With a voice as keen as steel, Rogan declared, "Ava, this isn't about love." "It wasn't."
His comments cut through the few strands of conviction I had been holding onto, causing me to freeze in mid-step. He had his back to me, his hands resting on the desk's edge, and his shoulders erect. The ensuing silence was drowned by the rain outside beating down on the windows.
"What are you saying?" I tried to sound cool, but my voice was shaking as I asked.
His face was a mix of rage and something more, perhaps remorse, as he turned slowly. "Ava, our marriage. In a game that neither of us realized we were playing, it is a pawn.
My heartbeat accelerated. "You are not logical. How does this... conflict relate to our marriage?
Rogan paced the room like a predator in a cage, running a hand over his hair. Aria's treachery isn't the only thing dividing the gang. It has been broken for years, even before I became Alpha. Some of them believe that I'm too weak and that I prioritize alliances over power. For others, I'm the only thing that keeps us together. Then there is Victor's group, who think that starting anew and destroying everything is the only viable option.
"How do I fit into all of this?" I crossed my arms and asked.
Rogan paused to look at me and remarked, "You were meant to be the bridge." "Someone outside of politics, someone who could bring us together, a symbol that I could bring in new blood and protect the pack." However, now...
"What comes next?" With a sinking heart, I pressed.
With his voice hardly audible above a whisper, Rogan acknowledged, "Now they see you as a weakness." "A diversion. And Aria is taking advantage of that.
His admission weighed a great deal on my chest. I wanted to dispute with him and tell him that he was mistaken, but things were coming together too fast. Now everything made sense: the sidelong glances during pack meetings, the whispered talks I'd overheard, and the mounting hostility between Rogan and his council.
"And you?" I moved closer and asked. "What do you think I am?"
I briefly saw the man I had fallen in love with, the one who had supported me through every hardship, as Rogan's eyes softened. In an emotionally charged voice, he declared, "Ava, you are my wife." "In this mess, you're the only thing keeping me sane."
"However?" Knowing there was more, I asked.
However, he added, "that doesn't change the fact that we're in the middle of a war." Furthermore, our feelings for one another won't matter if we can't stop Aria. The pack will rip itself to pieces.
My head racing, I slumped onto the bed's edge. "What are we going to do?"
Rogan's jaw tightened as he said, "We fight." But not in the manner she anticipates. Aria enjoys chaos and making others respond. We need to be more intelligent if we want to win this. We must stay one step ahead of her and predict her next action.
"How can we accomplish that?" I looked up at him and inquired.
Rogan's eyes flickered uncertainly as he hesitated. "Trust is the first step. The pack must see that we are a team and that our combined strength is greater than Aria's. Thus, Ava, there will be no more secrets. Not between them and us, not between us.
His remarks were like a kick to the stomach. I responded, "You want me to go public." "To expose myself as a target."
With a forceful but gentle tone, Rogan added, "I'm asking you to stand with me." "Because Aria will use this division to destroy us if we don't."
A harsh knock rang through the room before I could answer. As he moved to answer the door, Rogan tensed up and narrowed his eyes.
A young member of the pack said, "Alpha," with a pale face and an urgent voice. "You must visit the council room. There has been an occurrence.
"What sort of incident?" Rogan's tone was deadly calm as he asked.
The boy looked anxiously at me and said, "It's about Aria."
Rogan looked at me, and then he nodded. "We're en route."
There was a lot going on in the council chamber, with voices arguing angrily. A young woman, her hands shaking and her face covered with tears, stood in the middle of the confusion.
The woman, holding a piece of cloth smeared with blood, wept, "She said it was a warning." "There would be more if we didn't submit," she said.
"What took place?" With a voice like a dagger slicing through the cacophony, Rogan demanded.
One of the elders remarked gravely, "We were ambushed by Aria's wolves." Our patrol was attacked by them close to the southern border. Two injured, three killed. And this...” He pointed to the cloth. "This was abandoned."
As I recognized the emblem sewn on the fabric, I took a step closer and felt sick to my stomach. It was Victor's faction's mark, the identical one that Rogan had discovered on the list.
I realized and added, "She's framing you." "She's giving the impression that you gave the order to attack."
Rogan's eyes flashed with rage as his face grew darker. He declared, "We cannot allow this to continue." "We must assemble the pack and—"
"No," I cut in, startling even myself with how strongly I spoke. That's precisely what she desires. We will play right into her hands if we act now.
With a doubtful tone, one of the elders questioned, "What are you suggesting?"
I inhaled deeply, feeling the pressure of what I was about to say. I said, "We need proof." Something that directly links Aria to this assault. Anything we do until we get it will only serve to support her story.
Rogan gave a slow nod, his face contemplative. Although she has been cautious thus far, nobody is flawless. If we discover even a single weakness in her scheme...
"It's risky," stated another senior. "What if she gains more ground and we wait too long?"
"We have to take that risk," Rogan stated resolutely. "Because this pack won't survive the war she's starting if we don't."
I became more determined as the council deliberated. This was about Rogan and me, about standing up for the life we had created together, not just about the pack or politics.
However, I felt a sharp chill as I turned to leave the chamber. One of Aria's lieutenants was sneaking out the back door as I turned to look back and survey the throng.
I followed mindlessly.
My footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet in the poorly lighted small passageway. I stood back, observing him as he rounded a bend and vanished into the darkness.
He was whispering to someone I couldn't see when I eventually caught up. I leaned against the wall and listened to what they were saying.
"Her patience is waning," the man remarked. "She'll escalate if the Alpha doesn't get in line soon."
A second, dispassionate voice said, "And the girl?"
The man answered, "She's the key." "If it comes down to it, Aria wants her alive."
I heard the rest right away. With my head racing and my heart thumping, I retreated the way I had come.
Rogan had to know.
However, I stopped abruptly as I turned the last bend, my breath seizing in my throat.
Aria stood in the center of the corridor, obstructing my way.
Her eyes gleamed with victory, and her smile was razor-sharp. "Ava, are you going somewhere?" she purred.
The trap was now open.