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"I also suspect there are spies at work within both packs."

The words send a chill down my spine. "Spies?"

Alice nods. "People with hidden ties, feeding information to Silver Pack. Some of them have personal vendettas. Others are in it for power."

My mind races. Spies. Hidden alliances."I took a special interest in the conflict between your pack and Silver Pack, and not too long ago, one of my sources confirmed the alpha of Silver Pack has an illegitimate son."

"An illegitimate son?" I echo her words, wondering how it all fits into the grand scheme of things."Yes. I hear he had him with a human before he got married, and now, he has promised him the alpha position if he can prove his worth by defeating Blackwood."I let the information sink in. Everything suddenly made sense. The resurrection of an age-long hostility with a reasonable trigger. All of this is for a bastard son to prove his worth to his father. What is it with alphas and needing their sons to prove their worth?

"This son, do you know how he is or what he looks like?"

Queen Alice hesitates, and that lets me know she knows something. "Please, the lives of many innocent people hang on this. This can prevent the bloodbath."

She takes another minute before answering. "Damon, he goes by the name Damon White. He is a slippery son of a gun, but my sources—"

The rest of the queen's words fade beneath the ringing in my ears. The air is suddenly too thick for me to draw in, and I feel like the room is closing in on me.

My eyes sting, and everything is spinning. The whole world tilts on its edge, and the balance sustaining everything I thought I ever knew shifts, sending everything out of place.

"Aurora, Aurora." The queen's voice sounds like a distant echo in a long-forgotten part of my brain before it grows louder.

"Aurora."

I blink, returning my focus to her and forcing myself to maintain a neutral expression. "I'm sorry about that. I was just going over the name to make sure I've not met anyone like him."

She let out a light chuckle. "I'm sure you haven't. He's not known to stay in one place for a long time."Everything made sense. How he's conveniently present in areas I told him nothing about and how he is always there before I even need him.

What I can't wrap my head around is why he stuck around. Why was he always trying to save me instead of killing me? Was he trying to use me to get to Lucien? Was he hoping to marry me and use Ronan as a future alpha to overthrow Lucien?

Question after question fills my head, and I massage my temple to ease the growing tension.

I toy with the idea of telling the queen, but I decide against it. Lucien has to be aware of every decision I make.

The queen's brows furrow in concern. "Is everything okay?"

Before I can respond, my phone buzzes. My nanny's name flashes across the screen.

Frowning, I answer. "Hello?"

Her panicked voice nearly stops my heart. "Aurora—Ronan's gone."

The room spins, almost knocking me out. "What?"

"I only left him for a moment—he was playing in the backyard, and then he was gone. I searched everywhere—"

Ice fills my veins. "Call the authorities. Now."

I end the call, my hands trembling. Alice is already on her feet, her expression deadly calm. "What happened?"

My voice comes out hoarse and trembling. "My son is missing."

Alice's eyes darken, her authority slipping into place instantly. "Then, we have no time to waste."

I didn't wait for her to give orders. I am already moving. My mind screams one name over and over again.

Damon.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Lucien

The maps of Blackwood and Silver Pack's territory were spread across the large oak table in my office, marked with red ink where we know their forces are stationed. Liam stands beside me, his arms crossed, his face etched with tension. The room is dimly lit, the only illumination coming from the desk lamp and the faint glow of the moon outside the window.

"This war is escalating faster than we anticipated," Liam mutters, rubbing his temple. "We need a solid plan if we're going to put an end to it once and for all."

I nod, scanning the information we have gathered over the past few weeks. Silver Pack has been making strategic moves, striking our weaker patrols, cutting off business routes, and stirring unrest among the smaller allied packs. But something wasn't adding up. Their alpha, Alpha Kaden, had always been ruthless but never reckless. And yet, his recent actions feel desperate, as if he is running out of time.

"We're missing something," I say, gripping the edge of the table. "Kaden isn't the kind to act without a reason. He's pushing too hard, too fast."

Liam sighs. "Maybe he knows something we don't. Maybe he has an ace up his sleeve."

I shake my head. "Or maybe he's being pushed from within."

The thought had been lingering in my mind for some time now. The attacks, the sudden aggression—it didn't feel like Kaden's style."Is the detailed investigation I ordered on every core pack member done?"

"I'm not sure. Liam says, fishing out his phone. "The investigator said he'll get back to me today, but he hasn't."

After a few taps on the screen, his face slightly scrunches before his brows raise with suspicion. "Do you know this guy?"

He hands me the phone, and on the screen is Damon's unpleasant face staring back at me. The sight of him causes bile to rise to my mouth. Like I said, unpleasant. "What about him?" I reply, handing the phone back to him.