Chapter 22
Daphne’s POV
I stormed into my room, my anger palpable. My heels hit the floor with a sharp click, the sound echoing through the space.
As I shut the door, behind me my breathing stopped short. That's when I saw him. My dad is sitting in that chair by the window, its high back looming up behind him.
I looked at him nervously “Dad, what are you doing here?”
The storm in his eyes was pretty unnerving. It was like the temperature in the room dropped when he figured out what I'd been up to. You could say I was busted and the look he gave me made me feel more guilty.
Before I could speak, the crack of his hand across my cheek split the silence, he slapped me for the first time..
My head jerked sideways, a rush of heat flooding my skin. I looked at him shocked knowing he had never hit me like this before “Dad..”
He snarled at her his voice above a whisper but it was thick with anger. "You're being ridiculous " he said, the words tumbling out in an angry mutter. Or maybe that's not exactly what he said but it was something like "You're really asking for trouble aren't you?”
“I was trying–” I tried to explain, but he cut me off with a sharp gesture.
“You nearly cost this family everything. The Alpha’s trust, our standing in the pack, the plans we have been building for years–do you understand what you’ve jeopardized?”
My one hand curled into fist and the other stayed on my cheek, but I kept my head bowed.
My dads words hurt me; they cut deeply, but in my mind I knew he was right. I shouldn't have been so careless.
I looked at the ground “I promise dad it won’t happen again.”
My father calmed down. “Don’t make me clean your mess again and prepare for your wedding with Alpha Gideon, that’s all you should focus on.”
After my father left my anger returned knowing Raven messed up my plan.
“Raven, I will make sure you leave this pack for good.”
Gideon’s POV
I was in my office doing some paperwork and suddenly I heard the door open and saw Daphne walk in. “Gideon, I have gathered some strongest warriors to protect Leo, Raven alone won’t be able to handle the responsibily alone.”
“Daphne you don't have to, you should stay out of it,” I interrupted, finally meeting her gaze.
Daphne's eyes narrowed, a sign she was bristling at the implication. "You don't trust me?" she said, her voice low and even. With a hint of annoyance, beneath the surface.
“Honestly trust isn't the issue here. It's about staying on track with what we need to do. You've got your things to take care of and this ones, on me. To be frank I don't want to drag you into this and put you in harm's way..”
She tilted her head, feigning hurt. “You think I can’t handle it?I really want to be there for Leo,so I won't make the same mistake again.”
“I think politics will get in the way, also I don’t want to pressure you with the work while you are preparing to be Luna.” I said flatly.
“This is about Leo, He doesn’t like me, right?” she pressed.
My jaw tightened, the faintest told me that she had struck close to the truth.
Daphne’s lashes lowered, concealing the calculation in her gaze. “I only want what’s best for him—and for you.”
“What’s best for him,” I said, stepping past her, “is that you do nothing.”
And with that, I left her standing in the room, her nails digging crescents into her palms.
I made my way down to Leo's room that evening and the corridor was really quiet.
My kid has been through a lot, for his age and to be honest the idea of losing him hurts in a way that's hard to put into words. I would never say it out loud but Leo is my world and I would do everything to protect him.
I stood by the door.
I looked through the creek and saw Raven sitting beside Leo who was fast asleep on the bed. I saw how she gently caressed his head. Even though she was Leo’s bodyguard, there was a gentle side to her. Even though she wore a mask, I can tell her eyes held warmth.
She sat there half in the shadows with this gentle way about her. Like she was keeping a secret something precious that she didn't want to share with anyone. It was as if she was wrapping her arms around it, holding it close and that made her seem fragile, but also really strong, at the same time.
Leo’s small hand rested in hers, and he was sleeping more peacefully than I had seen in days.
Something about the way she watched over him stirred an old memory—Claire’s face, I thought of Claire taking care of Leo.
I pushed the thought away. Claire was gone. She had been gone for years. And yet, this warrior’s presence unsettled me in ways I couldn’t quite name. I stayed in the hall until dawn, the silent guard behind the guard.
When Beta returned with the first scraps of information, I left without disturbing the boy.
But the image of that moment—of Leo’s trust and the warrior’s unspoken care—followed me back to my office.
By midday, Beta’s report confirmed my worst suspicion:
I looked at the security footage only to see it corrupted as if someone deliberately wiped it out.
I looked at my beta with determination “Get someone to retrieve the corrupted footage, make sure no one knows about it.”
I looked at the map. The dots on the maps are the places where the rouges have been. “Rouges know we are after them so they are frequently changing locations.” I said as I tapped at the red dot of the map.
The breach had been timed to coincide with a deliberate weakening of the south watch. Two guards were unaccounted for, their absence covered by falsified logs.
“They’ll be dead by now,” Beta said grimly. “Or far from our borders.”
I rubbed a hand over my jaw, frustration mounting. “Keep looking. I don’t care if you have to tear apart every false lead—find me the truth.”
My voice dropped, steel behind the words. “And keep Daphne out of it. I won’t say it again.”
The office just didn't feel the same after Beta was gone. It was like the heat had been turned down leaving this chill in the air. Everything felt emptier somehow.
I glanced over at the shelf, my eyes landing on a frame. A picture of Claire with this incredible smile on her face.
I gave in. Touched the glass for just a second then turned my attention back to the map.
It was time to track down the traitor. The search was finally on. Nothing else mattered now. Just finding out who had betrayed us. The hunt for the traitor had. We were determined to see it through.
It wasn't until the whole thing was over that the truth finally came out. Up until then not those closest to me. Daphne, the council members or the enigmatic Miss Warrior. Had a clue about the depth of my fears.
If I was right that meant the enemy was a lot closer than anyone thought.
