Chapter 7 Chapter

Chapter 7 Chapter
CHAPTER SEVEN

Fenrir’s POV

Something was wrong.

I knew it the moment the woman lifted her head.

At first, all I saw was Aveline running toward her like someone who had just found the last piece of hope she had left in the world. The desperation in her voice when she called out for her mother was enough to make even the warriors around us pause.

But the moment I got closer, my instincts began screaming.

The scent was wrong.

Aveline dropped to her knees beside the woman, grabbing her shoulders like she was afraid the woman would disappear if she didn’t hold on tight enough.

“Mom… it’s me,” she said quickly, her voice shaking.

The woman stared at her with watery eyes.

“A… Aveline…”

For a moment, everything looked real.

Too real.

But wolves do not rely on sight alone.

We rely on scent.

And the scent coming from that woman was unfamiliar.

Cold.

Empty.

My jaw tightened.

I stepped closer, watching them carefully.

Then it happened.

The woman’s expression changed.

It was subtle, but I saw it.

The fear vanished.

The weakness vanished.

And in its place… came something else.

A smile.

A cold, satisfied smile.

She leaned closer to Aveline and whispered something into her ear.

I saw Aveline’s body go completely still.

Then the woman moved.

Fast.

A flash of metal appeared in her hand.

“Down!”

I moved before my mind even finished processing the danger.

I grabbed Aveline’s arm and yanked her backward just as the blade sliced through the air where her throat had been seconds earlier.

Gasps erupted across the courtyard.

The woman rolled away from us quickly, landing on her feet with a speed no weak prisoner should have.

The disguise had been perfect.

But now it was gone.

Her posture straightened. Her movements were sharp and controlled.

A trained fighter.

Two warriors rushed toward her immediately.

“Stop her!”

She moved like a shadow.

One of the warriors swung his sword.

She ducked under it and drove her dagger straight into his thigh.

He roared in pain and collapsed.

The second warrior barely had time to react before she kicked him hard in the chest, sending him crashing into the training posts behind him.

The courtyard exploded into chaos.

Warriors surrounded her instantly, weapons raised.

But the woman didn’t look afraid.

If anything, she looked amused.

I stepped forward slowly, positioning myself between her and Aveline.

Behind me, Aveline was still on the ground.

Silent.

Shocked.

Her breathing sounded uneven.

“You came all this way just to try and stab my wife?” I said coldly.

The woman twirled the dagger between her fingers casually.

“Your wife?” she repeated with a mocking smile. “That’s interesting.”

Her eyes shifted toward Aveline.

“You run fast for someone so weak.”

Aveline finally found her voice.

“You’re not my mother.”

The woman laughed.

“No, sweetheart. I’m not.”

The laughter died down slowly as she looked at me again.

“But you already knew that, didn’t you… Alpha?”

I didn’t answer.

I didn’t like the way she said that word.

Alpha.

Not future Alpha.

Not nephew.

Just Alpha.

Which meant she knew more than she should.

My eyes narrowed slightly.

“Who sent you?”

She tilted her head.

“Take a guess.”

My uncle.

Of course.

The old bastard never did anything without a reason.

But if this was his doing, it meant something bigger was happening.

And I hated not knowing the game.

The warriors slowly closed in around her, forming a circle.

She glanced at them lazily.

“Careful,” she said. “I’m feeling generous today.”

One of the warriors growled and lunged at her.

He didn’t even touch her.

She moved aside smoothly and slammed her elbow into his throat.

He collapsed instantly.

The others hesitated now.

I sighed.

“Enough.”

I stepped forward.

The woman’s eyes lit up slightly.

“Finally.”

She gripped the dagger tighter.

“So the famous Fenrir finally wants to play.”

I cracked my neck slowly.

“You attacked my Luna.”

“Relax,” she said with a smirk. “I wasn’t actually going to kill her.”

Aveline’s voice came from behind me.

“You tried to stab me!”

“That was just to see how fast he’d move,” the woman replied casually.

Her eyes returned to me.

