27. THICK LAYER OF DOUBT

RAVEN

I was making my usual morning rounds when one of the guards jogged up to me, his brows furrowed in urgency.

"Vee," he said, catching his breath, "Alpha Kieran wants to see you. Said it's urgent."

I paused mid-step, my heart skipping a beat. "Did he say what it was about?"

The guard shook his head. "No, just tell me to get you. He’s waiting in the east wing."

I nodded, brushing past him with a stiff nod. My boots hit the stone floor with sharp taps as I walked down the hall, the tension in my spine growing with each step. When I finally reached the door, I didn’t bother to knock, just pushed it open.

Kieran stood near the window, his back turned, hands clasped behind him. He didn’t turn around as he spoke, his voice low and unreadable.

"Have you been in contact with Lucian?"

I blinked, stunned. "What?"

His head turned slowly toward me, and this time, his gaze was sharp, dissecting. "Don’t play dumb with me, Vee. I asked if you’ve been in any kind of alliance with him."

"Alliance?" I echoed, stepping forward, my face contorting with disbelief. "Kieran, what are you even saying? Lucian? I wouldn’t go near that snake if my life depended on it."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, saying nothing. The silence stretched.

"You think I’m lying?" I asked, my voice a little softer now, laced with hurt. "You honestly think I would betray you like that?"

"You were gone longer than usual yesterday. No one could account for your whereabouts. And now—Lucian’s name shows up on a message intercepted near the borders. So, yes, Vee, I have reasons to question you."

"Gods, Kieran," I snapped, my voice cracking, though I didn’t let the tremble reach my eyes. "I was at the river bend. Alone. I needed space. That’s not a crime, is it?"

He crossed the room slowly, stopping just a few feet from me. His eyes, usually calm, were clouded now.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me, without hesitation, that you haven’t spoken to him. That you haven’t even thought about siding with him."

I didn’t flinch. I held his gaze like steel. "I haven’t. I haven’t spoken to him. I haven’t thought about siding with him. I’d sooner burn than betray you like that."

A long silence fell between us. His eyes searched mine like he was trying to read something buried deep, but I didn’t blink, didn’t look away. Finally, he looked down, just briefly, but it was enough to tell me he wasn’t fully convinced.

"You’re good at lying Vee," he muttered under his breath.

"And you’re good at doubting the wrong people," I shot back.

His jaw tightened. "Let’s hope that’s all this is. A mistake."

I turned to leave, every nerve in my body on fire. But just before I stepped out, I said without looking back.

“You can question everyone, Kieran. Just don’t lose the ones who’ve never given you a reason to."

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

"I thought he'd keep you in there longer," Rowena muttered as I stepped out from behind the east wing, her eyes scanning my face for answers.

"What did he want with you, Raven?"

I kept walking, brushing past the stone pillars as the wind tangled through my cloak. "He thinks I’m aligned with Lucian."

Her pace quickened to match mine. "What? That bastard actually said that?"

"He didn’t have to," I muttered, my jaw tightening. "The way he looked at me, the way he circled around every word… It was like he was waiting for me to admit it myself. I told him nothing, but he's watching me."

Rowena cursed under her breath. “We need to move faster. If Kieran’s getting suspicious, we’re out of time. Lucian needs to launch the strike.”

“I know,” I said, my voice low, but sharp. “And if he delays any longer, we’ll lose the element of surprise. Kieran’s not a fool—he’s just been too distracted to look closely. But not anymore.”

Rowena grabbed my arm, pulling me to a stop near the training yard. “Then tell me what we do. Do we risk sending someone tonight?”

I looked at her hand, then back up at her. “We don’t risk it. We do it. I’ll get a message through the northern ridge. If we wait for the next meeting, Kieran’s dogs might already be sniffing us out.”

Her eyes darted around before she leaned closer. “And if he comes back for you?”

“I’ll be ready.” I curled my fingers into a fist, nails digging into my palms. “God, Rowena, my hands are itching. Every time I see him standing there with that smug, calculating stare, it takes everything in me not to rip his throat out.”

“Don’t,” she said quickly. “Not yet. We need your position. We need your access. If we lose that now—”

“I know what’s at stake,” I cut her off. “But one more smug interrogation, and I swear—”

“You won’t,” she snapped. “You’ll hold your damn tongue, Raven, and you’ll wait. We get Lucian the word. He moves. And when the time’s right? Then you can kill every last one of them.”

I stared at her for a long moment before nodding once, curt and cold. “Then let’s make sure that time comes soon.”

The wind carried whispers through the trees as we stood just off the main path, shadows cloaking us from curious eyes. My voice was low, barely more than a breath as I leaned closer to her.

“Rowena,” I said, gripping her arm gently, “we need to leave. Now. We can’t be seen together like this. If anyone catches us talking, they’ll start asking questions.”

Rowena’s eyes flicked toward the distant clearing where laughter echoed faintly. Her lips pressed into a line, but she didn’t argue.

“You’re right,” she whispered. “But we need to talk—really talk. Tonight?”

I nodded, casting a glance behind us. “Midnight. The edge of the forest. No one follows that path this time of night.”

“Raven,” she began, her voice tightening, “we can’t keep waiting. Lucian needs to move faster. If we’re going to do this, we need him to know time’s running out.”

“I know,” I muttered, my gaze fixed on the dimming horizon. “But we can’t rush and trip over our own feet. One wrong move, and Kieran will be on us before we can even step out of the gates.”

Rowena looked at me, searching. “Do you really think he suspects something?”

I let out a quiet sigh. “Not yet. But he will if we keep slipping away without covering our tracks.”

“Then we cover them better,” she said, her voice edged with determination. “We’ll meet tonight. We’ll figure out what to say to Lucian, how to push him without spooking him.”

I hesitated, then nodded. “We will. But I need you to understand something, Rowena—this isn’t just a game of secrets. If Kieran finds out we’re going outside the pack—”

“We’ll deal with that when it comes,” she cut in sharply. “We’re doing this for the right reasons, Raven.”

I met her eyes, something heavy settling in my chest. “Yeah,” I said quietly. “Even if it costs us.”

Her hand found mine briefly, a quick, silent promise before she turned and melted into the trees. I waited until I was sure no one was watching before I moved in the opposite direction, heart pounding with the weight of what we were about to do.