Chapter Thirty Nine

Eve’s POV

Sleep was impossible. The day’s events hung over me like a cloud: the grueling Council meeting, the attack on the eastern border, and now the gnawing feeling that something was terribly wrong.

I wandered into the dimly lit sitting room, hoping to find some solace in the silence. Instead, I found Damon, leaning casually against the edge of the oak table, a glass of whiskey in hand.

His dark eyes met mine, their intensity making my breath catch. “Couldn’t sleep either?”

“No,” I said, stepping closer. “Too much on my mind.”

He nodded, setting his glass down. “You’re not alone in that.”

He came behind me and wrapped me up in his arms. He hugged me to him tight. “I’m sorry,” he whispered softly, “I know you are mad at me about something, and I could only guess it was Callie, since you've been cold to me ever since the day she left. I'm sorry Eve.”

“Hmmn.. we’ll see about that.” I said, then left his arms.

“You’re stronger than you realize, Eve,” Damon said suddenly, his voice soft.

“The way you stood up to the Council today,” he said, stepping closer. “You faced them without flinching. That kind of strength isn’t common.”

Heat crept up my neck at his words, but before I could respond, a faint sound caught my attention, a rustling noise coming from the hallway. My senses sharpened instantly.

“Did you hear that?” I whispered.

Damon’s expression darkened. “Stay here,” he ordered.

Like hell I would. Ignoring his command, I followed him into the hallway. The sound grew louder as we approached the study. Damon pushed the door open, and the sight before us made my stomach drop.

Callie was there, rifling through papers with frantic urgency. She didn’t notice us at first, but when Damon cleared his throat, she froze.

Her head snapped around, her eyes wide with panic. “Damon,” she stammered. “I.. I didn’t realize you were awake.”

“What are you doing in here?” Damon demanded, his voice cold as steel.

“I was just…” Callie faltered, clutching the papers to her chest.

“Don’t lie to me,” Damon growled, stepping closer. “What were you looking for?”

I moved into the room, and her gaze darted to me. For a moment, I thought I saw guilt in her expression, but it was overshadowed by fear.

“What did you do, Callie?” I asked, my voice like ice.

She backed away, shaking her head. “It’s not what it looks like. I was just trying to..”

“To what?” I snapped.

Her lips trembled, but no words came. Then I saw it, the Council’s seal on the papers she clutched. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut.

“You’ve been working with them,” I said, my voice low and trembling with rage. “You told them about me.”

Callie’s silence was confirmation enough.

“They threatened me!” she cried, tears spilling down her cheeks. “They said they’d kill me and my family if I didn’t cooperate.”

“Don’t,” I said, cutting her off. “Don’t you dare justify this.”

Damon stepped forward, his presence towering. “You’ve put everyone at risk. You betrayed your pack, your Alpha, and your Luna.”

The word “Luna” hung in the air like a challenge. Callie’s face crumpled, but I felt no pity.

Before anyone could say more, heavy footsteps echoed down the hall. Damien appeared in the doorway, his expression dark.

“What’s going on?” he asked, his gaze flicking to Callie.

“We found our mole,” Damon said, his voice dripping with venom.

Damien’s eyes narrowed as he stepped into the room. “You’ve been feeding the Council information.”

“I didn’t have a choice!” Callie sobbed.

“You had a choice,” Damien snapped, his voice like a whip. “And you chose betrayal.”

“She told them about my powers,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “About my connection to the Moon Goddess.”

Damien’s expression turned thunderous. “Do they know about the curse?”

“No!” Callie cried. “I didn’t tell them. I swear I didn’t say anything about that.”

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. The damage was done.

“She can’t stay here,” Damien said, his voice final.

“No,” I agreed, stepping forward. “She’s not part of this pack anymore. Take her to the dungeons. We’ll decide what to do with her tomorrow.”

The guards arrived moments later, escorting a sobbing Callie out of the room. As the door closed behind her, the silence was deafening.

“She’s not the only one,” I said quietly.

Damon and Damien turned to me.

“What do you mean?” Damon asked.

“Callie isn’t smart enough to pull this off alone,” I said. “There’s someone else. Someone higher up who’s been feeding her orders.”

Damien nodded grimly. “Then we find them. We root them out before they can do more damage.”

Damon’s hand brushed against mine, “We’ll get through this,” he s

aid, “Together.”

I met his gaze, the fire in his eyes matching my own.

This was far from over.