Chapter 242

The peace of the moment didn’t last. A sharp knock on the door stressed us again, and Dane sat up at once, frustration knitting between his eyebrows.

“Dane, Aurora!” came Trajan’s urgent voice from the other side. “You need to see this. Now.”

My heart was racing while I followed him out the door.

Trajan was there, his face unreadable. “Rowan’s called a meeting,” he said. “He’s gathering wolves in the clearing, mostly the younger ones.”

“What does he want?” Dane said shortly.

Trajan’s jaw was clenched. “To challenge your leadership.”

I felt the blood drain from my face. “We need to stop this before it goes too far.”

Dane nodded, his hand brushing against mine briefly before he turned to Trajan. “Gather the elders. If Rowan’s dividing the pack, we’ll face him together.”

Then he, Rowan, stood tall right in the middle with defiant confidence while Alina trailed behind him with her arms crossed, almost smirking.

“We need new leadership!” Rowan’s voice boomed as I came into view. “Aurora and Dane are blind to the struggles of this pack. They play favorites, rewarding their inner circle while the rest of us are left to fend for ourselves.”

Murmurs spread through the crowd, their doubts so easy to read on their faces.

I inhaled deeply, stepping out in front to face him squarely. “Is that what you believe, Rowan? That we have failed you?”

His jaw clenched, and for an instant, I thought he might back down. But then Alina laid a hand on his shoulder, and his resolve hardened.

“It’s not just me. Look around, Aurora. The pack’s divided because of your choices.”

Dane shifted to my side then, his presence steadying me.

“You see what I’m saying… he is getting out of hand, and the pack is going to be divided because of him, if we don’t do something,” he whispered to me.

I gulped and looked at Rowan. I feel pity for him; he is driving at full speed to his own destruction, and he is so young... My eyes went to Alina, who smirked at me. He is so young and foolish.

I gritted my teeth as I turned to Rowan, “You are now blind.”

Rowan’s face darkened. “I’m not blind!”

“Are you not now?” I asked calmly. “Or are you letting your own insecurities and Alina’s whispers drive you to tear this pack apart?”

Rowan jerked back, but before he could utter a word of protest, Alina surged forward.

“You can’t hold that against Rowan for having an opinion,” she said, sugary sweet. “He’s merely stating what the rest of us have already thought and felt.”

The crowd rumbled with murmurs, and I turned to Piper, who stood off near the treeline with Warrick. Her eyes darted up, finding mine and brimming with unease.

“We are stronger together,” I again turned to the pack. “We will only weaken our cause by dividing ourselves. This pack has been through too much to break apart now.”

Rowan’s lips thinned. “Words won’t fix what’s broken,” he said. “We need action. We need change.”

The meeting concluded without resolution, the crowd breaking apart in uncomfortable silence. Rowan strode away towards the woods. Alina followed after him.

I caught Piper’s arm as she passed. “Keep an eye on Rowan,” I

She nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

Later that night, I found Dane in the training arena, in deep focus and moving through a series of drills with sharp precision. Anger seared in his eyes.

“You’re going to wear yourself out,” I said, leaning against the wall.

Mid-blow, he froze, dropping his arm to wheel on me. “I will not stand idly by while this happens, Aurora,” he said. “Rowan is tearing this pack apart at the seams, and Alina is growing fat on it.”

“I know,” I returned, recognizing the note of frustration.

“Have you made up your mind, Aurora?” Dane asked. I paused as I walked to the open window and looked out.

“Dane… I’m at a crossroad here… I think we need to find a way to stop Alina… If she stops, Rowan will stop.”

Dane was quiet. What was he thinking? I was about to turn to him when he placed his hand on the window pane and looked out into the sky with me.

“Alina is too smart… I have a feeling she has a connection with an enemy outside, but we can’t do anything without evidence. She is too careful.”

“Bitter truth… but Rowan…”

“Is a fool,” Dane cut me off.

“Don’t be so harsh, Dane; the poor boy is just naive. He has a fragile mind, and Alina cunningly wrapped her webs around him.”

Dane scoffed, “That doesn’t hide the fact that he is a fast ticking time bomb… he would destroy everything, Aurora.”

I breathed a heavy sigh as I threw my head back. “I’m confused.”

“Why?” Dane asked. “As a leader, you have to prioritize the safety of the masses… Rowan is like a terrorist… and what happens to them? They get neutralized.”

I gasped as I turned to Dane. I stared at him in shock, and then I rolled my eyes and crossed my hand over my chest.

“You want him neutralized now?”

“I didn’t say that… just follow the law,” Dane said and rolled his eyes back at me.

“I think I know why Rowan is like this… It’s because he is an orphan… he needs someone to show him what true love is, so he would see through Alina’s fake mask.”

Dane’s jaw dropped as he stared at me. “I can’t believe you are saying this… I just…” he paused and turned away.

“Dane…” I called and tried to walk to him.

“Just forget it,” he said and raised his hands as he stormed out.

behind him, “Shit.”