Chapter 30 CHAPTER THIRTY

Chapter 30 CHAPTER THIRTY
Matt's POV

The night was colder than usual, heavy with something unspoken. Matt stood by the open window of his chamber, staring into the fog-veiled forest that wrapped the pack lands in silence. The moon hung low, pale and watchful, as if aware of the storm brewing within him. His wolf stirred restlessly beneath his skin, growling and pacing as though sensing danger close by.

Something was wrong.

He couldn't name it yet, but the air carried deceit. The once-familiar scent of safety around the pack had shifted, tainted by fear and lies. Every sound felt sharper, a very whisper, a dagger waiting to sink into his back.

He rubbed the scar on his forearm, an old wound, one Hellen had once kissed when they were younger, whispering that it made him look strong. Now, that same scar burned like a reminder of love, loss, and the mistakes hhe'dmade.

Laura's voice echoed faintly from the corridor, soft but laced with persuasion. "Losing focus," she was saying to someone, her tone as smooth as poisoned silk. "If we can push him toward exile, the council will handle the rest."

Exile.

The word sliced through him. His fists tightened at his sides, claws threatening to break through his skin. So that's the game now.

He turned, his jaw locking. The healer's scent drifted faintly behind Laura, confirming what his gut already knew. They were together in this. The betrayal he'd been too blind to see was now unfolding right under his roof.

Matt stepped out of the shadows and walked toward the council chamber. The guards bowed, but their eyes flickered with unease. He could sense the tension, the uncertainty. Whatever poison Laura had been feeding them was spreading fast.

When he entered, both Laura and the healer straightened abruptly. The healer's expression was a rehearsed calm, but Laura's eyes, those sharp, calculating eyes, flickered briefly with panic before settling into an innocent smile.

"Alpha," she greeted softly. "You should rest. The healer says..."

"he healer says too much, "Matt cut in, his tone low, dangerous.

The silence that followed was suffocating. He could hear their heartbeats, neither steady, one nervous. His wolf growled beneath his breath, craving truth.

"I've been restless, "Matt continued, circling the room slowly. "Oh, so many things aren't adding up. Patrol routes changed without my approval. The medicine stock was mysteriously reduced. And the Luna..."He paused deliberately, watching their reactions. ""er recovery… It's almost like someone didn't want it to happen."

Laura's lips parted slightly, but before she could speak, the healer stepped forward, clutching his satchel. "Alpha, these are delicate matters. You've been under immense strain..."

MMatt's glare silenced him. "Don't mistake my patience for blindness."

He walked closer, his voice now quieter, more lethal. " smell deceit. And I never ignore my instincts."

Laura flinched slightly, her composure cracking for a brief second before she recovered. "You're accusing your own pack?" she asked in a near whisper, feigning hurt. "After everything, Matt?"

His name in her mouth felt wrong. It twisted something inside him, an echo of the days she'd tried to replace what she could never be. "I'm not accusing," he said coldly. I'm warning."

Then he turned and left, slamming the door hard enough to make the walls tremble.

Back in his chamber, MMatt's thoughts spiraled like a storm. He poured himself a drink, his hand trembling slightly as the liquid burned down his throat. He wanted to believe he was overthinking that the healer's guidance and Laura's counseling were only missteps, not betrayal. But the wolf inside him roared otherwise.

He stared at the empty goblet, then at the small wooden box on his desk that he hadn't noticed before. It wwasn'this.

His pulse spiked.

He approached cautiously. The box bore the faint scent of lavender and ash, both familiar and haunting. HHellen'sscent. His fingers brushed over the surface, his breath catching as he opened it.

Inside lay a folded note, written in her delicate script.

"Hey, they are planning to take everything from you. The healer is not what he seems, nandLaura's loyalty lies elsewhere. Do not trust the council. They want you gone… and when you fall, the pack will follow. I'm coming for them, but you must act before dawn."

Matt's vision blurred for a moment. His heart clenched with something raw: pain, fury, and a surge of pride. She knew. She'd seen it all, and still, she was fighting back.

His wolf howled within him, resonating with her spirit. She's alive. She's strong. And warning you.

The rage that had been simmering finally erupted. He slammed his fist into the wall, the wood cracking under the force. "Hey, want to destroy what we built? "he growled under his breath. "Hey, want to take her, take everything."

The glass of the window shimmered with moonlight, casting his reflection back at him, burning gold, with his jaw set in fury. He looked like a man on the edge of war.

""ot again,"" he muttered. woWon'tose her. Not this time."

He slipped the note into his pocket and left the room. The hallways were quiet now, but he could feel the walls watching him, filled with ghosts of loyalty and treachery. He stopped by the old council chamber, where ancient laws were written into stone, and traced his fingers over the engraved oath he had once sworn:

"To protect my pack with strength and heart, even if the world turns against me."

That oath burned now like fire in his blood.

By the time the first hint of dawn broke the horizon, Matt was standing in the courtyard, dressed in his battle leathers. The guards approached, confused but obedient.

"Alpha? "one of them asked.

"Take the warriors," he commanded. "No one leaves the gates. Not the healer. Not Laura. Not anyone I haven't approved."

The warrior hesitated. ""ay I ask..."

MMMatt's glare was enough. "ow."

The man ran off immediately.

As the sky turned crimson, Matt stood alone, his chest rising and falling with each controlled breath. He thought ofHelen'ss eye,s her scent, her strength. She'd fought through pain and betrayal, and now she was warning him from the shadows.

His lips curved into a grim smile. I're before dawn, "he murmured, the words both a vow and a prophecy. "et them burn before I fall."

The wind howled through the trees, carrying the scent of blood, secrets, and retribution.

The Alpha of the Silver Crest Pack was no longer in doubt.

He was a storm waiting to break, nd when he did, there would be no mercy left for the betrayers.