Chapter 38 THE TRAP

Chapter 38 THE TRAP
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

The council hall remained silent long after Anna spoke. No one seemed willing to be the first to break it.

The pendant lay in the center of the table, gleaming beneath the lantern light like a piece of forgotten history.

Chris stared at it, then at Anna, then back at the pendant. His mind was racing.

Draven being old was one thing, werewolves naturally lived longer than humans. Everyone knew that.

But what Anna was suggesting wasn't simply longevity.

The man she'd seen in her vision had been standing inside an ancient temple that looked centuries old and he had looked exactly the same.

Not older or younger, just the same

Steve finally broke the silence. "You're sure?"

Anna nodded. "I saw his face."

The memory remained vivid. "I know it was him."

Maya shifted uneasily. "That's impossible."

"No," Chris said quietly. Everyone turned to him.

The Alpha's expression was grim. "Difficult isn't the same as impossible."

A cold feeling settled over the room, they all knew Chris wasn't the type to dismiss information simply because it sounded unbelievable.

If Anna had seen it, he would take it seriously.

The question was why. Why was Draven still alive? Why had he spent generations searching for the Moonborn bloodline? And what exactly did he hope to gain once he found it?

\~~~

The following morning, Blood Moon territory buzzed with activity. Warriors moved through the camp carrying weapons. Scouts came in and left constantly.

The entire pack had become a machine preparing for war. Now only two days to the war.

Anna stood near the training grounds watching wolves reinforce the defensive barriers. The tension was impossible to ignore.

Nobody laughed anymore. Even the younger wolves seemed subdued. Everyone understood what was coming. They were all afraid.

A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. "You should be resting."

She turned to see Steve approach her carrying two mugs of coffee. He handed one to her.

Anna smiled at him. "Are you trying to bribe me?"

"I learned from Chris."

That earned a laugh from the two. A genuine one. The awkwardness between them had begun to fade over the last day.

Steve leaned against the wooden fence. "You okay?"

The question was simple but Anna knew what he was really asking.

How was she handling the visions? The bloodline? The pressure? The possibility that all of this is somehow connected to her?

She sighed.seriously I don't know."

Steve nodded. "Fair answer."

For several moments they watched the warriors train. Then Steve spoke again.

"Chris didn't sleep."

Anna wasn't surprised. The bond had told her as much. She had felt him pacing half the night. Worrying.

"He thinks if he plans enough, he can control everything." Steve snorted.

"That's because he's an Alpha." Anna turned to Steve.

"That's because he's stubborn." Steve countered.

"Also true."

They shared another laugh. Then Steve's expression became serious.

"He blames himself."

Anna looked at him. "For what?"

"For all of it."

Her heart tightened. Of course he did. Chris carried responsibility the way other people carried breathing. Every loss, every mistake. He carried them all.

Steve stared toward the Whitmore property. "He thinks if he had taken Draven seriously earlier, we wouldn't be here."

Anna looked down, she knew that feeling because part of her blamed herself too.

If not for the Moonborn bloodline...

If not for her visions… Would Draven even be coming?

As if sensing her thoughts, Steve immediately shook his head. "No."

"What?"

"The answer is no."

Anna frowned. "I… I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to." His expression softened. "This isn't your fault."

For once, Anna didn't argue because she desperately wanted to believe him.

\~~~

Meanwhile, inside the council hall, Chris was preparing a trap. Only three people knew about it.

Chris, Steve and Anna. No one else. Not even the elders.

If there truly was a traitor inside Blood Moon… They were about to expose them.

Chris stood over a map while Steve watched. "The western patrol?"

Chris nodded. "Fake."

"The eastern scout route?"

"Fake."

Steve's grin slowly appeared. "Every route we're giving out today is fake."

"Exactly."

The plan was simple, different members of the pack would receive different information.

If Draven acted on any of it… They would know exactly where the leak originated.

Anna watched from the side of the room. The idea made sense but it also made her nervous. What if they discovered the traitor was someone they trusted?

Someone they cared about? Chris seemed to share the same concern. His expression remained troubled.

Then a knock sounded, Tyler entered immediately.

"Alpha."

Chris straightened. "What is it?"

The young wolf looked uneasy. "We spotted movement."

The room instantly tensed, Steve's smile disappeared. "Where?"

"Northern ridge."

Chris exchanged a look with him. The northern ridge sat nearly twenty miles from the main territory.

Far enough to provide warning but close enough to be dangerous.

"How many?"

Tyler swallowed hard, "A lot."

\~~~~

Two hours later, Chris stood atop one of Blood Moon's highest lookout points. Anna stood beside him while Steve remained slightly behind.

Below them stretched miles of forest. Mountains peaked high into the clouds, with valleys winding below.

Below were movements, thousands of tiny figures too distant to identify individually. An army was marching towards them.

Anna's stomach dropped, the sight stole her breath. There were so many of them.

Far more than she'd imagined.

A dark river moved steadily through the mountains toward Blood Moon.

Steve muttered a curse beneath his breath.

Chris didn't speak at all. His gaze remained fixed on the approaching force. Planning.

Then Anna noticed something at the very front of the army. A single rider, mounted on a massive black horse.

Even from this distance, she somehow knew. Draven.

A chill raced down her spine. The mate bond flared.

Anna gasped. Her vision blurred, the mountains vanished. The army disappeared and everything dissolved into darkness.

\~~~~

She stood inside the ancient temple again. Moonlight flooded through shattered windows. The air smelled of thick smoke.

Blood stained the floor, bodies lay everywhere.

The silver-eyed woman stood at the center waiting for her. As though she'd known Anna would return.

This time the woman smiled. A sad smile. "You're late." She said quietly

Anna froze.

The woman could see her this time. "Who are you?" Anna asked.

The silver-eyed woman stepped forward. "The question isn't who I am." Her voice echoed strangely.

As though a hundred voices spoke at once. "It's who you are."

Anna's heart hammered. "I don't understand."

"I know." The woman reached out for her. Her fingertips brushed Anna's forehead and suddenly memories exploded through her mind.

Ancient wolves and Moonlit ceremonies. Lunas crowned beneath silver skies.

A bloodline stretching back farther than imagination. Then one final memory emerged. Draven was kneeling before an altar, begging.

Not to the Moon Goddess, to something else, something dark. Anna's blood turned cold.

The woman whispered, "He was never chosen."

The vision shattered and Anna woke up with a scream.

\~~~~

She found herself lying on the lookout platform. Chris knelt beside her. His face was pale with worry.

Steve stood nearby equally alarmed. "Anna."

Chris gripped her hand. "What happened?"

Anna's chest rose and fell rapidly, her entire body trembled because this vision felt different. It was more terrifying and what she had learned changed everything.

She looked up at Chris then at Steve.

Then toward the approaching army in the distance and whispered the words that made both men go still.

"Draven isn't trying to become stronger."

Anna swallowed, fear gripping her throat.

"He's trying to become immortal."

The wind howled across the mountains.

Far below… Draven's army continued marching toward Blood Moon, relentlessly. Closer with every passing hour