Chapter 5
Seylah’s POV
The night air was thick with tension, the kind that sent shivers down my spine as I moved silently through the woods, staying hidden in the shadows. My wolf senses were heightened, every rustle of leaves and crack of twigs making me alert. Something had been gnawing at my instincts for days, an uneasy feeling I couldn’t shake.
That’s when I saw her–Zaira. She stood just beyond the tree line, near the border of our territory, her back to me. But she wasn’t alone. A dark figure lingered in the shadows, cloaked in mystery. At first, I thought it was another pack member, but the energy was off. It wasn’t someone from Fireclaw. No, this presence was darker, more dangerous.
I crouched low, blending into the shadows, my breath shallow as I strained to listen.
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Zaira’s usual sugary tone was gone, replaced by something colder, more calculating.
“I told you,” she hissed, her voice cutting through the night, “Daemon is a fool. He’ll never see it coming. Once I have that stone, it will be over for them.”
My heart pounded in my chest as I leaned in closer, careful not to make a sound. Daemon? What the hell was she talking about?
The figure stepped forward, just enough for me to see a glint of their eyes in the moonlight. Whoever it was, they weren’t from here. And they weren’t friendly.
“You‘ re sure you can handle him?” the figure asked, their voice low and gravelly. “The Alpha‘ s strong, Zaira. If he catches wind of this…”
Zaira laughed, a sound so cold it made my wolf stir uneasily inside me. “He’s in love with me,” she sneered. “I’ve had him
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wrapped around my finger since the beginning. He’ll do anything I say. His precious Luna–to–be,” she spat the title, “is as good as forgotten. I’ll take control of the Fireclaw Pack without breaking a
sweat.”
I felt the ground tilt beneath me. My stomach clenched as Zaira’s words sank in. She had been manipulating Daemon all along. The bond they shared, the devotion I had seen in his eyes–it was all a lie. Zaira wasn‘ t just some harmless rival for his attention. She was planning something far more sinister.
But it didn’t end there.
“Once I have the pack,” Zaira continued, her voice lowering, “we‘ Il move on to the royals. With the rogues aligned with us, we’ll infiltrate the royal line and take
control of the continent. No one will be able to stop us.”
My breath caught in my throat. The rogues. She had rogue allies. My worst fears, the
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rumors I’d been hearing, Elara‘ s warnings–they were all true. Zaira wasn’t just after Daemon’s heart or the position of Luna. She was after power. All of it. And she was willing to burn everything in her path to get it.
“You think Daemon will let you challenge the royals?” the shadowy figure asked, skeptical. “He’s loyal to them, you know.”
“Not once I have control of the pack,” she snapped. “He’ll do what I say, or he‘ 11 fall. Either way, I’ll get what I want.”
I gripped the bark of the tree beside me, rage simmering beneath my skin. She was using Daemon, manipulating him, and I had been blind to it. All the coldness, the distance, the way he‘ d brushed off my concerns–it was her. She was pulling the strings. And I had stood by, helpless, believing I was just fighting for my place as Luna when the truth was so much darker.
I had to tell Daemon. He needed to know who he was really dealing with. But as I
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watched Zaira smirk in the moonlight, the realization hit me like a blow. He might not believe me. She had him under her spell. And if I confronted her now, she would turn it against me, twist it to make herself look innocent while I came off as paranoid or desperate.
I needed proof. Something solid. Something Daemon couldn’t ignore.
“Stay close,” Zaira instructed the figure, her voice sharp. “We’ll need to move fast once I get the signal.”
“And what about her?” the figure asked, jerking his head in the direction of the packhouse, where I knew they meant me. “The daughter of the Alpha King?”
Zaira‘ s expression darkened. “Seylah? She‘ s irrelevant. Once Daemon names me his Luna, she’ll have no place here. She’ll either leave quietly or… I’ll make sure she’s dealt with.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine. There
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was no mistaking her intent. If Zaira couldn’t manipulate Daemon into casting me aside, she would resort to something worse. I had no doubt that she was capable of it.
I clenched my fists, anger boiling beneath my skin. My wolf snarled inside me, itching to confront her right then and there, to tear her lies apart with my claws. But I knew I couldn’t act rashly. Not yet.
Slowly, carefully, I backed away from the scene, my heart pounding as I made my way through the forest, back to the safety of the packhouse. Every step felt heavier, the weight of what I had just heard sinking in deeper.
Daemon was in danger. The pack was in danger. And somehow, I had to stop it. I wasn‘ t Daemon‘ s fated mate, but I had a duty to this pack, to the wolves who lived here. Zaira wouldn’t destroy it under my watch.
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