All Chapters of He Betrayed Me For A Human: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The rain hadn't stopped for three days.It came down in relentless sheets, washing the scent of blood and ash from the valley, soaking the soil until it clung to our boots with every step. The Hollow Reach had always been a place of ghosts, but now it was a war council. Wolves from scattered packs roamed between the broken stones and ruined watchtowers, their eyes no longer filled with suspicion—but with purpose.Our purpose.I stood beneath the twisted remains of an ancient oak, rain dripping from the hood of my cloak, watching as two wolves sparred in the clearing below. They were younger—Ashen Fang scouts by the look of them—but their movements were sharp, their resolve clear. Weeks ago, they would have never shared a field with Thornshade or Red Veil wolves. Now, they trained side by side."Not bad for a pack that’s been shattered," Cassian murmured beside me, crossing his arms. "A few days ago, they were ready to rip each other’s throats out.""They still might," I replied, watch

The days after the summit passed like a blade held against my throat—sharp, deliberate, waiting to draw blood. The packs had rallied, or so it seemed.Scouts returned with news of smaller victories along the borders, supply lines tightened, and our alliances felt stronger than they ever had. Yet beneath the surface, something shifted. Something I couldn’t name.The night before the council’s grand assembly, I stood alone on the battlements of our stronghold. The wind was heavy with rain and the metallic scent of coming war.Below, torchlight rippled through the camp—wolves drilling in the mud, blacksmiths hammering weapons that would soon taste blood. It should have felt like progress. It should have felt like strength.It didn’t.Julian joined me quietly, his presence a steady weight at my side. "You’re not sleeping again.""Sleep is a luxury I don’t have," I murmured, eyes on the dark horizon. "Kaelus won’t give us time to breathe."Julian’s gaze followed mine. "You’ve done what no

The smoke was still rising by dawn—thin, deliberate, and far too controlled to be accidental. It curled into the sky in slow, perfect spirals, as if someone wanted us to see it. Wanted me to see it."They’re baiting you," Cassian said beside me, eyes narrowed against the glare. "No scout would be that careless with a fire so close to the ridge.""Exactly," I murmured. "Which means they want us to believe it’s a mistake."Julian’s gaze swept the horizon, his jaw tight. "Could be a decoy. Could be a trap. Either way, we have to respond."We had no choice, ignoring it would leave too many unanswered questions, and questions were the enemy of control. Kaelus had learned that lesson from me long ago. Uncertainty was poison. It eroded loyalty, weakened morale. It was a weapon in itself."Mobilize the second strike unit," I ordered. "Twenty wolves, silent approach. Cassian, you’re with me. Julian, you command from the ridge, I want long-range support in place before we set foot near that fir

The night had barely lifted when the decision left my lips."I’m going to the Oracle."The words were softer than I intended, swallowed by the stillness of the tent. But they were enough to silence Julian’s pacing and make Cassian look up from sharpening his blade. For a heartbeat, neither of them spoke—the weight of those six words hung heavier than the blood-soaked sky outside.Julian was the first to breathe. "Are you certain?"I nodded, though certainty was the last thing I felt. "If what Kaelus said is true—if the bond still binds me—then I need to know why. And how to end it for good."Cassian slid his dagger back into its sheath and rose to his feet. "Then we’ll leave at first light."There was no argument, no hesitation. Only the familiar, quiet loyalty that had tethered the three of us together long before the world fell apart.***Dawn came pale and cold, bleeding silver over the camp’s ruined edges. We left without ceremony—no goodbyes, no explanations. The fewer who knew o

The nights had grown quieter since the battle.Too quiet.Each evening I walked the perimeter long after the sentries had changed shifts, my boots crunching over frost-hardened soil, the scent of smoke still lingering from the raid. The valley was calm, our camp secure—and yet, inside me, there was nothing but unrest.It was a strange kind of emptiness, one I couldn’t name. As if a story had been told to me halfway and then abruptly cut off. As if I had torn out a page from my own life and now couldn’t stop running my fingers over the jagged edges where it had once been.I should have felt relief. The bond was gone, the weight that had chained me to Kaelus severed. My body moved lighter. My mind was sharper. My heart—or what remained of it—should have been free.But freedom did not feel like this.Freedom did not ache."Still awake?"Julian’s voice reached me from the shadows. He stepped into the pale moonlight, his breath clouding in the chill. The scar on his jaw—a remnant of a batt