Chapter 215 Chapter 215

Chapter 215 Chapter 215
Theo

Nobody noticed when I slipped out of the room.

That wasn’t unusual.

Blake had everyone laughing again—something about how he deserved hazard pay for living with “three people who actually read instruction manuals.” Marcus was shaking his head, Ellie was trying not to laugh with a mouthful of coffee, and even Sebastian had the corner of his mouth turned up.

For a few minutes, the Alpha house sounded like a home instead of a war room.

I wanted to freeze that moment.

Instead, I walked out the back door and pulled it shut behind me.

The crisp afternoon air hit my face, carrying the scent of pine, damp earth, and smoke from chimneys scattered throughout the compound. The training field stretched out beyond the backyard, mostly empty now except for a few younger wolves cleaning up equipment after morning drills.

Normally I’d already be out there helping.

Today…

Today my mind was somewhere else.

I leaned my forearms against the porch railing, staring out toward the tree line where the forest swallowed the horizon.

Someone had broken into Ellie’s house.

Someone knew enough to search her bedroom and leave a message.

Someone had been watching us.

Every instinct I possessed screamed that we were running out of time.

“You’re thinking too loudly.”

Sebastian’s voice came from behind me.

I didn’t turn around.

“I wasn’t aware thinking made noise.”

“It does when you’re your father’s son.”

That earned the smallest smile from me.

I heard the porch boards creak before Sebastian stopped beside me, matching my stance against the railing.

For several minutes, we simply stood there.

Most people found silence uncomfortable.

Not us.

We’d spent our entire lives communicating without needing many words.

Finally, he spoke.

“You think we’re missing something.”

It wasn’t a question.

“No.”

I sighed.

“I think we’re missing someone.”

That made him look at me.

“What do you mean?”

I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to organize thoughts that refused to line up neatly.

“The person who left that note wasn’t improvising.”

Sebastian nodded once.

“I agree.”

“They knew where to go.”

“They knew when to go.”

“They knew Ellie wasn’t home.”

Each point felt heavier than the last.

I looked out toward the woods again.

“That isn’t luck.”

Sebastian’s jaw tightened.

“No.”

“It means somebody has been paying attention for longer than we realized.”

The words settled between us.

Neither of us wanted to say what came next.

Eventually, Sebastian did it anyway.

“Someone inside the pack.”

I hated hearing it out loud.

Because once those words existed, they couldn’t be taken back.

The Shadow had always felt distant.

Hidden.

Faceless.

But if Sebastian was right…

If I was right…

Then the danger wasn’t outside our borders.

It was already here.

The back door opened again.

I expected Blake.

Instead, Ellie stepped onto the porch carrying two fresh mugs of coffee.

She stopped when she saw us.

“Am I interrupting?”

“No.”

Sebastian answered immediately.

“Never.”

She smiled softly before walking over and handing me one of the mugs.

“I figured the first cup had gone cold.”

I looked down at it.

She’d remembered exactly how I took my coffee.

A little cream.

No sugar.

It was such a small thing.

Most people would’ve overlooked it.

I didn’t.

“You remembered.”

She shrugged like it wasn’t important.

“You remember everything about me.”

Her answer caught me off guard.

She leaned against the railing between us, looking out across the fields.

“So I figured I should start returning the favor.”

For a moment, none of us spoke.

The wind played with the loose strands of her hair, and without thinking, Sebastian reached over and tucked one behind her ear.

The gesture was so natural that neither of them seemed to notice it.

I did.

Not because I was jealous.

Because a few months ago, Sebastian never would’ve assumed he had the right.

Now…

Now Ellie leaned ever so slightly into the touch before looking back toward the woods.

That tiny movement spoke louder than any declaration of love.

“I’ve been thinking too.”

Her quiet voice pulled me back.

I glanced at her.

“Dangerous habit.”

She smiled.

“I learned it from you.”

“I’m sorry.”

She laughed.

“You should be.”

Then her smile faded.

“I think whoever left that note wanted us scared.”

Sebastian nodded.

“I think so too.”

She looked down into her mug.

“I am scared.”

There it was.

The truth.

Simple.

Honest.

“But…”

She lifted her eyes to meet mine.

“…I’m not scared alone anymore.”

My chest tightened.

I wasn’t sure she’d ever understand what those words meant to me.

For months I’d watched her shoulder burdens that were never meant to be carried by one person.

Now, even when she admitted fear…

She reached for us instead of pushing us away.

It was the biggest victory we’d had since this all began.

Without thinking, I reached over and took her free hand.

Sebastian did the same on her other side.

She looked down at our joined hands before laughing quietly.

“You know…”

“What?”

I asked.

“You three really have a thing about holding my hand.”

I smiled.

“We do.”

“It’s becoming impossible to carry anything.”

Sebastian raised one eyebrow.

“We can fix that.”

“Oh?”

“We’ll carry it.”

She shook her head, laughing under her breath.

“I was trying to make a joke.”

“I know.”

“And somehow you made it sweet.”

“I’ve been spending too much time with Blake.”

That made her laugh harder.

The sound echoed across the quiet backyard.

For just a moment, it pushed the fear back.

Not erased.

Not defeated.

Just…

Smaller.

Then something caught my eye.

Movement.

Deep in the trees bordering the eastern edge of the property.

Tiny.

Almost impossible to notice.

If I hadn’t already been watching…

I would’ve missed it.

My smile disappeared instantly.

Sebastian felt it before I spoke.

His posture changed.

“What?”

I kept my eyes fixed on the tree line.

“There.”

Ellie followed my gaze.

“I don’t see—”

The movement vanished.

Like whoever had been standing there had stepped back behind the trees.

Or realized I’d seen them.

A cold certainty settled in my stomach.

They weren’t waiting for us to set the trap.

They were already watching the house.

And somehow…

I couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d been watching for much longer than any of us had realized.