Chapter 32 Trap and Truth

Chapter 32 Trap and Truth
Elara's POV

"Move!" Selena grabbed my arm with surprising strength, yanking me toward the edge of the crowd. "Now, Elara!"

My feet finally obeyed as she dragged me through the jostling bodies. People shoved past us, some running away from the platform, others surging toward it. Guards shouted orders, their voices sharp with alarm.

I glanced back at the platform where Victor was barking commands at his warriors, his face contorted with rage. Ethan remained on his knees, head bowed, seemingly forgotten in the chaos.

"Look!" I gasped, pointing toward the tree line.

Figures burst from the forest edge, moving with coordinated precision. My heart stuttered when I recognized the man leading them.

Daniel. His face was set with grim determination as he shifted forms mid-stride, clothes tearing as his body transformed into a massive gray wolf. Around him, others were doing the same, their human forms disappearing as fur erupted across their bodies.

A memory flashed through my mind—Daniel arguing passionately in Elder Garrison's cave, insisting we should rescue Ethan.

The uprising Ethan had been planning—it was happening now, with or without him.

Selena tugged me behind an abandoned market stall as the first clash between Daniel's forces and Shadow Creek guards sent bodies flying. "Stay down," she hissed.

I peered over the wooden counter, watching as wolves tore into each other. Teeth flashed, fur matted with blood, snarls and howls replacing human screams. The square had become a battlefield of massive, battling wolves.

"Elder Garrison?" I whispered in disbelief.

There, fighting alongside Daniel's pack, was a distinctive gray wolf I recognized as the Elder himself. He moved with surprising agility for his age, taking down a larger Shadow Creek wolf with tactical precision. This wasn't the frail, soft-spoken man I knew—this was a warrior.

I started forward instinctively, wanting to reach him, but Selena yanked me back.

"You'll get yourself killed," she snapped. "Look at Victor."

My attention shifted to the Alpha. Unlike the panicked guards around him, Victor remained eerily composed. He stood at the edge of the platform, watching the battle unfold with an expression that sent ice through my veins—he was smiling.

With deliberate calm, Victor raised his hand high above his head. Then he snapped his fingers, the sound somehow cutting through the chaos.

"It's a trap," I realized, horror washing over me.

From rooftops, windows, and hidden positions among the trees, Shadow Creek warriors emerged, shifting into wolf form as they leapt into the fray. Dozens of them, perhaps a hundred, all baring teeth and claws. They'd been waiting all along.

"He knew," Selena whispered. "He knew they were coming."

Daniel's forces faltered as they realized they were surrounded. Victor descended from the platform with predatory grace, shifting forms as he moved. His massive black wolf form landed on the blood-soaked ground, teeth bared in what looked disturbingly like satisfaction.

Victor moved through the fighting with terrifying efficiency, tearing through the uprising wolves like they were nothing. His target was clear—he was moving directly toward Daniel's gray wolf.

Elder Garrison fought nearby, his jaws clamping down on a Shadow Creek wolf's leg. For a moment, our eyes met across the square. Something flickered in his gaze—confusion, recognition, uncertainty—before he was forced to turn back to the battle.

Victor lunged at Daniel, who barely managed to dodge the Alpha's massive jaws. They circled each other, two dominant wolves engaged in a deadly dance. Daniel fought well, better than I would have expected, landing several blows that would have crippled a lesser wolf.

But Victor was Alpha for a reason.

The moment came when Elder Garrison stumbled, knocked to the ground by a heavy blow. Daniel's attention shifted for just a fraction of a second—concern for his ally creating the smallest opening.

It was all Victor needed.

He struck with brutal precision, shifting to human form in an instant, a blade appearing in his hand as if by magic. Daniel was caught mid-shift, his body half-human when Victor's blade found his throat, blood spurting from the wound, eyes wide with shock.

"No!" I screamed, the sound lost in the cacophony of battle.

A handful of wolves surrounded Elder Garrison's fallen form, fighting desperately to drag him away. They disappeared into an alley, pursued by Shadow Creek wolves.

Victor stood over Daniel's body, watching the life drain from him. Then he turned and walked calmly back to the platform, shifting forms again, straightening his clothing as if he'd done nothing more strenuous than take a morning stroll.

"Let this be a lesson," his voice carried across the now-quieting square. The uprising had been crushed. Bodies lay scattered, most now shifting back to human form in death, revealing Pine Hollow fighters. "This is what happens to those who challenge Shadow Creek."

He picked up the axe James had dropped, testing its weight. My stomach lurched as I realized what was coming next.

"We will continue with the scheduled execution," Victor announced. "As planned."

Ethan still knelt on the platform. His shoulders shook with silent sobs. Without James to perform the task, Victor himself positioned Ethan's head on the block.

"For the crime of treason against Shadow Creek, I sentence you to death," Victor proclaimed, raising the axe.

I couldn't look away. I should have. But I couldn't.

Selena's hand suddenly covered my eyes, plunging me into darkness. "Don't," she whispered.

The dull thud that followed told me everything. The crowd's roar of approval made me sick.

Slowly, Selena removed her hand. I blinked, adjusting to the light again. On the platform, Victor stood triumphant beside a body and a spreading pool of crimson.

My mind flashed with images of Ethan—his smile when he showed me the greenhouse, his determined expression when he taught me to fight, the gentleness in his eyes when he'd bandaged my wounds.

Tears slid down my cheeks before I could stop them.

"Control yourself," Selena warned, her voice barely audible. "Now is not the time."

I tried to wipe them away, but more fell. Shadow Creek pack members were cheering, celebrating their victory. The Pine Hollow captives kept their heads bowed, a silent mourning for another lost chance at freedom.

Across the square, the spy was watching me. His eyes narrowed at my tears, and he sidled up to Victor, whispering something in the Alpha's ear.

Victor's head turned, his gaze scanning the crowd until it found me. Our eyes locked, and a slow, terrible smile spread across his face.

"We need to go," Selena hissed, tugging at my arm. "Now."

But it was too late. Victor was already moving through the crowd toward us, people parting before him like water around a stone. His eyes never left mine, holding me in place more effectively than chains.

"Well, well," Victor said as he approached, his voice pleasant. "Heard you adopted a human girl, witch?"