Selene stared at the blank parchment.
No ink, no words. Just silence and consequences waiting to be chosen.
A single, tiny flame flickered beside her on the desk; the candle she'd lit not to write by, but to burn by.
Tonight, she was going to lie. To the ones who had raised her. Trained her. Controlled her.
She dipped the quill into ink. Her fingers trembled, but her resolve did not.
Alpha Kael remains unaware.
Security is high, but manageable.
I've gained proximity. Still waiting for the right moment to strike.
He trusts me.
Her stomach turned as she read the words.
Each one a blade.
Each one a betrayal.
Not of her mission.
But of the only man who had looked at her like she was something other than a weapon.
You're the first person I've let in since...
She clenched her jaw and signed it with her handler's cipher. Then fed the letter to the candle's flame.
Not the real one. The real message; neatly sealed in a thin, scent-masked envelope, was already hidden in the forest, behind the oldest pine just beyond the training field.
But this? This lie she burned in front of herself.
Because she needed to feel it.
The next morning, Kael found her at the training yard, watching the warriors spar.
She sensed him before he spoke.
"You're up early."
"I don't sleep much," she said, not turning around.
Kael stepped beside her, holding something small in his hand.
"What's that?" she asked.
"A BloodMoon token."
He opened his palm.
The pendant inside gleamed gold. Shaped like a crescent with a single red gem set at the center. Only ranked warriors or trusted inner circle members carried it.
Selene's breath caught. "Why are you showing me this?"
Kael didn't smile.
He looked… serious. Heavy.
"I want you to wear it."
Her heart skipped. "What?"
"If anyone questions you… if anyone doubts where you stand in this pack, this will shut them up."
She couldn't speak.
"You've earned it," he said, his voice softer now. "Even if you don't think you have."
Her fingers closed over the token before her brain gave permission.
It was warm. Like him.
Kael moved closer, lowering his voice. "I don't give those out easily."
"I know."
"Which means if you betray me now…" He paused, eyes flicking down to her lips for the briefest second, "I won't kill you."
Selene blinked. "That's comforting."
He leaned in a breath closer. "But I will wish I had."
A beat passed.
Then he smiled faintly and turned away, walking back toward the warriors. Leaving her stunned, shaking, and with a piece of his trust around her neck.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Selene touched the pendant later that night, lying on her cot, sleepless and haunted. It felt heavier than any blade she'd ever held.
Because it wasn't a weapon. It was faith. And she didn't know if she could carry it.
Meanwhile, back in the darkened woods, two eyes glinted from the shadows. A scout, a loyalist from her old pack.He'd found her message. He would carry it back. And with it, the countdown would begin. Because the wolves on the other side didn't believe in mercy.
And they had just decided, five days was too long.