Chapter 84: Strong Roots

Claire POV

In ways never seen before, Redwater was alive.

As the morning sun spilt over the village, it painted the new stone walls a warm gold. The training fields echoed with children's laughter, and the scent of fresh bread and wildflowers filled the air. While warriors trained with wooden swords, elders sat under tall trees and shared stories to eager young listeners. It was evolving, if not perfectly. Restoring. Blooming.

I also woke up each day feeling grateful that I had stayed.

As I stood on the council hall porch, I observed the village coming alive. Derek moved to stand next to me and put an arm around my shoulders. He remained silent, but he was not required to. The harmony between us had become solid and organic, like roots extending farther into the ground.

The amount of change in a matter of weeks was astounding.

The work started quickly after Jared turned himself in and the council granted us control over Midnight Moon's future.  We welcomed refugees into Redwater.  We had lengthy discussions with both sides' elders.  We changed the laws that used to separate us.  We now had a single territory, a single leader, and a single goal.  However, it was difficult to combine two broken packs.

Fights had broken out.  Fear and mistrust.  And on more than one occasion, I wondered if we had erred.  However, I knew this was the right course of action when I saw little things like a healer from both packs working side by side or a Midnight Moon child learning to hunt with a Redwater scout.

Nevertheless, I felt a burden in my chest.  It was more difficult than I thought to lead.  I was the go-to person for answers.  They desired power. Guidance.  I hope.  Additionally, I did not always feel strong.  I was worn out.  I am overwhelmed.

It was one of those days today.

I put my hand on the wooden railing and sighed.  "Are you ever worried that we are going overboard?"  Quietly, I asked.

Derek gave me a downcast look.  "Every day.  But then I remember why I still have faith in us when I see you standing here, fighting.

Even though his words made me feel better on a deep level, the worry that was bothering me persisted.

"There is a problem," I said.  "I sense it."

Derek scowled.  "What do you mean?"

"I am not sure.  It is only a sensation.  As if something is missing.  as if someone were observing.

He glanced around the village.  Since the Night Fangs began to stir, we have increased patrols threefold.  There has been nothing unusual reported by the scouts.

"I understand.  However, instincts are honest.  I have more faith in them than in reports.

Derek gave a nod.  “Then we’ll check the borders again.  Together.”

Before I could answer, a soft knock came at the hall’s door behind us.  One of the council aides, a boy named Kellan, peeked out.

“Claire, Derek—you’re needed inside.  We have a guest.

I furrowed my brows.  "A guest?"

Indeed.  "I came alone," he says.  However,  “It’s Jared,” Kellan said in a whisper after he paused.

The name made me sick to my stomach.

Derek's mouth clenched.  “He has some nerve showing up here.”

I touched his arm.  "We should listen to him."

Jared stood by himself in the middle of the council hall.  He appeared older than when I last saw him, with a worn-out face and longer, grey-streaked hair.  However, his eyes were not irate.  They were worn out.  Sad.  Empty.

Claire.  Derek.  He nodded slowly.  "I appreciate you seeing me."

"What are you looking for?"  Derek asked icily.

Jared spoke quietly but steadily.  "To alert you."

I took a step forward.  "How about?"

He said, "The Night Fangs."  They have developed into something more destructive than what I created.  They still consider me to be their leader.  They will not stop their plans to attack you.

I scowled.  "Why visit us at this time?"

Jared explained, "Because I tried to stop them."  "I visited their camp in the north.  I had a conversation with Logan, their new leader.

I shuddered at the name.  The younger brother of Lila.  I thought he perished during the siege.  Not.

Jared went on, "He is twisted."  "He is bringing the angry and the broken together by using my name.  He is planning more than just retaliation, though.  He desires to extinguish both packs and emerge victorious from the ashes.

Derek folded his arms.  "What makes you worthy of our trust?"

"You shouldn't," Jared stated in a flat voice.  But you can not trust me here.  I’m here to stop something worse than me.”

I studied him carefully.  His eyes didn’t shift.  He wasn’t lying—at least not in the way he used to.

“Where is their camp?”  I enquired.

Jared paused.  "I will take you."

"No," Derek angrily said.  "You stay away from our warriors."

Jared gave me a look.  "You know what is coming, Claire.  You have sensed it.

He was right, and I detested it.

I looked over at Derek.  Allow him to lead a team of scouts.  They will kill him if he is lying.

The threat did not make Jared cringe.

Derek nodded, even though he did not like it.  "All right.  However, if something goes wrong...

"I refuse to defend myself," Jared declared.  "I have nothing else to fight for."

We dispatched the team later that afternoon.  Along with them, Jared vanished into the woods once more.  Heartbroken, I watched them leave the council tower.  Although I did not trust him, I did trust the consequences of ignoring the warning.

The days that followed were tense.  We kept up defences, doubled patrols, and trained day and night.  The village changed again—laughter faded, replaced by quiet tension.

And then, just before dawn on the fifth day, a patrol wolf returned—bloodied, breathless.

“They’re coming,” he gasped.  “Dozens.  Maybe more.  Headed straight for Redwater.”

I rushed to the edge of the wall, looking north.  In the trees, dark shapes shifted.  More than I could keep track of.

At most, we had hours.

I called the council together and gave the order for all the wolves to get ready.  This would be the last test of everything we had constructed.  Redwater and everything it represented would perish with us if we fell.

However, I would not permit that to occur.

I spoke loud and clear as I stood in front of our warriors in the training field.

They are here to shatter us.  to ignite our previous errors.  However, we have created something valuable.  We are not two packs.  We are all one.  Redwater is who we are.  And we are united.

A roar filled the air, strong and sure.

But as I turned to give final orders, a hawk cried high above us.  A scout's signal.

A second wave was coming—from the west.

Not the Night Fangs alone.

One more group.  Not sure.

I pressed my chest tight against Derek's eyes.

"They have flanked us."