Chapter 7: The Shadows Within

Moana’s POV

“What are you doing here at this time of the night, Moana?”

The voice cracked through the hallway like a whip.

My heart seized. I was right by the dark corner near the study door, my knees still pressed against the cold stone floor. My fingers had just closed around the thin, crisp parchment of my father’s letter.

As I quickly slipped the letter deep into the inner pocket of my dress, the familiar calm voice stopped me in my tracks. The voice was too calm. And that intoxicating scent of leather and pine was impossible to miss.

Dread crept down my spine.

I slowly lifted my head and rose to my feet. A few meters away stood Kaelen, his large frame blocking the dim firelight pulsing from the nearest torch on the cold stone walls, leaving half his face in shadow.

Thank the Moon Goddess it’s only Kaelen. A small wave of relief washed over me.

“Oh. Good evening, Beta Kaelen,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “I didn’t know you were there.” I forced my hands to my sides, hiding the slight tremble in my fingers, and tried to look like nothing more than a servant caught where she shouldn’t be.

He took a step closer. The air between us grew thick. “What did you put in your pocket, Moana?” His voice dropped, deeper now and deadly. “Are you now stealing from the Alpha’s study?”

The words caught me off guard. My mouth went dry in an instant. I didn’t know what to say. I could feel the letter pressed against my skin through my pocket. I wasn’t sure I could trust even Kaelen. He had always been nice to me, but I could not let anyone know about this letter, not yet.

Before I could gather my thoughts, Kaelen closed the distance between us in just two strides. I tried backing away, but with one hand he quickly grabbed my wrist and pinned me against the wall. The rough surface scraped my back through the thin fabric of my dress. His free hand moved toward the pocket at my hip.

“Show me,” he ordered, his voice low and commanding.

My heart was hammering so hard I thought it would literally crack my ribs.

“Beta, please. It’s nothing important. Just some cleaning supplies.”

His fingers brushed the edge of the pocket. The letter crinkled faintly beneath the fabric as I twisted my body, trying to break free, but his grip held firm.

He cannot find it. He cannot.

Just as his hand closed around the fabric of my dress, a deep horn blast ripped through the night, followed by another and then another. The alarms rang out in low, urgent notes that rolled across the castle and into the village beyond. The sound vibrated through the floor beneath our feet as boots thundered along the corridors, warriors shouted orders, and wall torches spat sparks and burned brighter while men rushed past the far end of the hallway with weapons clanging at their sides.

Kaelen froze, his hand just inches from the letter. His head snapped toward the sound, but his grip on my wrist never loosened.

“What in the name of the Moon Goddess is happening in the village?” he muttered.

Then the heavy oak doors of the study slammed open beside us.

Eldrick stepped into the corridor, already dressed for his journey north. He wore a dark reinforced leather tunic beneath a heavy fur-lined cloak, with twin axes hanging at his hips. His golden eyes swept the hallway once before locking onto us.

Onto me.

Pinned against the wall by his Beta.

The atmosphere in the corridor changed at once.

“Kaelen,” Eldrick growled, his voice sharp enough to stop the hallway in its tracks. “Step away from her.”

Kaelen released me immediately and bowed his head.

“Alpha, I found her near your study. She appeared to be hiding something in her dress. I suspected theft and moved to investigate—”

“I said, step away from her,” Eldrick hissed.

The order hit hard enough to make even Kaelen hesitate before he finally stepped back.

Eldrick’s gaze swept over the corridor. Warriors were already rushing past with weapons in hand.

“What’s happening?” Eldrick demanded. “Why is the threat alarm ringing?”

Kaelen stammered, clearly caught off guard. “Alpha, I… I don’t know. The alarm just went off a few minutes ago. I was dealing with her and—”

“Do you realize you are the pack’s Beta, Kaelen?” Eldrick cut in, his tone cold and heavy.

Kaelen opened his mouth to explain further, but Eldrick raised his hand, silencing him at once.

“I am leaving the village tonight, and I won’t be back for the next two nights. You will remain here and take charge of the pack and the castle while I am gone.”

Kaelen hesitated, glancing between us. “Alpha… where are you headed?”

Eldrick ignored the question completely. His gaze shifted to me for a brief moment. Something unreadable flickered in those golden eyes. Then he looked back at his Beta.

“Keep your distance from Moana while I am gone. Ten paces at all times. Make sure she is treated well. No one starves my servant while I am away.”

The words hung in the charged air. Even Kaelen looked stunned. For the first time since the rejection, Eldrick had openly protected me in front of someone else. The weight of it settled over my chest like warm mead on a cold night — unexpected, almost gentle, and completely confusing.

Kaelen glanced at me, confusion plain on his face, then back at his Alpha. “Yes, Alpha.”

He simply turned to me, his expression settling back into that familiar mask of cold indifference. Without another word, he grabbed my arm and began dragging me down the corridor, away from Kaelen. I stumbled to keep up, my thoughts spinning. I glanced back over my shoulder. Kaelen stood watching us, confusion still plain on his face.

Eldrick didn’t slow down until we reached the turning that led toward the cellar stairs. He stopped there, releasing my arm.

“Remember your place, drudge,” he said flatly.

The words stung like a fresh cut.Then he turned and walked away, his fur-lined cloak disappearing into the chaos of the corridor as warriors rushed past toward the gates.Yet something warm flickered deep inside my chest. He had stepped in for me just now. No one had done that since my father died.

A small, broken laugh escaped my mouth before I could stop it.

He just dragged me away from his Beta, ordered him to stay ten paces away from me, and made sure I would be fed, only to leave me with a reminder of my place here.

Of course.

Why would I expect anything else?

The castle had erupted into chaos. Warriors rushed through the halls, shouting orders to secure the gates and arm the walls. Servants hurried past with bundles of arrows and heavy sacks of grain. The deep horns kept blaring, urgent and loud, rolling out over the village below. Distant howls rose on the night wind… sharp and unfamiliar. Torches burned brighter as everyone prepared for what might be another rogue attack.

I didn’t care about any of that right now. And I couldn’t stop the heavy, wide smile spreading across my face.

I slipped the letter deeper into my dress, pressing it safely against my skin, and started making my way back toward the cellar. My steps felt steadier than they had been in days.

“Two days,” I murmured.

I could survive two days.

The sickness still clawed at me, but something inside me had shifted. Little by little, I was growing stronger. I could feel it. The bond no longer felt like it would crush me completely if I held on.

As I walked, my mind kept returning to the hallway. Why had Kaelen come at me so hard? Did he really believe I would steal from Eldrick? Or was there something more behind the way he pinned me to the wall? The memory made my skin crawl.

I reached the cellar door and pulled on the heavy iron handle, the wood groaning as it began to open.

“I have been waiting for you, little wolf,” a soft voice whispered from the shadows near the stairs.

I froze. A strange woman stepped partly into the torchlight, her face mostly hidden by a deep hood. Only her purple eyes gleamed in the flickering glow….ancient, knowing, and strangely kind.

“I knew your mother,” she continued, her voice carrying like smoke on the wind. “And your father’s little wolf. Come with me.” She stretched out her hand and said. “Come with me I can help you.”