Chapter 19 Divided Loyalties
LISA'S POV
The drive back to Moonstone territory felt like crawling through broken glass, every mile was another second Emma spent in Viktor's hands. Dawn was three hours away, Viktor's deadline ticking down like a countdown to catastrophe. My wolf howled inside me, demanding I turn around and race to the ruins alone, consequences be damned.
"You're not going alone," Ryan said for the hundredth time, his hand tight around mine. "I don't care what Viktor demanded. I won't let you walk into a trap without backup."
"He'll kill Emma if I don't follow his instructions exactly."
"He'll kill you both if you do." Ryan's voice cracked with frustration and fear. "Lisa, please. We'll find another way."
The pack house was chaotic when we arrived, warriors were preparing weapons while elders argued strategy in raised voices. Elder Catherine intercepted us at the door, her face grave with authority I was learning to recognize as genuine concern rather than political maneuvering.
"You will not go to those ruins alone," she stated flatly. "I forbid it as head of the council. It's suicide, and this pack cannot afford to lose another Alpha."
"Emma will die…"
"And you'll die trying to save her, leaving us with no leader and Viktor with exactly what he wants." Elder Catherine's hand landed on my shoulder, surprisingly gentle. "I may have doubted your readiness to lead, but I won't watch you throw your life away on a rogue's ultimatum."
Daniel stepped forward, his expression calculating in a way that reminded me he had survived a decade with Viktor. "Let me go instead. I'm also Marcus's child, also tied to the prophecy through blood. Viktor might accept me as a substitute for the ritual."
"Absolutely not," I said immediately. "You're my brother. I just found you."
"Which is exactly why I'm offering." Daniel's smile was sad, knowing. "You have a pack to lead, a mate to bond with, and you have a future. I've already lost ten years to Viktor. What's a few more if it saves you?"
Ryan's voice cut through with Beta authority that made even Elder Catherine pause. "No one is offering themselves as a sacrifice. We approach this strategically." He turned to Nathan, who'd been so quiet. "You've been thinking. What's your idea?"
Nathan looked up from the map he'd been studying, exhaustion evident in the shadows under his eyes. "We will make Viktor think Lisa is coming alone while positioning a backup nearby. The old ruins have multiple approach points—forest on three sides, open ground on the fourth. We hide warriors in the trees, let Lisa enter alone but with support thirty seconds away."
"Viktor will smell them," Daniel countered. "He's too experienced to fall for basic ambush tactics."
"Not if we use Silver Creek wolves he doesn't know." Nathan gestured at the map. "His intel is on Moonstone Pack, not on potential allies. Fresh scents he hasn't catalogued."
The door burst open before we could debate further, Alpha Samuel entering with a contingent of wolves I didn't recognize. His face was haggard, aged a decade in the hours since we'd left his estate. Luna Margot wasn't with him, she had probably stayed behind to salvage what remained of their compromised pack.
"I'm seeking asylum," Samuel said without preamble, his voice hoarse with shame. "My pack has been infiltrated for decades, my leadership compromised, my authority questioned by wolves who answer to Viktor instead of me." He dropped to one knee, the gesture shocking from an Alpha of his standing. "I offer my loyalty and the loyalty of those warriors who remain true to their oaths. In exchange, I ask for protection in Moonstone territory and assistance rescuing the girl my daughter helped kidnap."
Elder Catherine's eyes gleamed with political calculation. "Silver Creek Pack would dissolve if you abandon it. The territory would fall into chaos, and rogues would claim it within weeks."
"Silver Creek Pack is already dissolving," Samuel said bitterly.
"Half my warriors are Viktor's plants. The other half don't know who to trust anymore. Better to rebuild under new leadership than pretend the rot hasn't already destroyed us from within." His eyes found mine, pleading. "I failed to see what my children became. Let me help fix what they broke."
The council erupted in arguments. Some saw opportunity, absorbing Silver Creek's resources and warriors would make Moonstone the strongest pack in the region. Others worried about accepting potential traitors, bringing Viktor's corruption into our own territory.
I raised my hand for silence, surprised when everyone actually stopped talking. Alpha authority still felt foreign, like wearing clothes that didn't quite fit yet. "Alpha Samuel, do you swear on your mate bond with Luna Margot that your loyalty is genuine? That you bring no deception or hidden agenda to Moonstone Pack?"
Samuel's hand moved to his chest, covering his heart where the mate bond lived. "I swear on my mate bond, on my true children's lives, on everything sacred to wolves. My loyalty is yours, Alpha Lisa, until death or release."
The ancient oath hung in the air, binding and unbreakable. I felt the pack bonds shift, accepting new members, new strengths, new complications. "Then I accept your oath and welcome you to the Moonstone Pack. Your warriors will join rescue planning immediately."
Elder Catherine looked impressed and Ryan's pride radiated through our mate bond, warming places inside me that had been cold for years. Daniel nodded approval, while Nathan was already repositioning warriors on his map to account for our new resources.
We planned through the remaining hours of darkness, combining Moonstone's knowledge of local territory with Silver Creek's combat experience and Daniel's understanding of Viktor's tactics. The strategy took shape, careful, coordinated, with multiple contingencies for when things inevitably went wrong.
But I knew, deep in my bones where the prophecy lived, that I would definitely face Viktor alone. Some battles couldn't be won with backup and clever planning. Some enemies required personal confrontation.
An hour before dawn, as final preparations concluded, a messenger burst into the war room. "Alpha Marcus is awake. He's asking for Lisa."
I ran to the medical wing, Ryan close behind. My father looked worse than before, his burned skin gray with approaching death, but his eyes were clear and urgent. His hand shot out, grabbing mine with surprising strength.
"The ritual Viktor wants," he rasped, each word an obvious struggle. "It's not for power. Not for control over all wolves." He pulled me closer, his breath hot and labored against my ear. "It's to break the mate bond between you and Ryan, making you vulnerable to a forced bond with someone who can control you. He wants you as his mate."