Chapter 52: Shadows of Weakness

Jared's POV

At the house of the Midnight Moon, the air has an incense smell of burning in thick and heavy concentrations. Lila was there, seated directly across from me, her lips curling into a somewhat knowing smile as she poured the deep dark red wine into one of the glasses. She offered the glass to me, but I didn’t take it from her.

"You are brooding again," she said, swirling her drink. "I would say it's not a thing for you, but I must say it pleases me to see you all tortured and tormented."

I leaned back in my chair and narrowed my eyes at her. "This isn’t a game, Lila. We can’t just go storming Redwater because you feel like it."

Her laughter was soft but held something like fondness. "Oh, but we can. And we will."

I hated that she talked so assuredly as if my decisions were merely formalities, as if I would forever do what she said in the end.

"But we don't have the numbers," I said in a firm voice. Derek is stalemating now. The last attack failed, and I will not lead my pack to slaughter just to satisfy your vengeance."

Her face remained unchanged; she leaned forward, placed her glass down with a quiet clink. "You're thinking too small, Jared. Redwater has vulnerabilities you haven't even considered. Derek is no longer just an Alpha protecting his pack: he's a leader with a weakness. And that weakness is Claire."

That made me stiffen in my chair at the sound of her name.

Lila saw it.

"Ah," she whispered, her eyes shining. "You still feel something for her, don't you? Even after she gave you up."

I took a breath and exhaled it forcefully. "This is not about that."

"But it is," she said, rising from her chair and circling behind me. "Derek humiliated you, Claire abandoned you, and now they stand together as if you never mattered at all." Her voice dropped into a softer, more insidious tone, "Tell me, doesn't that make your blood boil? Doesn't it make you want to tear them apart?"

I said nothing.

She did not need me to.

She placed her hands over my shoulders, her fingers pressing in just enough to make me tense. "We do not need numbers, Jared. We need allies. And I have them."

I turned my head slightly. "Who?"

"The Iron Fang pack. Shadow Glen. And…" She paused, savoring the moment. "Bloodhowl."

My stomach twisted. "Vincent?"

She nodded.

"You made a deal with Vincent?" I demanded sharply, disbelief mixed with fury.

Vincent was not an ally. He was a rabid beast barely contained by his pack. His life thrived on the thrill of destruction.

"He was eager," Lila said simply, moving back to pour herself another drink. "And he had one condition."

I already knew.

"Claire."

Lila's smile widened. "Smart boy."

I shot out of my seat, nearly overturning it in the process. "You offered him Claire?"

She met my scorn with laughter. "Relax, Jared. I merely promised him what would be inevitable soon. After Redwater falls, she won't have anywhere else to run."

A growl formed in my throat.

"I didn't agree to that."

"No," Lila said calmly. "You agreed to war. Wars come with consequent losses."

I turned away, my hands clenched. Conflicting thoughts stormed through my mind. Revenge bubbled feverishly beneath my skin. I wanted to see Derek on his knees, his pack torn to shreds. I wanted all traces of the humiliation of my failure erased.

But Claire—

Would it make her hate me more if I saved her... or burned her along with Redwater?

"Jared," Lila said softly, "this is your opportunity to reclaim all that you lost before. To show that you are stronger than Derek, that you are the true Alpha your pack deserves."

I briefly closed my eyes.

"Speak," she whispered. "Say the words and we begin." 

I could still turn back. I could walk out of here down this path before it was too late. 

But wasn't it too late? 

I turned fury toward her, my jaw tightening. 

"We march at dawn." 

Lila's triumphant smile was the last thing I saw before leaving the room. 

Cool end Note-I walked outside, the cold night air doing nothing to quell the fire consumed in my veins. 

A shadow moved close to the trees, and instantly my senses sharpened. 

"You made a mistake, Jared." 

Spinning to locate the voice, Sophia emerged from the dark, eyes flashing with warning. 

"Redwater won't fall as easily as you think." 

