Chapter 12: A WEB OF DECEIT

ZARA'S POV

As Brody dragged me away from Ren's tent, I could swear I caught a glimpse of something that made my blood run cold. A rogue figure, something taking a very close resemblance to that I saw in the woods before Emily approached me. It was watching us from the shadows, its eyes fixed on me with an unnerving intensity.

"Brody, wait! I could see something!!" I struggled against his grip, but he didn't relent.

The figure stepped forward a little bit, revealing partly of its body, but its face was hidden, something like a liquid dripping from its hand, its features illuminated by the moonlight. Then, quickly, it vanished.

Brody's expression remained firm. "Zara, I need to take you in for questioning. Everyone needs to hear about this. We'll get to the bottom of this."

But I was beyond reason. A spark of suspicion had ignited within me, and I couldn't shake it off. "I want to see Kael," I demanded, my voice gradually rising.

Brody's eyebrows shot up. "Kael? What does he have to do with this?, besides his’ is where I'm taking you to"

"I think I saw him lurking in the woods," I said, my mind racing. "I want to know what he's hiding," I said unsure of what I saw

Brody's grip on my arm tightened. "Fine, we are there already. But if you're just trying to distract me..."

He dragged me to Kael's tent, but when we arrived, it was empty. The barely lit fire was still burning, but there was no sign of Kael.

Brody frowned, feeling a little unease, "He's probably out on a midnight patrol. He often does that." He said with mixed feelings.

But I wasn't convinced. Something didn't add up. Kael's absence seemed suspicious, and I couldn't shake the feeling that he was hiding something.

Could he be the one I saw standing in the woods? Wait, could Kael possibly be the one who fought with Ren and got his blood splattered? Why would he fight with Ren?, No! Kael is too good to do such.

As we waited outside Kael's tent, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I was missing something. Something is wrong somewhere; Ren is seriously injured or almost dead right now if I'm to judge from the much loss of blood.

Who could have done this? How do I prove it's not me? Could Loren be able to intrude into the camp at night without the visionary knowing?

Brody leaned against a nearby tree, his eyes fixed on me with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion.

While drowned in my thoughts, I was disrupted from my reverie by a footstep approaching us.

It was Kael, he emerged from the darkness, a peaceful smile on his face. His hair was mussed, and his eyes looked sleepy as if he had just rolled out of bed to get something.

"Hey, what's going on?" Kael asked, his voice dripping with innocence. He looked at Brody, then at me, his expression confused. "Why are you two looking so serious?" he said, sounding a bit jovial.

Kael has never been the Jovial type; why is he suddenly sounding jovial? He has always been the serious, strict, and Dominant type. Could he be masking something behind his Joviality? His countenance raised questions in me, but I quickly ignored them; he was probably taking a new leaf.

I felt a pang of doubt. Kael looked so harmless, so genuinely concerned, that I wondered if I had misjudged him entirely. Maybe I had just seen things, maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, or maybe I had never seen any wolf figure.

Brody stepped forward, his expression serious. "Kael, something has happened and I think you should know about it, but before then, Zara here thinks she saw you lurking in the woods."

Kael's eyes widened in surprise. "Lurking in the woods? What are you talking about?" He looked at me, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Zara, I think you must have seen a ghost. I've been asleep in my tent all night, I just left shortly to take a stroll, as I usually do" he said looking back to Brody

I felt a wave of uncertainty wash over me. Kael's words were so convincing, his expression so innocent, that I wondered if I had indeed made a mistake. Maybe I was just paranoid, maybe I was seeing things that weren't there.

But then I remembered Ren's words, his warning about Kael's true intentions. I remembered the feeling of unease that had been growing inside me, the sense that something was off; I remembered the weight that followed Ren's voice.

I looked at Kael, my eyes searching for any sign of deception. But all I saw was innocence, concern, and a deep affection for me. I was more confused than ever. Suddenly, as if he had seen a ghost, Kael caught a glimpse of my blood-dripping hand with no injury.

