Chapter 177: The Gathering Storm

Chapter 177: The Gathering Storm
Sierra's POV

The scream cut through the afternoon like a knife. I dropped the laundry basket and ran. My feet pounded against the dirt path. Other pack members were already running toward the playground. My heart hammered in my chest. Please not Alexander, not my baby.

I reached the crowd and pushed through. A little girl sat on the ground crying. Her name was Emma. She was four years old with blonde pigtails and a scraped knee that bled down her shin. Her mother held her close, rocking her back and forth. 

Evelyn knelt beside them with a first aid kit open. Her face looked concerned and worried. "I'm so sorry," Evelyn said. "I was helping her on the swing. My hand slipped. She fell. I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry."

Emma's mother looked up. Tears streamed down her face but she nodded. "It's okay. Accidents happen. Thank you for helping her."

I watched Evelyn's hands as she cleaned the wound. Steady and too careful. My gift whispered lies but I couldn't pinpoint where. 

I knelt down beside Emma. "Hey sweetie. You're being so brave." Emma sniffled and reached for me. I took her small hand. "Did you fall or were you pushed?" The question came out before I could stop it. 

Emma's mother stiffened. Evelyn's hands paused. Emma looked confused. "I don't know. I was swinging really high and then I wasn't."

Evelyn finished bandaging the knee. She stood up and brushed dirt from her pants. "Children fall all the time. It's part of playing. I feel terrible but these things happen." 

Her voice was calm and reasonable. I wanted to grab her and shake the truth out but I had nothing. Just a feeling. The crowd started dispersing. 

"You did that on purpose," I said quietly. Only she could hear me. Evelyn turned. Her eyes were wide and innocent. "Sierra, how could you say that? I would never hurt a child. You saw what happened. It was an accident." 

I stepped closer. "I don't believe you. I don't believe anything you say or do." 

Evelyn's face crumpled. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "Why do you hate me so much? I'm trying. I'm really trying."

Some pack members stood nearby. They heard everything. Saw Evelyn crying and saw me standing there cold and accusing. One of them shook his head at me with disappointment written all over his face. 

I wanted to scream to tell them all what I knew but knowing and proving are two different things. I walked away and left Evelyn standing there with her perfect tears and perfect act.

That night, I couldn't eat or sleep. Adrian sat across from me at the dinner table. "You think she did it on purpose." It wasn't a question. I nodded. 

"I know she did. I felt it. But Emma doesn't remember and everyone saw it as an accident." Adrian's jaw clenched. "We need to end this before someone gets seriously hurt." But how? How do you fight someone who's always three steps ahead?

The next morning, I woke up with a knot in my stomach. I got dressed and checked on Alexander. He slept peacefully in his crib. I kissed his forehead and went downstairs. I made coffee but my hands shook so badly I spilled it. My gift hummed constantly now. Not words or clear warnings, just a steady drumbeat of danger. 

Lena came to the house. She looked nervous. Her hands twisted together as she stood on the porch. "I need to talk to you." 

We sat in the living room. Lena glanced around like she was checking for listeners. "I found something at the medical center. I wasn't snooping. I was just looking for extra bandages in the storage closet." She pulled out her phone and showed me pictures.

The photos showed boxes of medication. Fertility drugs. Hormones. Ovulation stimulants. At least twenty boxes all hidden behind cleaning supplies in the storage closet. 

"These weren't ordered through normal channels," Lena said. "I checked the logs. Someone brought them in separately and look at this." She swiped to another photo. A small notebook with dates and dosages written in neat handwriting. Evelyn's handwriting.

"Why would she need fertility drugs?" Lena shook her head. "I don't know but it's wrong. Should I tell Dr. Mara?" 

I thought fast. If we told Dr. Mara now, Evelyn would just deny it and say someone else put them there or she was holding them for a patient. 

"No. Not yet. Keep watching. If she moves them or uses them, we need to know."

After Lena left, I showed Adrian the photos. His face went pale and then red with anger. "She's planning something involving pregnancy but whose?" 

We sat in silence. The pieces didn't fit together yet. Evelyn couldn't get pregnant. She'd lied about it before. So why stockpile fertility drugs? Unless she was giving them to someone else but who?

The next day, I watched Evelyn more closely. She worked at the medical center like always. Smiling at patients. Chatted with Dr. Mara. Organized supplies. 

But twice I saw her glance at her phone texting someone. Her face would go blank then the smile would return. Who was she talking to? Who was helping her?

That afternoon, Emma's mother stopped me in the square. "I wanted to thank you for being so kind to Emma yesterday. She's doing much better." 

I smiled. "I'm glad. How's her knee?" Emma's mother glanced around and lowered her voice. "Can I tell you something? Emma said something strange last night. She said the nice lady whispered to her before she fell. Told her to swing higher. To go as high as she could."

My heart stopped. "Did Emma say what else the nice lady said?" Emma's mother shook her head. "No. Just that. I didn't think much of it. Emma has a big imagination. 

But then I remembered how you asked if she'd been pushed and I wondered if maybe you saw something I didn't." 

I squeezed her hand. "Keep Emma close. Don't let her play alone, not for a while." Emma's mother's eyes widened. "You think someone would hurt her on purpose?" I didn't answer. 

That evening, Adrian called an emergency council meeting. Just the inner circle. Me, him, Ben, Lena and two trusted guards. We showed them the photos of the fertility drugs. Told them about Emma's comment and all the small things that didn't add up. 

Ben leaned back in his chair. "We need to search her living quarters. Now. Tonight." Adrian nodded. "Agreed. But we do it legally by the book so she can't claim we're targeting her."

We drafted an official notice. Suspicious activity, missing supplies. Standard investigation. 

Two guards went to Evelyn's small cabin at the edge of pack lands. I waited at the pack house pacing the floor. 

Thirty minutes later, my phone rang. It was one of the guards. His voice was shaky. "Luna, you need to come here now we found something. You're not going to believe this."