Lily Carter POV
I crashed to the ground with Aiden, rolling through mud and falling leaves at the bottom of the ravine. The hooded wolves howled above us, their bone faces gleaming in the moonlight.
"Run!" Aiden grabbed my hand and pulled into the thick forest. We zigzagged between trees, splashed through a shallow stream, and finally fell in a small cave hidden behind a waterfall.
"Did we lose them?" I gasped, my lungs burning.
Aiden peered through the sheet of water. "For now."
We waited until morning before sneaking back to the pack grounds. Wolves stopped and stared as we limped through the main area, covered in mud and scratches. Their words followed us like angry bees.
"Look at her, coming back at dawn with the Alpha’s son..."
"Probably faked that mark to trap him..."
"No oga should live in the Alpha’s house..."
I kept my head high, pretending not to hear. Three days had passed since that night in the valley, but the whispers hadn’t stopped. If anything, they’d gotten louder.
After washing up and changing clothes, I went to the nursery. The pups, at least, didn’t judge . They sward around , barking happy greets.
"Miss Lily! Miss Lily! Can we play Moon Chase?"
I smiled, kneeling to hug the smallest pup. "Not today, sweetie. I need to check on Timmy’s leg first."
As I moved through my normal routine, I noticed two won watching from the corner. Their eyes followed my every move.
"Can I help you?" I asked politely.
"We’re fine," one said coldly. She pulled her pup away when I neared. "My son doesn’t need oga dicine anymore. Not when the Alpha’s doctors are available to us now."
My cheeks burned. "I’ve been caring for your son since he was born."
"That was before." She sniffed. "Before you decided you were too good for your place."
The second mother at least had the grace to look embarrassed, but she didn’t argue.
I swallowed hard and turned away. This wasn’t the first ti pack mbers had made their views clear. Half treated like I’d suddenly beco king, bowing their heads when I passed. The other half acted like I’d taken sothing that wasn’t mine.
Maybe they were right.
I wrapped a fresh bandage around Timmy’s healing leg, trying to focus on the work rather than the hurt in my chest.
"Does it still hurt?" I asked the pup.
"Nope!" Timmy smiled, showing his missing front tooth. "I’m brave, just like you, Miss Lily! My mom said you fought off ten bad dogs with Alpha Aiden!"
I smiled despite myself. "It wasn’t quite ten."
"Was it scary in the ravine? Did the bone faces catch you?"
News spread fast in the pack. "A little scary," I admitted. "But we outsmarted them."
A throat cleared behind . I turned to find Luna standing in the doorway, looking uncomfortable. "Lily. The Alpha wants to see you." Her voice was stiff but not openly aggressive like before.
I followed her outside, bracing myself for more nasty words. To my surprise, she spoke quietly.
"Be careful around Olivia and her friends," Luna warned, nodding toward the mothers I’d just t. "They’ve always wanted their girls to catch the triplets’ attention. They’re not happy about you."
I blinked in surprise. "Why are you telling this?"
Luna shrugged. "The masked dogs asked for you specifically. That ans you’re important sohow. And if you’re important..." She didn’t finish, but I understood. If I had value to our enemies, I had value to the pack.
Not friendship then. Just strategy.
Alpha Marcus was waiting in the main hall with all three brothers. Their serious faces made my stomach tighten.
"Lily," Alpha Marcus nodded. "Please, sit. We need to discuss what happened with the masked dogs."
For the next hour, I explained everything I rembered about our encounter. The strange symbols on their faces. How they called "the Triple Moon bearer." Their talk about "restoring the old ways."
"We’ve had reports of similar groups approaching other packs," Brock said, pacing the room. "Always asking about oga wolves with special marks."
"They seem to know about you specifically," Caleb added. He’d been quiet until now, watching with serious eyes. "The question is how."
"Soone must be feeding them information," Aiden decided.
A cold feeling settled in my stomach. "You think soone in our pack is helping them?"
