The sound of Riley's ragged breathing filled the room.
Blood soaked her shoulder, the dagger still lodged in place. Damien had Liam pinned against the floor, snarling low and feral, but the traitor only laughed wild and unrepentant.
"You'll never stop it," Liam hissed. "She's already lost."
Hayley stood frozen for a heartbeat longer, her pulse thundering in her ears. Then instinct kicked in.
"Damien let him go. Riley's bleeding out."
Damien looked up sharply. "He'll run."
"She'll die."
He didn't argue. With a curse, he slammed Liam's head into the floor just hard enough to daze him before releasing his grip. In a blur, Hayley was at Riley's side, pressing her hands to the wound as crimson spread beneath her fingers.
"Stay with me," Hayley whispered.
Riley's lips were pale. "Didn't think... I'd die like this."
"You're not dying," Hayley growled. "Not tonight."
Behind her, Damien swore. "He's gone."
Of course he was. The bastard always knew how to disappear when it mattered most.
The infirmary reeked of blood and antiseptic.
Riley lay unconscious, her shoulder bandaged, her breathing shallow but steady. Hayley sat beside her, unable to tear her eyes away. The words from the letter still echoed in her skull.
> "Phase One complete. The Alpha is destabilized."
And the signature: R.W.
Hayley clenched her fists. She didn't know what to believe anymore.
She'd spent the last few hours interrogating healers, securing the Den, and locking down all communications. Liam's betrayal had shaken the very bones of the Silverfang pack. Her wolves were scared. Some whispered of conspiracies. Others demanded answers.
And Hayley? She couldn't sleep. I couldn't think.
"Still watching her bleed?" Damien's voice broke through the fog.
He leaned against the doorway, arms folded, dark eyes unreadable.
"I should've seen it," Hayley murmured.
"No," Damien said. "Liam fooled everyone. He played loyal perfectly."
She looked up. "He said the Circle couldn't take me down without inside help."
Damien nodded grimly. "Which means there's more. Liam was Phase One. They're still moving."
Hayley stood abruptly. "Then we can't afford to hesitate."
Damien watched her pace the length of the infirmary, his arms crossed, jaw tight.
"You're not thinking clearly," he said finally.
"I'm thinking more clearly than ever," she snapped.
"You're burning yourself out."
Hayley turned to him, her eyes fierce. "Do you know what happens when an Alpha shows weakness, Damien? The pack fractures. The enemies descend. I can't afford to fall apart."
"You're not falling apart," he said calmly. "You're bleeding internally and pretending it's just a scratch."
The words hit closer than she wanted to admit.
Hayley exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through her hair. "I trusted Liam. For years. He helped me build this pack. He knew my secrets. My blind spots."
Damien walked toward her, his voice low. "That's what makes betrayal so effective. It always comes from inside."
Her eyes flicked to Riley, still unconscious.
"And now the Circle's inside, too," she said.
A quiet moment passed between them. Then Damien spoke again, more hesitantly this time.
"There's something you should know."
Hayley looked up, wary.
"When I was with the Circle briefly, I heard your name more than once."
Her breath caught. "What?"
"They weren't just watching your pack. They were obsessed with you. Your lineage. Your potential."
"My lineage?" she echoed.
Damien nodded. "They think you're a threat to something bigger. A prophecy maybe. They never said directly, but… they believe you're meant to undo them."
Hayley stared at him, stunned.
That was new.
And terrifying.
Damien stepped back, giving her space. "Whatever Liam started? It's not just about control or chaos. It's personal. They fear you."
Hayley clenched her fists, pulse racing. Fear she could work with. Fear she could use.
"I'm not who they think I am," she muttered.
Damien tilted his head. "Aren't you?"
***
Later that night, Hayley gathered her top lieutenants.
Riley was absent too injured and Liam was missing. That left a leadership void, and the tension in the war room was thick enough to choke on.
"We've been compromised," Hayley began, her voice steely. "Liam was working with the Obsidian Circle. Possibly for years."
The murmurs began instantly.
Beta Matthias, an older wolf from the eastern territory spoke up first. "If Liam was one of your top, Alpha… how do we know there aren't others?"
Hayley's jaw tightened. "Because I'll burn down this entire city to find them."
Another wolf stood. "And Riley?"
All eyes turned to her.
"She's wounded," Hayley said carefully. "But I believe she was trying to protect us. She infiltrated the Circle. She made enemies because of it."
Some faces relaxed. Others didn't.
"She should've told us," someone muttered.
Hayley slammed her palm on the table. "She told me. That's enough."
Damien watched silently from the back, his gaze flicking across the room like he was measuring threats.
When the meeting ended, Hayley stepped outside to breathe, the night air cold against her skin.
"You're losing them," Damien said quietly behind her.
"I know."
"You should let me help."
She turned, arms crossed. "Why do you care?"
Damien stepped closer, and for the first time, she saw something raw in his expression.
"Because I've watched this before. The Circle divides. That's how they win. They infect trust. And then they let it rot from within."
His voice was low, nearly a whisper.
"I saw it happen to my pack."
Hayley's heart stilled. "You never told me what happened to them."
He didn't answer. Not directly.
But his eyes softened just for a moment.
"You're not alone, Hayley. Unless you choose to be."
Something in her chest twisted.
She didn't respond. Couldn't.
Because Damien Wolfe wasn't part of her world. Not really.
But gods help her… she wanted to believe him.
In the quiet hours before dawn, Hayley sat by Riley's bedside once more.
The Beta stirred.
"Hayley…"
"I'm here," she whispered.
Riley's eyes fluttered open, glassy with pain. "I didn't lie. Not about the Circle."
"I know."
"I wanted to protect you."
"I know," Hayley said again, softer this time.
There was silence between them, a fragile kind.
"Liam?" Riley asked.
"Gone. But he won't get far."
Riley gave a shaky breath. "He was my friend."
"So was mine," Hayley said, voice like ash. "So was mine."