Chapter 5 The Betrayer’s Shadow

The mist clung to the clearing like a shroud, thick and oppressive, muffling sounds and distorting shapes. Aria’s words hung in the air, a whisper that sent a ripple of tension through the group. Kael’s blue eyes narrowed, his body tensing as he scanned the treeline, nostrils flaring to catch the scent. Ronan shifted slightly, his golden gaze sharp, hand inching toward the hidden dagger in his boot. The young messenger a wiry wolf named Lir, barely out of his teens froze, his ears twitching, fear etching his youthful features.

“Thorne,” Aria repeated, her voice steady despite the chill crawling up her spine. The scent was unmistakable: earthy, laced with the metallic tang of old blood and something darker, like charred herbs. It wove through the mist, teasing, taunting. Her wolf paced restlessly inside her, the suppressing herbs wearing thin, urging her to shift and confront the threat head-on.

Kael’s growl rumbled low, a warning that vibrated through the ground. “Show yourself, you coward. If you’re here, face me like the beta you pretend to be.”

Silence stretched, broken only by the drip of water from leaves and Lir’s ragged breathing. Then, a low chuckle echoed from the shadows, distorted, as if coming from multiple directions at once. The mist swirled, parting like curtains to reveal Thorne stepping into the clearing. He looked… changed. His once-imposing frame was gaunt, shadows hollowing his cheeks, and that perpetual scowl had twisted into something manic, eyes gleaming with an unnatural red hue the same flicker Aria had seen in Kael’s gaze the night before. In his hand, clutched like a lifeline, was the amulet: obsidian black, veined with pulsing silver, humming with dark energy that made the air thrum.

“Alpha,” Thorne drawled, his voice laced with mockery. “Or should I say… former Alpha? You’ve been so busy chasing ghosts, you didn’t notice the real wolf in your den.” His scarred face split into a grin, teeth bared. The claw marks on the trees seemed to pulse in sync with the amulet, as if the forest itself was under its spell.

Lir whimpered, backing away, but Thorne’s gaze snapped to him. “Ah, the pup. You delivered my message so faithfully. Too bad you won’t live to see the new order.” With a flick of his wrist, the amulet glowed brighter, and Lir convulsed, dropping to his knees with a strangled cry. His eyes clouded, memories draining like water from a sieve, leaving him dazed and unresponsive.

“Stop!” Aria shouted, lunging forward, but Kael caught her arm, holding her back. His touch was electric, the bond surging with protective fury.

Thorne laughed again, the sound grating like claws on stone. “Oh, the rejected mate returns. How poetic. You should thank me, girl. I spared you the misery of bonding with a weak leader. Kael’s always been too soft flowers by doors, stolen glances. Pathetic. The pack needs strength, not fairy tales.”

Kael’s muscles coiled, his wolf pushing to the surface, fur rippling along his arms. “You were my brother in arms. Why, Thorne? Power? Jealousy?”

Thorne’s eyes flashed redder, the amulet’s influence twisting his features. “Jealousy? Ha! You stole the Alpha title from me my bloodline was meant for it, not yours. Your father favored you, trained you, while I scraped for scraps. But the Memory Eater… it showed me the truth. Whispers from the old witches, promises of loyalty rewritten. I started with you erased that pathetic bond, made you spit in her face. And now? The pack’s fracturing. Mates forgetting each other, warriors turning rogue. Soon, they’ll look to me as the savior.” He raised the amulet higher, its veins throbbing like a heartbeat. “And you? You’ll forget everything even how to breathe.”

Ronan moved like a blur, shifting mid-leap into his golden wolf form, jaws aimed for Thorne’s throat. But Thorne was ready; he swung the amulet in an arc, unleashing a wave of dark energy that slammed into Ronan, sending him tumbling across the mud with a yelp. The impact echoed, leaves scattering like confetti.

“Ronan!” Aria cried, breaking free from Kael’s grip. She shifted instinctively, her white wolf form emerging in a flash of fur and fury. She charged, claws digging into the earth, but Thorne sidestepped, his own shift partial elongated limbs, fangs protruding, enhanced by the amulet’s magic. He slashed at her side, reopening the old rogue wound with a searing pain that made her vision blur.

Kael roared, fully shifting into his massive black wolf, eyes blazing blue. He barreled into Thorne, the two colliding in a frenzy of snaps and snarls. Fur flew, blood splattered the ground, the mist turning crimson in spots. Thorne’s enhanced strength made him a monster, his claws leaving gashes across Kael’s flank, but Kael fought with raw Alpha power, pinning Thorne momentarily, jaws inches from his neck.

Aria circled, looking for an opening, her side burning but adrenaline pushing her on. Ronan staggered up, shaking off the blast, his golden fur matted with mud. He joined the fray, nipping at Thorne’s legs, distracting him enough for Kael to land a solid bite on his shoulder. Thorne howled, the amulet flaring wildly, sending out pulses that made Aria’s head throb flashes of false memories invading: Kael rejecting her again, Ronan abandoning her, the pack laughing.

“Fight it!” Ronan barked, shifting back to human just long enough to shout. “The amulet lies focus on the bond!”

Aria shook her head, clinging to the real memories: Kael’s secret flowers, Ronan’s gentle healing, the pull in her chest that refused to fade. She lunged again, this time aiming not for Thorne, but for the amulet. Her teeth grazed the chain, yanking it free with a snap. It tumbled into the mud, its glow dimming.

Thorne’s eyes widened in panic. “No!” He scrambled for it, but Kael pounced, slamming him down. The beta writhed, the red shimmer fading from his eyes as the amulet’s hold weakened. “You… you don’t understand. The Shadowclaws they promised alliance if I delivered the pack. The amulet was their gift.”

“Traitor,” Kael snarled, shifting back to human, his hand pressing Thorne’s throat. Blood trickled from his wounds, but his voice was steel. “You’ll answer to the pack for this.”

Ronan snatched the amulet, wrapping it in a cloth from his pack, its pulses muffled. “We destroy this. Now. Before it corrupts anyone else.”

Aria shifted back, wincing as she clutched her side, blood seeping through her fingers. The mist began to lift, dawn’s light piercing through, casting the clearing in a golden hue. Lir stirred, his memories returning in a rush, confusion giving way to horror as he saw Thorne pinned.

But as relief washed over them, a distant howl split the air multiple voices, aggressive, closing in. Shadowclaw rogues, drawn by the magic’s flare or Thorne’s betrayal.

“They’re here,” Aria gasped, her wolf senses picking up the scents. “The rivals they must have been waiting.”

Kael hauled Thorne up, binding his wrists with vines. “We can’t fight them all not like this. Back to the stronghold. We rally the pack.”

Ronan nodded, tucking the amulet away. “And destroy this thing before it calls more shadows.”

As they fled through the woods, Aria glanced back at Thorne, his defeated form slumped between Kael and Lir. But her heart tugged in two directions: the bond with Kael rekindling like embers to flame, and Ronan’s steady presence, his golden eyes meeting hers with unspoken promise. The curse was breaking, but the war was just igniting. And in her chest, choices loomed forgive the past, or embrace the lone wolf who had saved her from it?

The howls grew closer, the forest alive with pursuit. The real battle for the Bloodfang Pack had begun.