Alpha Marcus sighed. "It’s possible. These are tough tis. The old rules are changing."
I glanced at my wrist where the Triple Moon mark glowed softly. Change. That’s what Elder Iris said the mark brought. Not everyone welcod change.
"Until we know more, you need protection," the Alpha continued. "One of my sons will be with you at all tis."
I opened my mouth to protest but stopped. The masked dogs had terrified . If they ca back, I wanted soone strong close.
"Thank you," I said instead.
That afternoon, Caleb walked back to the nursery. Unlike his brothers, he didn’t try to fill the quiet with talk. We walked quietly, but I felt his eyes on .
"People are staring again," I murmured.
"Let them," Caleb answered. "Their opinions don’t matter."
"Easy for you to say. You’ve always fit."
Caleb stopped walking, turning to face . "Do you really believe that?"
Sothing in his voice made look at him properly. Behind the confident appearance of an Alpha’s son, I saw unexpected pain.
"Being a triplet ans never being seen as just yourself," he said softly. "People look at and see ’one of the Silver boys.’ The quiet one. The smart one. Not Caleb."
I’d never thought about it that way. "I guess we’re both used to being judged without being known."
A tiny smile touched his lips. "Maybe that’s why the mark chose us."
Us. Not you. The way he said it sent warmth spreading through my chest.
The mont broke when we reached the nursery. A crowd had gathered outside. In the middle stood Olivia, her voice carrying across the clearing.
"—don’t want her touching our pups! An oga who uses dark magic to make false mate marks can’t be trusted with our children!"
My breath caught in my throat. Other parents nodded in agreent.
"That’s enough." Caleb’s words cut through the noise. The crowd parted as we neared. "These claims are serious, Olivia. Do you have proof?"
Olivia lifted her chin. "Everyone knows ogas can’t mate with alphas. It’s strange. She must have done sothing to trick the moon."
"I didn’t—" I started, but another voice interrupted.
"She was seen gathering strange herbs at midnight during the last full moon." A beta woman I barely knew stepped forward. "My cousin saw her dancing naked in the Moon Pool before the festival."
Laughter rippled through the crowd. My face burned with sha. I’d never done any such thing.
"This is ridiculous," Caleb said, his voice dangerously low.
A small voice piped up from the nursery doorway. "Miss Lily wouldn’t do bad magic." Timmy stood on his healed leg, looking fierce despite his small size. "She’s good and kind and she tells the best stories."
The crowd’s mood changed slightly at the pup’s defense. Children were precious in wolf society, their instincts often trusted.
"Perhaps," Olivia said smoothly, "but caution is still smart. We’re taking our pups ho. The nursery will stay closed until a proper investigation can be conducted."
Parents began getting their children. The pups looked confused, so crying as they were taken away. Timmy clung to my legs until his father ca to get him.
"I’m sorry," he whispered, hugging . "I believe in you."
After everyone left, I slumped onto the nursery steps. "They’ve taken my pups away."
Caleb sat beside . "It’s temporary. Once the Alpha makes a public statent—"
"It won’t matter," I said angrily. "They’ve already decided I’m guilty."
We sat in silence as the sun began to set. Then Caleb spoke softly.
"What if we could show your mark is real? Show everyone that the Triple Moon Bearer is ntioned in old pack texts?"
Hope flickered inside . "How?"
"There’s one place we haven’t looked," Caleb said. "The Sacred Vault beneath the Alpha’s house. No one but the Alpha family has entered it for generations. But it holds the oldest pack records."
"Your father would never let in there."
"My father doesn’t need to know." Caleb’s eyes glinted with purpose. "et at midnight. We’ll find the truth together."
Before I could answer, a blood-curdling scream split the air. We jumped up as a pack guard ran toward us.
"The pups!" he gasped. "Masked dogs took them from their hos! All of them!"
My heart stopped. I t Caleb’s terrified gaze as one terrible thought crashed through my mind.
This is my fault.
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