Chapter 15

Chapter 15
Wolves in the Dark

Blake's POV

I shouldn’t have been here.

The council hall was dimly lit, the candles low with the scent of melting wax thick in the air. I stood at the end of the hallway, back against the cool stone, ears sharp as the whispering voices drifted through the half-open door.

“We can’t risk it any longer. The girl has to go.”

My jaw clenched.

Another voice. “Blake’s judgment is compromised. He’s… attached.”

“She’s a poison to this pack—literally. How many more need to die before we act?”

There was a long pause, then a quieter murmur I barely caught: “The next full moon. We make it look like an accident.”

That was it. I had, heard enough from these conniving bastards. The guts to even think of taking Claire's life.

I pushed open the door, hard. The creak of wood and my boots hitting the floor silenced everything.

They turned like I was the ghost of my father come to pass judgment. Councilmen. Elders. Wolves who had sworn loyalty not just to me, but to this pack.

“I don’t recall authorizing secret executions.” My voice cut through the thick tension like a blade.

Elder Rhydan stepped forward, old and gray but still dangerous. “Blake. We were just discussing—”

“You were discussing murder. Of a woman under my protection.” I took a step in, my heart pounding so violently it hurt. “If Claire dies, I’ll be the one digging your graves.”

“Alpha—”

“Enough.” I glared at them, my voice dropping to a low, shaking threat. “Say another word against her, and I’ll have your seats emptied before dawn.”

No one moved. They knew I meant it. No one crosses me and goes unscathed.

I turned and left without another word, slamming the door behind me. The echo rattled down the corridor, but it didn’t drown out the sound in my head.

Compromised. Attached. Poison.

The fact they could describe Mr like that means that didn't have any real regard for me.

I strode down the hallway like I could outrun their words. But they clung to me like shadows.

And the worst part?

They were right. But fates know I've tried my possible best to stay away but it seems like some force was trying to push us together.

The pain in my chest flared again, sharp and familiar. I pressed a hand over my heart, feeling the edge of the cursed mark burning beneath my shirt.

Every time I thought about her, it ached more.

I tried to convince myself it was the curse. That it was reacting to her presence. But I wasn’t sure anymore. Not after tonight.

Not after seeing her in the infirmary again, trembling from restraint, but still too damn brave to back down.

She haunted me. Even when I closed my eyes.

Which I did now, collapsing into the leather couch in my private quarters and letting my head fall back.

I hadn’t slept properly in days.

And when sleep finally came, it didn’t bring peace.

It brought her.

—

I stood in a field of withered flowers. The earth was scorched, blackened, as if a fire had eaten the world whole.

Claire knelt beside a grave, her hands digging into the dirt like she could pull the body free. My body. Her sobs were quiet, broken, but they ripped through me louder than any scream.

“No,” she whispered. “No, no, no—please.”

She was dressed in white. Her hair was wild, tangled. Her face—gods, her face—was cracked with pain. Her hands trembled as they clawed at the earth.

And when she looked up, she looked straight at me.

“You promised,” she said, tears streaking her cheeks. “You said you were fine.”

I reached for her, but my hand passed through her like mist. She blinked. Then she screamed—

I jerked awake.

Sweat soaked my chest. My heart thudded, wild and off-rhythm, like it didn’t belong to me.

I scrubbed my face with my palms, trying to catch my breath.

What the hell was that?

The dream clung to me, sticky and cold. Her scream echoed in my ears. My hands shook as I picked up my phone.

I needed to talk to someone as fast as possible about this.

“Neo,” I said when he answered. “I need you. Now.”

“Alpha?” His voice was sleepy, confused. “Is everything okay?”

“No.” I stood and pulled on a hoodie, pacing the room. “I overheard the council tonight. They’re planning something. They want Claire gone—permanently.”

Neo cursed. “Shit. You shut it down, right?”

“For now.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “But that’s not what’s got me shaken. I had a dream.”

Neo exhaled like he already knew. “About her?”

“Yeah.” I paused. “She was crying over my grave.”

There was silence on the other end. And it made me uncomfortable.

“Say something,” I muttered.

“You’re losing it, Blake.”

“I never lose it.” My voice cracked like a whip. “Not since—”

A scream ripped through the quiet.

It wasn’t from the phone.

It was somewhere else.

Outside.

Another scream followed. Louder. This time joined by panicked voices.

I dropped the phone.

Neo was already on the move, I could hear him shouting over the line before it clattered to the ground.

I didn’t wait.

I sprinted through the halls, lungs burning as I rounded the corner of the east wing. The scent hit me before I saw it—burning wood, smoke, panic.

I burst through the courtyard doors.

The night sky was lit with orange flames, licking high into the dark like hungry tongues. Smoke choked the air.

Wolves scrambled, trying to douse the blaze with water from the troughs and whatever buckets they could find.

“The food stores!” someone shouted. “It’s the stores!”

I stumbled to a stop.

The entire stockpile was going up in flames.

The winter reserves.

Gone.

But all I could think about was her.

Claire.

Where the hell was she?

Was this her doing?

Or worse—was this someone trying to frame her again?

“Alpha!”

Neo came up beside me, panting. “This can’t be an accident. There’s no lightning. No one was in the kitchens.”

My blood ran cold.

No lightning. No storms.

Only enemies under cover.

And a pack with nothing left to eat.

I turned toward the blaze, my gut twisting.

Something told me this was just the beginning.

And someone wanted Claire to burn with it.