered stepped back, letting her approach. She looked at me like she was assessing damage, like she needed to confirm I was still standing.

“Jared wants you alive, but Lila… she doesn’t care about his plans. She’s taken control of Midnight Moon in his absence. She’s rallying warriors, whispering in their ears, turning them against you.”

I swallowed hard. Of course, she was. Lila had always hated me. Jared’s chosen mate, the perfect Luna, the woman who had watched me get tossed aside like trash. But this wasn’t just personal. It was strategy.

Derek’s jaw tightened. “How many?”

“Enough.” Sophia exhaled. “She’s planning an attack, Derek. Not on Redwater. Not on the pack.” Her voice dropped lower. “On Claire. She wants her dead before Jared can get his hands on her.”

A shiver ran down my spine.

Mason cursed under his breath. “So she’s going behind Jared’s back. He won’t like that.”

"He won't be aware," Sophia spoke in a sombre tone. "Not until the last minute."

A dense and oppressive silence descended upon the room. Derek was staring at me, and I could feel the weight of that question hanging between us.

Was this worth it?

I erect my shoulders. "We can't wait for her to arrive."

Derek nodded, but it was impossible to read his face. "I agree." He faced the fighters. "Make the patrols stronger. At each entrance, double the number of guards. I want to know right away if anyone notices movement close to the borders.

Derek remained motionless as the warriors dispersed into action. His eyes never left mine, and he let out a sharp sigh when we were finally alone.

"This has no effect," he declared. "Jared will still arrive."

I gave a nod. "And Lila may arrive first."

He was so frustrated that his jaw was twitching. Claire, you're not going to leave the packhouse. Not by themselves.

I balled my fists up. "You cannot confine me like a prisoner."

His golden eyes blazed as he stepped closer. "If it keeps you alive, I can."

A problem. A caution.

I wasn't going to back down, though.

A howl rang out from outside before I could counter. An indication. Something had caught the guards' attention.

After exchanging glances, Derek and I hurried towards the door in unison. Already, warriors were assembling, holding their weapons, and looking over the border towards the shadowy tree line.

Then I caught sight of them.

Forms moving through the darkness. Wolves, silent and swift, scuttling among the trees. The moon at midnight.

They were here.

It's too early.

Sophia swore next to me. "She moved more quickly than I anticipated."

Derek growled low in his voice. "Hold your positions, everyone."

But even in the faint moonlight, I could not take my eyes off the figure standing at the edge of the treeline, her red cloak visible.

Lila.

She was grinning as well.

She called out, "Hello, Claire," in a voice as sweet as honey mixed with poison. "I hoped we could finally talk for a little while."

The smell of damp earth and pine tinged the night air, but it was the stench of bloodlust that made my stomach turn. With her black hair falling in loose waves down her back and a red cloak draped over her shoulders, Lila stood at the edge of the trees. She grinned slowly and assuredly, as if she had already won.

Her voice echoed across the clearing as she pondered, "You've made quite a mess, haven't you? "Jared is becoming desperate, Midnight Moon is in disarray, and now Redwater is harbouring a traitor." She glanced at Derek. "Alpha, you ought to have let me deal with this from the start."

Derek remained motionless, but I could sense the strain in his body and the barely contained anger radiating from him. "Lila, you are on my property." Even though he spoke calmly, there was an obvious warning in his voice. "State your affairs before I send my warriors to tear you to pieces."

Lila shook her head and laughed quietly. "Derek, you were always the more careless one." Just enough for the warriors to become tense and clutch their weapons, she took a step forward. "I came to get Claire."

I balled my fists up. "You think I'll simply fall into your trap?"

Her amusement sparkled in her dark eyes. "Oh, dear girl. It's not a trap. It is mercy. The woman cocked her head. "You don't realise what Jared has in store, do you? You're just postponing the inevitable, even though you believe you've earned a spot here.

Derek stepped ahead of me, his body firm and guarded. "Jared can come by himself if he wants her."

A smirk curved Lila's lips. "He will. However, I figured I'd spare him the trouble.

She flicked her wrist. An indication.

The trees erupted in movement. Wolves, moving in mid-leap, were the shadows that darted between the trunks. Warriors of the Midnight Moon.

At the border, the first wave lunged for the guards. Growls and battle cries blended with the smell of blood as the night was filled with the clash of teeth and steel.

Oh no.

Derek was already moving, shifting into his wolf form in a burst of silver fur. He launched at the nearest Midnight Moon warrior, tearing into him with brutal precision.

I didn’t have time to think. A rogue charged at me, claws extended. I ducked under his swipe, spun, and drove my dagger into his side. He howled, collapsing to his knees.

More were coming.

Sophia appeared at my side, daggers gleaming. “We need to fall back—Lila isn’t here to talk!”

No. She was here to kill me.

I scanned the battlefield, searching for that red cloak.

And then I saw her.

Lila wasn’t fighting. She was moving through the chaos, heading straight for me.

My pulse roared in my ears. I braced myself as she approached, calm and unbothered despite the battle raging around us.

She looked at the fallen warriors surrounding me and said, "You've gotten better." "Very impressive. However, it won't be sufficient.

I gripped my dagger tighter. "You always undervalued me."

She let out a nearly disappointed sigh. "Claire, I warned you once. You ought to have remained where you belonged—in the shadows.

Then she hit.

With her claws aimed at my throat, she moved like lightning. She came at me again, relentless, elegant, and lethal, and I barely managed to avoid her, staggered back.

I had forgotten how strong she was.

She was quicker than me, so I twisted to drive my dagger towards her ribs and blocked her next blow. She grabbed my wrist and squeezed until my arm hurt.

I kicked out, forcing her to release me, but she only smiled.

“You can’t win,” she whispered. “Not against me.”

A cold certainty settled in my chest.

Lila wasn’t here to fight fair. She wasn’t here for some power play.

She was here to end this.

And she wasn’t leaving without my blood.