Chapter 118: Tangled Hearts and Torn Loyalties

The taste of Elias’s kiss still lingered on Serena’s lips, a phantom heat that burned deeper than she wanted to admit. Her footsteps echoed through the stone corridors, quick and sharp, as if she could outrun the tangled mess of feelings knotting inside her chest. The fortress that had become her home for months now felt unfamiliar—every hallway too narrow, every glance too probing.

She turned a corner and nearly collided with Theron.

He stepped back immediately, but his gaze narrowed. “You’ve been with him.”

It wasn’t a question.

Serena stiffened, pulse racing. “That’s not what matters right now.”

“Isn’t it?” His voice was low, but the thunder in it matched the storm in her chest. “After everything we’ve been through? After everything I’ve risked—”

“I never asked you to risk anything,” she snapped before she could stop herself. “And I never promised you anything, Theron.”

He flinched, just slightly. It cut deeper than she expected.

Serena lowered her gaze. “We can’t do this right now. There’s too much at stake.”

Theron held her in his stare for a heartbeat longer, then gave a short nod. “Then let’s focus on the war.”

They walked in silence toward the war chamber. Inside, the air crackled with tension. A massive map lay sprawled across the war table, littered with red and black pins. Kai stood over it, arms crossed, jaw tight. Commander Brannic and two scouts hovered near the edges, voices low with urgency.

Kai looked up. “Good, you're here. We’ve got a problem.”

Serena stepped forward. “What kind?”

“Rogue activity—too close to the ridge. Our scouts picked up coordinated movement. Not random attacks. This is organized.”

Her stomach turned. “How many?”

“Unclear,” Kai said. “But they left markers. Signals. Whoever they are, they’re not hiding. They want us to know they’re coming.”

Serena leaned over the map, fingers tracing the ridge that bordered the Wyrmwood Forest. “That’s neutral territory. No pack controls it.”

“Exactly,” Kai said. “Which means someone is trying to turn it into a staging ground. We either flush them out now, or wait for them to hit us first.”

Elias entered the room, his presence calm and calculating. Serena’s chest tightened again. He met her gaze briefly—just enough to make her heart skip—before focusing on the map.

“If they’re this close, it’s not a test run,” he said. “They’re readying for war.”

Commander Brannic tapped a finger near the edge of the border. “My scouts reported strange scents—wolf, but mingled with something else. Dark magic, maybe. This isn’t just a rogue uprising.”

Silence fell over the room.

Theron spoke first. “We need to hit back fast. Strike before they gather numbers.”

“No,” Serena said. “We don’t know enough. If we charge in blind, we risk losing more than territory.”

“She’s right,” Elias agreed. “Let me lead a covert team. Infiltrate their camp, gather intel. If magic’s involved, we’ll need more than brute strength.”

Kai raised a brow. “You offering to play spy now?”

“I’m offering to do what needs to be done,” Elias replied coolly.

Theron stepped forward. “If anyone leads that mission, it’s me.”

Serena’s voice was firm. “Neither of you will go alone.”

Theron’s brow furrowed. “Are you forbidding me?”

“I’m commanding you,” she said. “You’re both too valuable to throw into an ambush without backup. We’ll send a balanced team—scouts, fighters, and one mage.”

Elias nodded slowly, though Serena saw the flicker of annoyance in his eyes. He wasn’t used to being told no.

The group began assembling a plan, with Serena directing assignments. As discussions continued, her mind kept drifting—to the weight of Elias’s kiss, to the betrayal in Theron’s gaze, to the war rising just beyond their walls.

When the meeting ended, the others dispersed, leaving Serena alone in the chamber.

She leaned against the edge of the table, exhaling slowly. For once, the quiet was too loud.

Elias returned a moment later.

“I should apologize,” he said, voice low.

“For what?” she asked, not turning.

“For complicating things.”

Serena finally looked at him. “You didn’t start this war.”

“No, but I lit a fire I shouldn't have.” His eyes were gentle now. “I don’t regret it. But I know it made things harder for you.”

“It didn’t make things harder,” she whispered. “It made them real.”

Silence stretched between them.

“I care about you, Serena,” Elias said. “But I won’t force anything. Whatever you choose, I’ll stand by it.”

She nodded slowly. “I care about you too. But my choices... they don’t just affect me anymore.”

He stepped closer, just enough that she could feel his warmth.

“Then let’s win this war,” he said. “And figure the rest out afterward.”

Serena closed her eyes. “Let’s hope there’s something left to figure out by then.”