Chapter 38 Report from Within

Chapter 38 Report from Within
Bram

Our paws pound the earth, lungs burning, muscles aching, claws slipping slightly in the damp soil, but we don’t slow until the distant boundary of Running River is far behind us. The forest thins, and the sky above is bruised with the fading light, streaks of gold and purple threading through the trees.

At the edge of Song Pack’s abandoned village, Mitch and Serena veer into the trees. I hear the faint crack of bone, the vibration of muscles reshaping, then the soft rustle of fabric as they dress. By the time they step out again, they’re in human form. Serena doesn’t wait for us. She heads straight into the village, drawn by something only she can hear.

And then I hear it, too.

“Mama!” Reed barrels out of the shadows, Frank and Jeanie walking just behind him, guiding him toward Serena. She drops to her knees, her arms open wide. He collides with her, pressing his  face into her shoulder, clinging like he’ll never let go again. His mother folds around him, hugging him tightly.

Serena gathers Reed in her arms and starts toward the yellow house, Mitch following close behind her. Lyra and I pad after them on silent paws. 

The two of us go inside alone, and only once the door closes behind us do we let the shift take us, until we’re each standing on two feet again. We dress quickly, then rejoin Serena and Mitch on the porch. 

Serena straightens and turns to us, her shoulders square, her expression serious. Whatever she carried out of that castle, she’s ready to set it down here.

“I managed to snag a maid uniform and pose as one of the Luna's private maids. She was demanding a bath and that we get her ready for her day. No one questioned me, and I just went with it.”

Lyra leans forward. “And the other maids didn’t  notice?”

“No,” Serena says. “They thought I was new. There was gossip everywhere. The maids, attendants, especially the Luna. She encourages her maids to speak freely around her. It’s like she feeds on it. She acts like a teenage girl, asking them about court romances and scandalous affairs.”

“What were they speaking about?” I ask. 

“The Luna was talking about Alpha Kaelen’s debts. He owes too much money to too many packs all around. And now he’s paying them back by selling off his own warriors. Mercenaries for the crown.” 

Lyra frowns. “Mercenaries? Selling them off?”

“Coins in exchange for his own pack’s blood,” Serena says. She turns to me  “ Your Alpha is sending your warriors to fight in other packs’ wars, helping seize land for debts he can’t cover. These wars aren’t even battles of Running River Pack’s making.”

My mind spins. Things I overheard in the past begin to make sense.

Lyra shakes her head, voice quiet. “Tessa used to be my best friend. Why is she acting like this? Why would she marry Kaelen? Why would Kaelen owe so much to so many?”

Serena shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe Tessa isn’t as good of a person as you once thought, Lyra. People change. She seems incredibly greedy, selfish, and bossy. As for the Alpha, it may be a gamble gone wrong? Maybe he owes the wrong people money? All I know is what I heard.”

“That explains the patrols.” I cut in. “The way they were speaking about Kaelen, gossiping about their own Alpha in the woods. If Kaelen’s sending his men to die in battles that aren’t even theirs… no wonder they don’t care about loyalty. They’re not even dying for their own pack anymore.”

Mitch steps closer. “I heard the same whispers in the kitchen. The staff there said the soldiers have been grumbling. The people of Running River are restless and clearly unhappy.”

“Now might be a good time to strike. Kick them while they’re down,” I mutter. “If we could pull off another stunt like the fire you and Jorin set in the woods, or the first attack with the pit, we could eliminate even more of their numbers while they’re already struggling.” 

Lyra nods and then lifts her eyes to Serena. “There’s one thing I’ve been waiting to ask since we were in the forest,” she says. “Back there, you said you met someone who looked like me. What did you mean by that?”

“When I was brushing the Luna’s hair, another woman came in. She didn’t even knock, just walked into the Luna‘s chambers. They seemed close. Like friends who’d known each other forever. And this woman—” She stops, shaking her head. “Lyra, she looked so much like you, I almost blurted out, ‘What are you doing in here?’”

Lyra stares, confusion flashing across her face. “Exactly like me?”

“Yes. I was sure she was you, but then I heard you reach out to me through the mind-link again, and I knew it wasn’t you in the room with me. I could also tell, from the way she carried herself, that she wasn’t you. Her posture, her expressions, she acted like she was better than everyone in the room. I’m sorry I didn’t reply to you through the mind-link. I was just so focused on trying to figure out what was going on and who that woman could be. 

Lyra’s mouth is open. She looks utterly baffled.

I can’t stay quiet. “We saw a wolf in the woods,” I say, the memory seared into my mind. “She looked exactly like Lyra. It must’ve been that woman. Whoever she is.” 

“Was the woman who looked like me still in the castle when you left?” Lyra asks. 

“No, she left long before we did. She told Luna Tessa that she was going back to tend to her aunt and would be back later that night. Mitch and I stuck around another thirty minutes or so after your look-alike left,” Serena responds. 

“It was her. She’s the one we chased through the woods toward Blue Raven,” I say. 

Lyra looks up at me, confusion etched across her face. “Yeah. But who is she?”