Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
As the days tick down toward the new moon, the atmosphere in the Shadowmist den shifts.
Where before there was tension and preparation, now there’s grim determination, an almost palpable sense of imminent confrontation.
The new moon is just two days away, and every pack member old enough to fight has been assigned to defensive positions.
“You’re certain about the timing?” Ryker asks as we review the latest intelligence in our chambers. Maps cover every surface, marked with defensive positions and enemy approach vectors based on my visions.
“Yes,” I confirm, tracing the southern approach with my finger.
“Thaddeus will lead the main force himself. They’ll reach the outer perimeter just before midnight on the new moon.
” I indicate another position on the map.
“The east force will move an hour earlier, hoping to emerge behind our lines during the initial engagement.”
Ryker studies the markings, his expression thoughtful. We’ve prepared for this attack from every angle—traps laid along approach routes, and ambush points established. There’s nothing more we can do but keep adjusting as we gain new information.
I should feel confident in our preparations, but unease lingers at the edges of my awareness.
It makes me nervous.
A sharp knock interrupts my thoughts. Lithia enters without waiting for permission, her scarred face tense with urgency.
“Forgive the intrusion, Alpha, but a messenger has arrived at our borders. From the Grand Alpha himself.”
Ryker straightens, immediately alert. “Carrying what message?”
“A truce offer.” Lithia’s expression reflects her skepticism. “Thaddeus requests a summit. Neutral territory. Tomorrow at midday.”
The timing is too convenient to be coincidence—just one day before their planned attack.
“Who delivered this request?”
“One of his personal guards. Alone, unarmed, carrying the white flag of parley.” Lithia’s voice carries grudging respect for the messenger. “It bears Thaddeus’s seal.”
Ryker turns to me, his mismatched gaze questioning. “What do you see, little mate?”
I close my eyes, reaching not for a full vision but for the intuitive sense my gift provides even without the Well’s amplification.
But something catches.
A thread. A pull.
I frown, focusing.
The world tilts.
My breath catches as I’m dragged under—not gently, not like the warm pull of the Vision Well, but like claws yanking me into freezing water.
Darkness.
Then firelight.
I stand on the edge of a wide plateau, the night sky above me pulsing red with embers. Below, wolves gather. Hundreds of them. Their eyes glow like coals in the dark. And in the center, elevated on a rise of stone, Thaddeus.
He’s different to when I’ve seen him in past visions. Gaunt. Haggard. Yet his presence burns brighter. Stronger.
Desperation can be a kind of power.
He raises his hand and silence falls. “This is not war,” he says, voice carrying unnaturally. “This is correction. Shadowmist has forgotten its place. Ryker has broken the order. I will restore it.”
The wolves howl in reply—some loyal, some bound by blood, others too afraid to defy him.
But not all.
Behind him, a figure shifts. Cloaked. Female.
She turns her head, and for a moment, her face flickers—between identities, between masks. A blur where there should be certainty.
I try to focus on her, to see—but her presence resists me, slippery as oil. The vision fractures around her edges.
Then the sky splits.
A second figure descends from the cliffs—Ryker.
His eyes meet mine.
Not the vision’s me—me. The real me.
His voice rips through the dreamspace like thunder. “Kitara. Get out!”
Pain lances behind my eyes. My legs give out.
Reality rushes in, jagged and sharp, and I find myself crumpled in Ryker’s arms, shaking, cold sweat coating my skin.
“Kitara—fuck, what happened?”
I shake my head, battling to make sense of what I saw.
“I… I don’t now. Thaddeus is rallying his wolves. But there’s someone else, someone behind him. A woman. She’s cloaked, I couldn’t get a fix.”
Without a word, he rises, carrying me through our rooms to our bed. Gently, he lays me down, calling for a cup of water.
His profile is sharp, the scar across his eye catching the sun, casting a faint glow along its edge.
Lithia enters, handing me the cup.
“What happens if we refuse?” I ask her, handing back the empty vessel.
“He’ll claim we rejected peaceful resolution and use it to justify greater force against us. Perhaps sway neutral packs to his cause.” She shakes her head. “Politically, refusing makes us appear the aggressors despite the reality.”
“And if we accept?” I ask
“It’s almost certainly a trap,” Ryker replies. “But one we enter with eyes open, on our terms.”
Through our bond, I feel Ryker’s thoughts churning—weighing options, calculating risks, considering angles. His strategic mind, so different from mine and yet complementary to it, works through the scenarios.
