Chapter 05

The sharp scent of sweat and dust filled the air as the sun seeped across the sky, casting long shadows over the training grounds. Every heartbeat echoed in the silence of tension and fear.

The training grounds thrummed with tension. Warriors circled the arena, their murmurs silenced but charged.

In the center stood Xavier. Relaxed. Confidence. Dangerous.

His every breath was calculated, every movement sharp like a blade waiting to strike. Around us, warriors circled like vultures, their murmurs hushed yet thick with tension.

Xavier’s smirk widened. “Just thought I’d remind the pack who the strongest Alpha truly is.”

I stepped forward, the dirt crunching beneath my boots. “Uncle,” I said, my voice low but steady, “Is there something you need?”

“This isn’t the way to prove it.”

“Oh, but it is.” His eyes gleamed with something deadly. “A challenge. A fight. One-on-one. Alpha against Alpha.”

Xavier’s smirk was a slash of arrogance. Just reminding the pack who the strongest Alpha truly is.

The crowd stilled.

The challenge wasn’t just in his words. It hung heavy in the air like a storm about to break. I squared my shoulders, the weight of the pack’s eyes pressing against me. This isn’t the way to prove it.

His eyes darkened with something more than rivalry. This was personal.

“Oh, but it is,” he whispered, stepping closer. One-on-one. Alpha against Alpha.

A pulse of fear rushed through the crowd. A silence so deep it felt suffocating followed.

“You're making a mistake,” I warned.

“No, niece,” he sneered, flexing his fingers. The mistake was yours.

Then he lunged.

Pain exploded through my ribs as his shoulder connected. He was faster than I remembered. But fear wasn’t an option. I twisted speed carrying me into a low sweep that forced him back.

He smiled, rolling his shoulders like this was nothing more than a warm-up.

“Not bad,” he mused. But not good enough.

His next strike was a blur. I dodged it, twisted myself, and used his speed against him, catching his arm and flipping him hard onto the ground.

The crowd roared. But this wasn’t about them, it was about survival.

“Yield,” I commanded, standing over him.

Blood dripped from the corner of his lips as he pushed himself up, his eyes burning with fury. “This isn’t over, he barked.

It is,” I said coldly, wiping the blood from my lip. “For now.”

The crowd burst around me, their voices were chanting my name as I walked past them. But I didn’t wallow in the victory. Something darker was coming.

I could feel it in the pit of my stomach.

I barely made it to the main hall when I heard someone calling out, “Alpha Rhea!”

I turned to see Damon rushing toward me, his face pale and drawn. Sweat greased his brow as if he had just run through hell itself.

“Good morning,” I greeted, trying to steady my breath.

“Rhea… it’s bad news.” His voice was low, urgent.

My stomach sank. “What happened?”

He motioned for his guards to leave and dragged me to a secluded spot near the training compound walls. “It’s Freya,” he whispered.

I froze. “What about her?”

“We were on our way to bring her back as planned. But… we were ambushed.”

“Ambushed?” The word sliced through the air.

“Yes,” Damon swallowed hard. We were attacked by the Alpha Lord of Beacon’s Territory. His warriors attacked us first, without warning. Most of our men were injured… some might not make it. He stuttered.

My pulse quickened. “Why would they attack without provocation?”

“They claimed we invaded their land without permission,” Damon muttered, bitterness filling every word. I tried to reason with them, but they wouldn’t listen. The truth is…they’ve seen us as a threat for years, and this… this was their chance to weaken us.

I clenched my fists. “And Freya?”

His voice broke. We couldn’t reach her. We had to retreat. We need a new strategy, a new map to navigate around their borders… or risk losing more lives.

The Beacon’s Alpha Lord had always been rivals, but an outright attack? This was no misunderstanding. This was war.

“We need a new plan,” Damon continued. A different route to reach the Evil Lake… the only way to bring Freya back.

“If we don’t act soon, Freya won’t survive.”

I stared into the distance, the weight of every failure pressing down on my shoulders. Freya wasn’t just my sister… She was the last line of the family I had left.

I swallowed the fear that was clawing at my throat. We’ll find a way. We don’t leave family behind. I whispered, more to myself than him. “No matter what it takes.”

Damon looked like he wanted to say more, but before he could, a sharp, echoing howl broke the air… urgent, panicked.

My blood ran cold.

A scout stumbled toward us, clutching a deep wound across his side. His eyes were wide with terror.

“Alpha,” he gasped, collapsing to his knees. “It’s Xavier… He’s…. he’s just summoned an emergency council.”

I froze. “Why?”

The scout’s next words were a whisper of fear.

“He’s declared war on Beacon’s Territory… without your consent.”

The ground seemed to tilt beneath me.

Xavier just made his move. And now, everything was about to burn.

******************

That night, as the moon dimmed its way across the sky, a knock echoed through my chambers.

It was Lyra, one of my most trusted scouts. She held a small, bloodstained scrap of fabric. “This was tied to the gates,” she said grimly.

I unfolded the cloth, my heart pounding as I read the scrawled message written in hurried strokes:

“They’re not who you think they are. Watch the shadows.” …F.

My breath hitched. Freya.

But the message didn’t bring relief. Instead, it brought terror.

If she had managed to send this message… who exactly was the enemy here?

**************

The next morning, the council assembled. Whispers filled the air as I presented the message.

“This isn’t just about territory,” I said, my voice echoing through the chamber. Someone wants us distracted. They want us weak.

Xavier, standing at the edge of the room, sneered. “Or maybe you’re too emotional to lead, Rhea. Chasing after your sister while the pack suffers.”

I locked eyes with him, my rage increasing. “Careful, Uncle.” The last time you underestimated me, you hit the ground.

The tension cracked like thunder, but the message’s warning tormented me.

Who was truly pulling the strings?

We finished the meeting and everyone left for their various places.

That night, sleep refused to come. Every shadow seemed to whisper Freya’s name.

Until I heard it… a faint rustle near my window.

I turned sharply, but it was too late.

A cold blade pressed against my throat from behind.

A voice, smooth as silk and venomous as a viper, murmured in my ear:

“You should’ve stayed out of this, Rhea.”

All of a sudden, my room went black.