The border guard couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Pete stood at his post.
He stared into the dense forest where the hooded girl had disappeared earlier that morning.
She had seemed convincing.
Tried too hard to sound convincing.
Her story about her younger brother being among the missing children had sounded genuine enough.
But something about her behavior had bothered him.
The way she had looked around before entering the forest.
The way she had seemed almost too comfortable walking toward the border despite the warnings.
Pete frowned.
He needed to be certain.
He left his post briefly and headed toward the pack house.
Jake was in the administrative wing when Pete found him.
“Gamma.” Jake looked up from a stack of paperwork.
“What is it?” “Could I see the members’ records?” Jake raised an eyebrow.
“The members’ records?” “Yes.
There’s something I need to check.” Jake studied his face for a moment before retrieving the large logbook.
“Here.” Pete thanked him and opened it.
He began scanning the pages.
Each member of the Blackwood Pack had their own information recorded.
Name.
Age.
Parents.
Family members.
Place of residence.
Pete searched through the names until he finally found the girl.
Chloe Adams.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then stopped.
Only child.
Pete frowned.
He read it again.
Her parents were listed as Delta Adams and Veronica Adams.
Residence: Blackwood Pack House.
No siblings.
Pete’s brows furrowed.
“But she said…” He closed the book.
Perhaps she’d meant a cousin.
That had to be it.
He handed the book back to Jake.
“Thanks.” Jake nodded.
“No problem.” Pete returned to his post.
He waited.
A few hours later, the hooded girl emerged from the forest.
Pete immediately recognized her.
He straightened.
She approached the border casually.
Pete stepped forward.
“Hey.” She stopped.
“Yes?” Pete gave her a sympathetic look.
“Any news about your cousin?” Chloe stared at him.
“My what?” “Your cousin.” She frowned.
“I don’t have a cousin.” Pete’s stomach dropped.
“You don’t?” “No.” He tried to keep his expression neutral.
“But before you left, you said—” “Oh, that.” She smiled faintly.
“I said my brother.” Pete stared at her.
“Your brother?” “Yes.” She adjusted her hood.
“He still hasn’t been found.” Pete nodded slowly.
“I’m sorry.” “Thank you.” She walked away.
Pete watched her disappear toward the pack house.
His expression hardened.
Something was definitely wrong.
He immediately left his post.
Raquelle was in her office when Pete arrived.
She looked up from the documents on her desk.
“Pete?” “Alpha.” He closed the door behind him.
“I need to tell you something.” Raquelle put down her pen.
“Go ahead.” Pete took a breath.
“A girl from the pack left through the border earlier today.” Raquelle’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Why?” “She said she needed to go for a run.
She claimed her younger brother was one of the children who had been kidnapped.” Raquelle leaned back.
“Alright.” “But my wolf was suspicious.” That caught her attention.
“So I checked the members’ records.” “And?” Pete swallowed.
“She’s an only child.
Her name is Chloe Adams.” Raquelle’s expression changed.
“Are you sure?” “Yes, Alpha.” “What happened when she returned?” “I asked her if she’d heard anything about her cousin’s whereabouts.
I thought perhaps she’d meant cousin instead of brother.
She told me she didn’t have a cousin.
She insisted she’d said brother.” Silence filled the room.
Pete looked at his Alpha.
“I didn’t want to make an accusation without evidence, so I came straight to you.” Raquelle nodded slowly.
“You did the right thing.
Keep watching her.” “Yes, Alpha.” “Don’t confront her.” Pete nodded.
“I understand.” “And Pete?
If she leaves again, don’t follow her alone.” “Understood.” He bowed his head and left.
Raquelle remained seated.
Her fingers tapped slowly against the desk.
Twenty missing children.
A missing CCTV camera.
And now a member inside her own pack was lying about having a missing sibling.
She didn’t know what Chloe was up to yet.
But she was going to find out.
*** Three days passed.
The pack remained tense.
The search for the missing children continued, but there was still no breakthrough.
Pete hadn’t forgotten the girl.
So when he saw Chloe approaching the border again, he immediately recognized her.
She gave him the same polite smile.
“Going for another run?” Pete pretended to relax.
“Yes.” She nodded toward the forest.
“Be careful.” “I will.” She walked past him.
Pete waited.
One minute.
Two.
Then he quietly stepped away from his post.
He shifted.
His wolf slipped into the forest, following her trail while keeping a safe distance.
He followed her for several minutes.
Then something strange happened.
She didn’t behave like someone who was frightened or grieving.
She moved confidently.
Purposefully.
As though she knew exactly where she was going.
Pete’s suspicion grew.
He followed deeper.
Much deeper.
Until he reached the edge of Blackwood territory.
Then he saw her cross the boundary.
Evergreen Pack.
Pete froze.
His heart pounded.
She had crossed into enemy territory.
He immediately turned around.
He needed to get back.
He needed to tell Alpha Raquelle.
But before he could take more than a few steps, a massive shadow stepped into his path.
Pete stopped.
His wolf eyes widened in absolute horror.
He recognized the person immediately.
Before he could react, a heavy blade flashed through the dim light.
The attack was silent and brutal.
Pete collapsed, motionless.
The forest fell silent again.
Minutes later, Delta Adams wiped the sweat from his forehead.
His heart hammered with pure terror.
If Raquelle found out his daughter was a traitor, she would slaughter his whole family.
He had to protect his baby girl.
Adams hoisted Pete’s body onto his broad shoulders.
He crossed back into Blackwood territory.
As a high-ranking Delta, the patrolling guards didn’t question him.
They simply assumed he was bringing in a casualty from the search parties.
He marched straight toward the headquarters.
He entered the building and walked past the shocked faces of several wolves.
He reached Raquelle’s office and kicked the door open.
Thud.
Adams dropped Pete’s blood-soaked body onto the floor right in front of her desk.
Raquelle shot to her feet, her Alpha pressure instantly slamming into the room.
“Adams!
What is the meaning of this?!” Delta Adams dropped to his knees beside the corpse.
He forced his voice to shake with a perfectly fabricated panic.
“Alpha!” Adams cried out, masking his dark secret with fake grief.
“I found him slaughtered near our western borders!
Someone is hunting our warriors right under our noses!” ** Liar of the year award goes to Delta Adams.
I feel so sad for Pete