Chapter Twelve — When Loyalty Bleeds  

Third Person Limited POV — Bella

The silence after the wolves bowed was worse than the chaos before it.

Bella stayed on her knees, breath tearing in and out of her chest, moonlight burning down on her like a spotlight she didn’t ask for. Every wolf in the courtyard remained still, heads lowered, bodies tense. Even the ones bleeding. Even the ones snarling moments ago.

They were waiting.

For her.

“I didn’t do this,” Bella said, her voice barely holding together.

Jake stood in front of her, shoulders squared, but she could feel that his body wasn’t just protecting her. It was bracing. Like he expected the ground to give way at any moment.

Morvain broke the silence with a slow clap.

“That,” he said calmly, “is not the reaction of rogue wolves.”

Bella’s stomach twisted.

Jake didn’t turn. “Say what you’re thinking.”

Morvain’s eyes stayed on Bella. “They recognize authority.”

A murmur rippled through the gathered elders and instructors.

“No,” Bella said quickly. “That’s not possible.”

Morvain lifted a brow. “You stopped them without command. Without training. Without shifting.”

Bella shook her head, panic crawling up her spine. “I didn’t tell them to kneel.”

“But they did,” he replied.

Jake’s voice dropped, dangerous. “Watch how you speak about her.”

Morvain finally looked at him. “You know what pack law demands in moments like this.”

Jake didn’t answer.

Bella slowly pushed herself to her feet. Her legs trembled, but she stood anyway.

“What does pack law demand?” she asked.

No one wanted to say it.

Kael stepped forward, jaw tight. “Unregistered power of this scale is considered a threat.”

Bella stared at him. “I just helped save the Academy.”

“You nearly lost control,” he countered.

“I didn’t,” she snapped. “I stopped it.”

Morvain folded his hands behind his back. “This time.”

The words landed hard.

Jake finally turned to face them. “You’re not touching her.”

“That isn’t your decision alone,” Lysa said. “You’re Alpha, yes. But you are also bound to the council.”

Jake laughed once, sharp and bitter. “Funny how that only matters when it’s convenient.”

Bella felt the pressure stir inside her again, slow and heavy, like something listening closely.

“This is why she was brought here,” Kael said quietly. “Isn’t it?”

Morvain didn’t deny it.

Bella’s chest tightened. “You knew.”

“We suspected,” Morvain replied. “The trials confirmed it.”

“You used me,” she whispered.

“We tested you,” he corrected. “And you passed.”

The wolves at the barrier shifted restlessly, ears twitching, eyes never leaving Bella.

Jake stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. “Stay behind me.”

Bella swallowed. “Jake… what happens now?”

His silence was answer enough.

Morvain raised a hand. “By pack law, she must be restrained until we understand the scope of what she is.”

Bella flinched. “No. I won’t be chained again.”

Jake’s head snapped up. “You’re not doing that.”

“Then you’re choosing her,” Kael said.

Jake’s jaw clenched. “I already did.”

The courtyard erupted.

Shouts. Orders. Confusion.

Morvain’s eyes hardened. “Alpha Jake, if you obstruct council judgment”

“I’ll do it again,” Jake cut in. “And again.”

Bella’s heart hammered painfully. “Jake, don’t.”

He looked at her then, really looked, and something in his expression softened.

“I won’t let them break you,” he said.

A horn sounded from the western tower.

One sharp blast.

Then another.

A runner appeared, breathless. “The wolves are retreating.”

Bella blinked. “What?”

“They’re pulling back,” the runner continued. “Organized. Like they got what they wanted.”

That made her blood run cold.

Morvain frowned. “That makes no sense.”

Bella suddenly felt a shift inside her, subtle but unmistakable.

They’re not done.

Jake seemed to feel it too. His posture stiffened. “This wasn’t an attack,” he said slowly.

Morvain’s gaze sharpened. “Then what was it?”

“A test,” Bella whispered.

Every eye turned to her.

Her hands curled into fists. “They came to see me.”

Silence followed.

“That’s impossible,” Kael said.

“No,” Bella replied. “It’s not.”

The pressure inside her pulsed once, almost approving.

Before anyone could respond, another alarm blared differently this time. Higher. Urgent.

A guard ran in from the inner halls. “There’s been a breach inside the Academy.”

Morvain spun. “Where?”

“The lower archives,” the guard said. “Someone disabled the ward seals.”

Jake swore under his breath.

Bella’s mind raced. “The wolves outside were a distraction.”

Morvain stared at her, realization dawning too late.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “They were.”

Jake grabbed Bella’s wrist. “You’re coming with me.”

“No,” Morvain said sharply. “She stays here.”

Jake stepped closer, eyes blazing. “You don’t get to decide that anymore.”

Morvain met his stare. “If you leave with her, you defy the council.”

Jake didn’t hesitate. “Then consider this my defiance.”

Gasps echoed.

Bella’s chest tightened. “Jake”

He turned to her, voice low. “I don’t trust them. And neither should you.”

Morvain’s voice dropped, lethal. “If you walk away now, Alpha, you may not walk back.”

Jake’s grip tightened just slightly. “I’ll take that risk.”

They moved.

Guards shifted uncertainly. No one stopped them.

As they passed the edge of the courtyard, Bella felt it again that strange pull in her blood. Not toward the retreating wolves.

Toward the Academy itself.

Something inside was awake now. Watching. Waiting.

“Jake,” she whispered. “Someone here did this on purpose.”

“I know,” he said.

Her heart pounded. “What if they’re closer than we think?”

He glanced down at her. “Then we don’t trust anyone.”

They disappeared into the shadows of the inner halls just as Morvain turned to Kael.

“Lock the Academy down,” Morvain ordered. “No one leaves.”

“And the girl?” Kael asked.

Morvain’s eyes darkened. “She’s already left.”

High above them, unseen, a hidden sigil faded quietly from the wall of the archives.

And somewhere deep within the Academy, someone smiled.

The smile didn’t belong to a wolf standing in the light.

It belonged to someone hidden behind walls and wards, listening to Bella’s heartbeat through stone and spell.

“The seal is thinning,” the voice murmured.

“Prepare for the next phase.”

“If she survives what’s coming, the packs won’t.”