I slowly exhaled, watching her. "Maybe not. But do you think Claire will survive what's coming?" 

She hesitated. 

I gave a slow, humorless smile. "Do you?" 

Sophia's lips were a thin line, golden eyes flickering with doubt. She had always been loyal to Claire, but that little something in the way she hesitated told me she wasn't as sure as she wanted to be. 

"I don't know what you think you're doing, Jared," she said, stepping closer. "But if you go through with this, you'll never be able to undo it." 

"You think I don't know that?" I growled. 

She scrutinized me for a long moment, and then sighed. "You're being manipulated, Jared. Lila is using your pain against you." 

"And what would you have me do?" I snapped. "Stand by while Derek takes everything? While Claire-" I cut off before saying too much. 

Sophia smirked slightly. "While Claire, what? Moves on?" 

I clenched my fists. "This isn't about her." 

"Isn't it?" she countered. "You can lie to yourself, but I know you, Jared. You don't want this war, you want revenge. And you're willing to burn everything down to get it." 

"I am doing what needs to be done." 

"That's what Lila wants you to think." 

Now, those words dug into my mind totally unwanted and irritatingly accurate. But it was too late for doubt; the alliances were made, the battle plans drawn. 

"Get out of here, Sophia," I said, turning away. "Go back to Claire, if you're so worried about her." 

"I will," she said. "But remember this, Jared-when the dust settles, when the war is over... will you even recognize yourself?" 

I did not answer. 

I couldn't. 

She stepped into the shadows, and I stood there, tasting the burden of what I had set in motion. 

And for the first time, I wondered if even before the battle had started, I had already lost. 

Lila's POV 

I stood before the mirror, my fingers tracing the intricate gold necklace dangling around my neck. The air still held Jared's scent of hesitation, doubt. 

Good. 

Doubt is a weapon. It weakens a man just enough to make him pliable. 

The door creaked open behind me. 

"You've done well," came a voice from the darkness. 

A slow smile spread my lips apart. "Was there ever any doubt?"

These words are delivered by the mouthy child or by the mouthy child in her soft, sweet voice, leaving the sinner with thrills down his unlucky spine. 

"Not from me," he mumbled. "But from him? He's still resisting."

"He won't for much longer," I assured them, trailing a finger along the edge of the mirror. "As soon as the war begins, Jared won't have the luxury of regret. He'll have to destroy Claire himself."

The figure chuckled. "And if he refuses?"

"Then he dies," I said simply. "And I take what was never supposed to be gone."

Their silence was approval enough.

War was coming.

And I would make sure it ended with me standing victorious-alone, if necessary.

The best music evolution was that restless energy the night carried. In the distance, Midnight Moon warriors sharpened blades and reinforced their armor as if waiting for battle.

But miles away from the pack borders, at the very heart of Redwater territory, Claire stood on a ridge: the wind whipped through her hair as she looked out into the dark horizon.

It's something she did not yet know.

But the war wasn't coming only for Redwater.

It was coming for her.

And when the time came, when Jared stood before her with blood on his hands and betrayal in his eyes...

Would she fight him?

Or would she still try to save him?

Claire’s POV

The wind howled through the treetops as I crouched low behind a thick undergrowth, my breath steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Redwater’s warriors had scouted Midnight Moon’s borders before, but none had dared to venture this far.

Derek would have scolded me for sneaking into enemy territory to discover something that could help turn the tide of this war in favor of us. He wouldn't have approved, but I had to see for myself—find something, anything, that could turn this war in our favor.

And I had.

From my position, I watched the Midnight Moon warriors rotate their patrols with movements sharp yet predictable, their defenses far stronger than I had initially anticipated but not impenetrable.

Such elements are gaps along the line, weakened that could be exploited if we were careful in our operations.

One came below the ridge where I was concealed, not knowing I was there. My heart throbbed in my breast, but I was as still as a shadow behind the giant pines.

And then, I saw it.