“And I must say… I’m impressed.”

Something about the way she said it made my skin crawl.

“You came here for something,” I said.

“Obviously.”

“What is it?”

She smiled wider.

“A message.”

I frowned slightly.

“From who?”

She tilted her head again, like she was enjoying the moment too much.

“Your uncle.”

Of course.

I should have known.

“What message?”

Her eyes flicked toward Aveline again.

“Not for you.”

My body went completely still.

“Then who?”

She pointed the dagger toward the girl behind me.

“For her.”

I felt Aveline stand slowly behind me.

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

The woman’s smile turned cruel.

“My job was simple.”

She raised the dagger slightly.

“Confirm that you’re really here.”

A cold feeling settled in my chest.

Confirm.

Which meant someone had doubted it.

Which meant someone had been watching.

“And now that I’ve seen you…” the woman continued.

She shrugged casually.

“My work is done.”

Before anyone could react, she threw something small to the ground.

A loud crack echoed across the courtyard.

Smoke exploded everywhere.

Warriors shouted around us.

“Catch her!”

But by the time the smoke cleared…

She was gone.

Completely gone.

The warriors rushed toward the gates and surrounding walls, searching for any sign of her.

Nothing.

I clenched my jaw.

She had planned that escape perfectly.

Behind me, Aveline spoke again.

“That wasn’t my mother.”

Her voice sounded hollow.

I turned around slowly.

Her face had gone pale.

Her hands were trembling slightly at her sides.

“I thought…” she whispered.

The words died in her throat.

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say.

Then I exhaled slowly.

“No.”

Her eyes filled with anger now.

“Your uncle did this.”

It wasn’t a question.

It was a statement.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

I didn’t answer immediately.

Because the truth was… I didn’t know.

And that bothered me more than anything.

My uncle didn’t waste moves.

Every action had a purpose.

Every piece on the board mattered.

Which meant Aveline mattered.

And that was a problem.

A big one.

Aveline wiped at her eyes quickly, clearly trying to stop herself from crying in front of everyone.

“I thought she was my mother,” she said bitterly.

The words hit harder than I expected.

I glanced toward the direction the woman had escaped.

My uncle had just made his first move.

And he had done it by using Aveline.

Again.

My jaw tightened.

I hated that.

Aveline looked up at me suddenly.

“You said you’d find her.”

“I will.”

“You don’t even know where to start.”

I didn’t answer.

Because she was right.

But that didn’t mean I would stop.

The courtyard was slowly calming down again as the warriors returned.

One of my captains approached.

“Alpha, the intruder escaped the northern wall.”

Of course she did.

“She had help,” he added.

That didn’t surprise me either.

I nodded once.

“Double the guards.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

He left quickly.

Aveline was still staring at the ground.

Her shoulders looked heavy now, like the small spark of hope she had been holding onto had just been crushed.

I hated seeing that.

Not because I cared.

But because my uncle clearly wanted her broken.

And I refused to let him win that easily.

“Aveline.”

She looked up slowly.

“What?”

“I’ll find your mother.”

She gave a humorless laugh.

“You keep saying that.”

“And I mean it.”

Her eyes searched my face like she was trying to figure out if I was lying.

“You don’t even know where she is.”

“No.”

“Then how—”

“I know my uncle.”

That made her pause.

“He likes control,” I continued. “He likes leverage.”

“And my mother is leverage.”

“Yes.”

Her jaw tightened.

“Then she’s alive.”

“For now.”

The words hung heavily in the air.

Aveline looked away again.

For a mo
ment neither of us spoke.

Then suddenly, a guard came running into the courtyard.

“Alpha!”

I turned toward him.

“What?”

He looked breathless.

“There’s… someone at the main gate.”

“So?”

He swallowed nervously.

“She claims she’s looking for the Luna.”

My eyes narrowed.

“Who?”

The guard hesitated before answering.

“A woman.”

Something cold settled in my chest.

“What woman?”

The guard took a shaky breath.

“She says…”

“…she’s Aveline’s mother.”