Chapter 4

And what a fool I was to believe his flimsy excuses.

Kane's father, the current Alpha, was still in his prime.

There was no emergency big enough to keep a future Alpha working overtime.

The thought was a cold knife twisting deep in my gut.

Then came the white-hot rage of betrayal.

Lyra was a wreck after she failed her adulthood trials.

I was the one who got her a position on the Council, starting as a scribe.

She had sobbed with gratitude.

"Elara, what would I do without you!"

Her skills were mediocre, at best.

Even Kane's parents, the current Alpha and Luna, had warned me.

They said I was misusing my influence.

I was exhausted back then, working myself to the bone.

After a long day's hunt, I would teach her for hours.

I walked her through every complex scroll and rune.

Until, slowly, she earned the council's approval.

And how did she repay me for all of it?

My eyes burned, and I squeezed them shut.

My parents were waiting at the sacred grounds for the ceremony.

I just had to get through this.

Then, I'll settle this score.

Maybe a part of me wanted to kill any hope that was left.

On a dark impulse, I contacted a Shadow-Walker.

He was a master of tracking and stealth.

His mission: map out every move Kane and Lyra had made for the last six months.