Chapter 68: Calm Before the Storm

Claire’s POV

As we entered Redwater's boundaries, the smell of damp earth and pine-filled my lungs. I never imagined that I would be relieved to be back here, but as the village appeared, my chest relaxed, if only briefly. We were victorious but bruised from the battle at the council. The Alpha was degraded, the Midnight Moon was broken, and its warriors were unsure. But I knew in my heart that this was not the end.

Jared was never going to concede.

Derek rode next to me, watching the forest intently for any indication of an impending ambush. Despite the fact that we were both exhausted, he remained calm as usual. His presence remained steady and grounding despite everything, including fighting by my side and almost losing me.

The villagers gathered in the centre of Redwater, their faces displaying a mixture of fear and hope. They were aware of the events at the council. News spread quickly. Some seemed relieved, while others were cautious. Jared might have been exposed, but his retaliation would be brutal, so I could not hold it against them.

Elder Rowan stepped forward, his face unreadable. He remarked, "You made it back," He looked briefly at the bloody bandages on my shoulder and arm. "Barely."

I feigned a feeble smile. "It’s nothing I haven’t survived before."

Despite nodding, he did not seem persuaded. "We must speak. "Now."

I glanced at Derek and got off the horse. I followed Rowan to the war tent, where the other senior warriors had already assembled, but my legs hurt. Tension permeated the air inside.

Rowan began, "We have no time to waste," in a firm voice. "Despite their division, Midnight Moon remains powerful. Jared will not tolerate this. He will strike back."

Elias, one of the warriors, proposed that we attack first. "Take the fight to them before they regroup."

"No." Derek spoke in a firm tone. "We are not prepared for another major conflict. Loyalists still support Jared. We might compel those who are undecided to support him if we exert too much pressure.

I gave a nod. "The council no longer supports him. His pack is breaking apart. Holding steady and getting ready for his next move is the best course of action.

Rowan's arms were folded. "And if his next move is an ambush?"

The room became quiet. In actuality, we were unaware of Jared's level of desperation. It was impossible to predict what he would do if he felt cornered.

Derek remarked, "We reinforce our borders," "Increase patrols by double. bolster our defences.

Before I spoke, I paused. "We must also get the civilians ready. They need a means of escape if this war reaches our shores.

Rowan's face grew serious. "You think it’ll come to that?"

Sooner or later, "I know it will," I said softly. "Jared isn't going to quit until he ruins what we've built."

There was a heavy silence in the room that fell. I could see that they were tired, that the war lingered in their minds. Yet there wasn't time to rest. The war had not yet come to an end.

I walked out to get some cool fresh evening air after the meeting. Long shadows stretched out over the village and the rest of the sunlight traced a deep orange and purple streak across the sky. The atmosphere ought to have been calm, but my thoughts were anything but.

Derek advanced one step, his eyes unwavering. "You okay?"

I slowly breathed out. "No. But I will be."

He stood for a very long time, then nodded. "Walk with me."

We walked to the peaceful borders of the forest, away from the centre village. The wind was cool on my skin as the trees whispered around us.

"Back at the council," Derek said slowly, "when Jared attacked you—"  

He took a sharp breath.  

"I wanted to kill him."

I swallowed.  

"I know."

"I should have."  

He said it in a hard voice.  

"Perhaps then, we wouldn't be here, waiting for his next move."

I paused and looked at him. "And how would that have made a difference? Killing Jared in front of the council would not have ended the war, even though he is a threat. You would have been the one to provoke them in their minds because of it. It would have given his planned retaliation justification.

Derek's face hardened, but he remained silent.".

I surprised myself at the way my hand had moved toward him. "You did what you had to do. Although we might wish that avenging ourselves will make it all right, it won't. We need to outsmart him.

His fingers tightened around mine. "Outsmarting isn't always a matter of being safe, Claire."

I attempted a smile. "I never said I wanted to be safe."

Something unseen, something visceral, crossed his eyes. The sound of footsteps approaching broke the silence, and for one moment I thought he would speak once more.

Gasping, a scout rushed up to us. "Alpha, Claire, you must come at once. It is urgent.".

As we escorted him back into the village, I had a lump of fear. Outside the entrance, there was a group of villagers standing and muttering nervously. I gasped as we pushed through.

Torchlight illuminated the figure standing alone at the edge of the clearing.

Jared.

He was alone, his clothes ripped, his face covered in grime and dried blood. But it was his eyes, wild and frantic and something worse than angry, that paralyzed me.

Derek took a step closer, every muscle in his body coiled like a spring. "What the hell do you want?"

Something between a sneer and a snarl contorted Jared's lips. "I came to warn you."

My heart was racing. "Warn us about what?"

Jared crept a slow step closer. "You think that this war is between us, but you are wrong." He was speaking in a croaky, near-mad voice. "You have no idea what's coming."

Derek's eyes flared. "What are you talking about?"

Jared let out a stuttering laugh. "You believed Lila was your biggest support?" He shook his head. "You have no idea what I was working with."

My spine crawled with disgust.

Jared growled, "You should've killed me when you had the chance." "Because now it is too late."

The air chilled.

Something dark, something larger than Midnight Moon, larger than Jared, loomed on the horizon.

And it was arriving already, whatever it was.