“Whose blood is that?” He says, pointing at the dripping blood. “What have you done, Zara?” his voice suddenly changes with echoes of dominance.

He turned to Brody, as if demanding answers

“Ren is missing” Brody releases, barely audible with his head bowed

“What!! How!!!,” he asked in surprise

“And also, I got a glimpse of Zara leaving her tent to Rens,” Brody continues. “I followed her only to see her in Ren's tent with his blood in his hands.”.

Kael's expression darkened more coldly as he stepped closer to me. "Zara, what have you done to Ren" he said, his voice low and menacing.

"Kael, I didn't do anything" I growl, trying to sound innocent despite the growing unease in my stomach.

Kael's eyes narrowed. "Then what's your explanation about Ren's disappearance?” He asks suspiciously “And the blood on your hands?" He asks scrutinizing me while circling me

My heart skipped a beat as I realized where this was going. I knew I was in a hurt seat.

"I...I don't know…I don't know, Kael I swear I didn't know anything about Ren's disappearance," I stammered, looking directly into his eyes “Kael you have to believe me”

Kael's smile was cold and calculating. "Don't play innocent, Zara. I know you were one of the last people to see Ren. And now he's gone, and you're covered in blood."

"Kael! Kael!! You don't think I could hurt Ren, did you?" I asked in rage; my voice raised a little higher.

Kael's eyes flashed with anger. "You're going to tell me the truth, Zara. And you're going to do it in front of Miera, Emily, and the entire pack."

He turned to Brody. "Bind her with chains and keep sight of her confined until tomorrow, We'll get the truth out of her, one way or another."

Brody hesitated for a moment before nodding and pulling out a set of heavy chains. I could see the doubt on his face, but I have no proof of innocence. He didn't believe I did it, but he had to obey his orders; otherwise, he was an accomplice. I struggled against him, but he was too strong.

I thought of using my powers to aid myself but I quickly shook it off because it would only make my innocence more unbelievable.

As the chains closed around my wrists and ankles, I felt a wave of despair wash over me. I was trapped, and I had no idea what lay ahead.

I sat in the darkness of my cell, the chains around my wrists and ankles heavy and unforgiving. My mind was racing with thoughts of Ren, of Kael's accusations, of Emily's possible betrayal, and of the trial that was to come.

How was I going to defend myself? I had no alibi for the time Ren went missing, and the blood on my hands was a damning piece of evidence.

But I knew I didn't kill Ren. I had to convince the others of that.

I thought back to the events of the past few days, trying to remember anything that could clear my name. But every memory I recalled seemed to incriminate me further. Only one thing was certain to me Kael's behavior these past days had been like that of a Wolf in sheep's clothing, but I always seemed to shake off the thing I felt when we kissed.

I remembered finding Ren's tent in disarray, the blood on the ground. As I searched Ren's tent, my eyes scanned every inch, hoping to find some clue about his disappearance. That's when I stumbled upon a torn piece of fabric caught in the tent. I picked it up, my heart racing as I realized it looked eerily similar to Emily's cloak, the one she wore the day she found me in the woods.

Could Emily be involved in Ren's disappearance? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I tucked the fabric into my pocket, deciding to investigate further.

My mind whirled with possibilities, but I knew I had to focus on the present. And then, like a spark of light in the darkness, I remembered something. A small detail that could change everything.

Ren's words whispered in my ear: "Kael's plans are far more sinister than you think. He intends to exploit your powers to win his war, no matter the cost."

I knew I had to tell the others about Kael's true intentions. But I didn't believe Ren and also, I have no evidence for it. Would they believe me? Wait, what if whoever split Ren's blood wants to silence Ren forever? Or could Ren intentionally split his blood and scatter his tent to frame his disappearance? Could Loren be involved in this? What was Emily's torn cloak doing in there?

My heart raced with thousands of questions, and I would figure them out.