“Bring the council,” he decides. “We’ll discuss this together.”
The council chamber fills quickly, all senior wolves responding to the urgent summons. Elias arrives with his hunting unit, including Zella who offers me a reassuring smile as she takes her place. Elder Lyra enters last, her silver-streaked hair gleaming in the torch light.
“A summit,” Levi says once Lithia has explained the situation. His tone drips with suspicion. “Conveniently timed.”
“Could they know we’re aware of their plans?” Elias asks. “Perhaps this is an adjustment to our foreknowledge.”
I consider this possibility. “I don’t think so. The messenger would have been dispatched before my most recent visions of their movements.”
“Then it’s definitely a trap,” Kaden concludes, unusually serious. “The question is, what kind, and is it one worth walking into?”
Ryker stands at the head of the table, power radiating from his massive frame. “Opinions. Starting with Lithia.”
His second straightens. “I advise caution but engagement. Attend with a strong escort. Use the meeting to gather intelligence on their forces. At minimum, it delays their attack while giving us additional preparation time.”
“Elias?”
The security chief frowns. “Too risky. Thaddeus wouldn’t offer truce unless he believed it served his advantage. I recommend declining with diplomatic language that doesn’t close the door entirely.”
“Zella?”
She glances at me before addressing Ryker. “I suggest a compromise. Accept the summit but send representatives rather than attending yourself. The Alpha is too valuable to risk in what’s likely a trap.”
Murmurs of agreement follow her suggestion, but I feel Ryker’s immediate rejection through our bond. He doesn’t send others into danger he himself won’t face.
“Elder Lyra?” Ryker turns to the oldest wolf present.
The elder studies him with knowing eyes. “You must go,” she says simply. “But not alone, and not unprotected. Take a small force of your most trusted. Leave the majority here to prepare for what follows, regardless of the summit’s outcome.”
Ryker nods, and I know her assessment aligns with his own instincts. “Kitara?” he asks, looking to me. “What do you advise?”
“I believe we should accept,” I say after careful consideration. “But I should accompany you.”
Immediate protest erupts, voices overlapping in objection. Ryker raises a hand, silencing them with the simple gesture.
“Explain,” he prompts me.
“My gift could prove invaluable during negotiations. I might sense deception, see intentions hidden behind diplomatic words.” I meet his gaze steadily.
“And more importantly, Thaddeus wants me. My presence may distract him, make him less cautious. If he breaks the truce, then no wolf will stand with him—the laws are what binds the wolves.”
“It will make you a target,” Lithia counters.
“I already am a target,” I remind her. “But one who now has means to protect herself.”
“If I may,” Zella interjects, her expression earnest. “I’ve been training with the Alpha Female.
Her progress is remarkable, but a battlefield or diplomatic confrontation is different from controlled practice.
” She looks to me with apologetic eyes. “I recommend against placing her in unnecessary danger.”
Before I can respond, Levi speaks.
“For once, I agree with the Alpha Female,” he says, surprising everyone. “Thaddeus’s obsession with seers is well-documented. Her presence changes the dynamic in ways that could benefit our position.”
The debate continues, perspectives shifting as various scenarios are explored. Through it all, Ryker remains silent, absorbing every viewpoint while his own decision forms. I feel it taking shape—certainty crystallizing from the chaos of possibilities.
“Enough,” he finally says, commanding immediate silence. “We will accept Thaddeus’s offer. I will attend, along with a small escort of elite fighters.” His eyes meet mine. “And yes, the Alpha Female will accompany me.”
I want to sink with relief, grateful he won’t leave me behind.
Thank you.
He shakes his head silently. I don’t want to put you in harm’s way, but you’re right. You can help more there, than here.
I know what it costs him to admit that—and to put me in danger. Under the table, my hand finds his, squeezing.
The others accept his decision in varying degrees, though I notice Zella’s lingering concern as the council disperses to prepare for the summit.
“You’re certain about this?” she asks, catching me in the corridor afterward. “Thaddeus is dangerous, especially to someone with your gift.”
“I’m certain I belong at Ryker’s side,” I reply. “Whatever comes.”
Her expression softens. “Then allow me to accompany you as personal guard. I’ve been training you—I know your capabilities and limitations better than anyone except the Alpha.”
I’m touched by her offer. “I’ll speak to Ryker about it,” I promise.