Dead Man’s Mail

“A letter for a dead man just got delivered to our border.”

I stood next to Rhydian in the holding cell under the pack house. The air felt damp and heavy. A rogue wolf from Jax Thorn’s pack sat chained to the wall, bruised but defiant. One of our patrols had caught him sneaking near the eastern line at dawn.

Rhydian held up a sealed letter. “This was on him. Addressed to Elio Vance. Dated three days ago. Explain yourself.”

The rogue smirked. “Not my job to explain. Just deliver. Your golden boy made promises. We expect him to keep them.”

I felt the pull again. My eyes locked on the letter. “Let me see it. Something about the writing feels familiar.”

Rhydian handed it over but stayed close. “Careful. It might be trapped or coded.”

I turned the paper in my hands. The seal was Jax Thorn’s mark. My fingers moved on their own, tracing the symbols along the edge. “It is ciphered. But I know how to read it. The pattern is old. Elio used something like this.”

Rhydian stared at me. “How do you know that? Read it out loud. Every word.”

The rogue laughed from his chains. “Looks like the ghost is still talking. Jax will love this.”

“Quiet,” Rhydian snapped at him. Then he turned back to me. “Soren, focus. What does it say?”

I unfolded the letter carefully. The words danced in front of me at first, but then they clicked. My mouth moved almost without permission. “It starts with greetings to Elio. Says the routes he provided worked perfectly last season. They avoided our main guards and took three of our weaker hunting spots.”

Rhydian paced in front of the cell. “Routes? What routes?”

I kept reading, voice steady but my stomach twisting. “It mentions seasonal migratory paths. The ones we use for winter camps. Elio gave them exact timings and weak points. In return they promised him protection and a high rank if he came over.”

The rogue nodded. “Smart trade. Your boy knew the pack was getting soft. Jax offered better.”

Rhydian grabbed the bars of the cell. “Elio is dead. Has been for over a year. Why are you still writing to him?”

The rogue shrugged. “News travels slow sometimes. Or maybe he is not as dead as you think. The deal was solid. We expect delivery on the next migration window.”

I lowered the letter. “There is more. It says if Elio completes the defection, they will help him take a piece of Blackmoor territory for himself. They think he is still alive and working with them.”

Rhydian turned to me, eyes wide. “This means the rivals believe he succeeded in betraying us. They do not know he died. Or they think the plan is still running through someone else.”

I handed the letter back. “The cipher was tricky but it broke easy once I looked at it. Like I had practiced it before. Elio must have taught the method to me through the memories.”

Rhydian rubbed his face hard. “This is bad. If Jax Thorn thinks Elio is still feeding him information, they will keep pushing our borders. They might even try to contact him again.”

The rogue leaned forward in his chains. “Contact is already happening. You have leaks. The golden boy sold you out before he disappeared. Smart move if you ask me.”

I stepped closer to the bars. “Why would Elio do this? He was the alpha’s mate. He had everything here.”

The rogue grinned. “Power. Freedom. Your alpha is strong but stuck in old rules. Elio wanted change. Jax offered it with open arms.”

Rhydian pulled me back gently. “Enough. Soren, are you sure about the translation? Every detail?”

I nodded. “Positive. The migratory routes are listed clear. Winter path through the narrow valley. Summer trail along the river bend. He gave them exact guard rotations too. Places where our wolves would be thin.”

Rhydian cursed. “Those routes are life or death for the pack. We move the whole group twice a year. If rivals know them, we are exposed.”

I looked at the rogue again. “Did Jax really believe Elio would leave his mate? His alpha?”

The rogue laughed low. “Love is cheap when power is on the table. Elio played his part well. Even had us convinced he would bring half your enforcers with him when he switched sides.”

Rhydian slammed a hand against the bars. “Elio is dead. I buried him. This letter proves he was ready to sell us out before that night.”

I touched Rhydian’s arm. “The memory from the cellar matches this. He was preparing. Weapons, plans, everything. This letter is the proof it was real.”

Rhydian turned to me. “You translated it too perfectly. Another gift from him?”

I swallowed. “It feels that way. The cipher unlocked in my head like I had written it myself. Scary how easy it came.”

The rogue watched us with interest. “Looks like the ghost is useful after all. Jax would pay good for someone who can read his codes.”

“Shut your mouth,” Rhydian growled. He motioned to the guards outside. “Keep him locked down. No visitors. No messages out.”

The guards nodded and took positions. Rhydian pulled me out of the cell area and into the hallway. The stone walls felt colder now.

“We need to change the migratory routes immediately,” I said once we were alone. “Shift everything by at least two days. Block the old paths with extra patrols.”

Rhydian nodded. “I will handle the orders. But Soren, this means Elio was a traitor. My mate was ready to defect and take pack secrets with him.”

I leaned against the wall. “I wish the memories lied. But they keep showing the truth. He was scared of something here. Maybe your leadership. Maybe the pack traditions.”

Rhydian stopped walking and faced me. “Do you think he planned to take me down too? The letter makes it sound like he was building his own power base.”

“Possibly,” I answered honestly. “The tone in the letter was confident. Like he had a full plan. Defection, new rank, maybe even a challenge later.”

Rhydian let out a long breath. “The rivals think he is still alive. That is dangerous. They might try to reach him again through you.”

I rubbed my temples. “Then we use it carefully. Let them believe the contact is still open but feed them bad information. Turn their own game against them.”

He looked at me with a mix of pride and worry. “That is smart. And dangerous. You are thinking like him now.”

“I know,” I said quietly. “But it is our best shot. The letter proves he sold the routes. We cannot let them use that knowledge.”

Rhydian placed a hand on my shoulder. “We work together on this. You translate anything else that comes in. I make the pack moves. No one else knows the full truth yet.”

I met his eyes. “Agreed. But this truce of ours is getting tested hard. A dead traitor is still pulling strings.”

He squeezed my shoulder. “Then we cut every string. Starting with changing those routes today. The pack moves when I say.”

We started walking again toward the main hall. My head still buzzed from the cipher. The compulsion had helped this time but I wondered what it would demand next.

“The rogue mentioned leaks,” I said. “We should check who else might have talked to Jax.”

Rhydian nodded. “Quiet checks. You and me only. If Elio had allies here, they are still around.”

I felt the weight of it all. “A letter from the dead. Secrets sold. And I am the one who can read them. This binding is turning me into his messenger.”

Rhydian stopped at the end of the hall. “You are more than that. You are the one helping me fix his mess. Remember that.”

I gave a small nod. The pack house felt full of ghosts now. Elio’s betrayal hung over everything. But with Rhydian beside me, maybe we could face it without losing ourselves completely.