Chapter 6
As Alpha Denzel’s men moved to seize Ana, Kayla stepped in front of her without hesitation, blocking their path. Her voice rang and echoed in the courtyard.
“No one lays a finger on Ana,” she warned, her eyes burning with authority.
The bodyguards hesitated, glancing at each other before looking to Alpha Denzel for direction.
Max, who had been standing nearby, saw the tension building and rushed toward them.
“What’s going on?” he asked, his gaze shifting between Kayla, Ana, and the warriors standing tensely before them.
Kayla didn’t take her eyes off Denzel.
“I want to hear it from you,” she demanded. “What has Ana done that makes you call her a traitor?”
Alpha Denzel exhaled and stepped closer.
“Kayla, move aside. I don’t want trouble with you, but Ana must come with us.”
“No! Ana is not going anywhere with you,” Kayla insisted.
“Not until you tell me what crime she has committed. You don’t come into my pack and take my people without telling me what they did!”
“Ana doesn't belong to this pack! She belongs to the Azure Moon Pack, and I informed Zayron before coming to take her away.”
“Alpha Zayron handed the Azure Moon Pack over to me. If you are sure you spoke to Alpha Zayron, call him and let me talk to him!” Kayla said.
Denzel clenched his fists. He knew Kayla wouldn’t back down easily, but he also didn’t have time for a drawn-out argument.
“Ana stole the blood meant for the Continental Healing,” Alpha Denzel finally said.
Ana stiffened behind Kayla. Max’s eyes widened. He knew Ana wouldn't do a thing like that.
Kayla narrowed her gaze as she looked at Alpha Denzel.
“That’s a serious accusation,” she said casually.
“It is,” Alpha Denzel nodded. He took a step forward, lowering his voice slightly as he began to explain what happened.
“When I was writing down the names of those who would assist in the continental healing, I called Ana. I asked her to join. I even begged her, Kayla.”
His gaze flicked to Ana for a brief second before returning to Kayla.
“But she refused. She had other plans, plans she didn’t want disrupted. You know why? Because she thought by now she would be the Luna of the Azure Moon Pack.”
“That’s ridiculous. She is not Alpha Zayron's mate,” Max said with a light chuckle.
“Listen,” Denzel cut in sharply. “The blood for the continental healing was stored in the kitchen under heavy watch. I assigned workers I trusted to guard it. Yet, somehow, it was stolen. Someone took some of it.”
“And you think Ana” Kayla began to say, but Alpha Denzel didn't allow her to talk.
“The Great Southern Council gave me five minutes to find out who took it,” Denzel continued.
“Five minutes, Kayla. If I failed, they would have ordered executions on the spot. I didn’t have the luxury of hesitation.”
“So I ran to the control room,” Denzel went on.
“I checked the footage myself.” He shook his head. “At first, everything seemed normal. The workers I assigned were all present. No one appeared suspicious. But I looked again, more closely.”
A deep frown settled on his face.
“I checked every worker one by one, comparing their movements. Then I noticed something off.” He exhaled sharply. “One person didn’t belong there.”
He paused. His eyes locked onto Ana’s.
“It was her. She stole the blood!”
Ana inhaled sharply.
“That’s a lie. I didn't steal any blood!”
“I zoomed in, Ana,” Denzel continued, ignoring her. “Again and again until I saw the truth.”
Kayla folded her arms across her chest as she asked.
“What truth?”
“The way Ana was looking at the blood,” Denzel said coldly. “She wasn’t just looking at it, Kayla. She was watching it like a predator, like someone who desperately wanted to take it.”
“What other reason would she have for stealing a uniform and sneaking into the kitchen, if not to take the blood? Tell me, what else could she have gone there for?”
“I’m one hundred percent sure Ana stole the blood! Now she has unleashed an evil in society! The Great Southern Council wants to see her, and she must come with me,” Alpha Denzel said.
“What evil did she unleash?” Kayla asked again, her voice sharper this time, her eyes filled with worry.
“I didn’t steal the blood!” Ana repeated desperately, shaking her head.
“Shut up, Ana,” Kayla snapped, turning to face Alpha Denzel. “I asked you a question. What evil did she unleash?”
“If you want to know, then you must come with us,” Alpha Denzel replied.
“I’m not going anywhere. I didn’t steal any blood!” Ana insisted.
Denzel sighed impatiently.
“Then you can explain yourself to the Moon Lord when we get there. Tell him why you were in the kitchen when you weren’t assigned there. Seize her now! I don’t have time for this! The healing is still going on, and if anything goes wrong in my absence, I will still be held responsible.”
At his command, the guards moved in again.
“Why not wait until Alpha Zayron comes back?” Kayla said, stepping even closer to Ana, her voice firm.
“He won’t be happy that while he is out there trying to restore peace and save the shifters in the Veridia region, you’re here taking his pack members in his absence.”
Alpha Denzel let out a noisy sigh and said, “I don’t want to fight you, Kayla. Don’t make me fight you.”
Before Kayla could respond, Cedric, who had just arrived at the scene, spoke up.
“What about the messenger from the Moon Goddess who supplied the blood? Did you confirm if she was the one who gave her own blood out before meeting your mother for the healing?”
Kayla stiffened. She knew exactly what Cedric was doing. He was pretending not to know the truth, pretending to be curious, but she could feel the trap hidden behind his words.
Cameron must have told him everything the day he planned to kill Alpha Zayron. If he didn't, Cedric wouldn't have known her blood wouldn't kill her.
Cedric continued speaking. “I’m sure the messenger is the one who unleashed the evil. And to cover up, she must have set up the continental healing to make it seem like someone else stole her blood during the healing process.”
Denzel turned to look at Cedric, considering his words.
“Cedric, what you said makes a lot of sense. When we get there, I will also bring the messenger before the council. She needs to explain how her blood got out.”
Kayla kept her face neutral. Cedric’s plan was clear now. He wanted Denzel to take her away too, to lock her up so he could control both the Silver Mountain Pack and the Azure Moon Pack without resistance.
Cedric clenched his fists. He had expected Denzel to focus on Kayla, not just Ana.
His real goal was to get rid of Kayla so he could move forward with his plan to be in charge. It had become clear that Kayla would never regard him as anything.
He wanted to hurt her by killing her Zayron, frame her, and take over the leadership.
When information broke out that twenty Alphas would be needed to wage war in the Ashokan region, Cedric knew Alpha Zayron would be among those selected.
The night the information was circulated, Cedric was in the Azure Moon Pack. He took some warriors to the pack to fight.
He and Samira, who was still angry that Alpha Zayron didn't take her to the Decennial meeting, planned how to destroy Alpha Zayron and set Kayla up.
The plan was simple: find a way to get to the obsidian tower and steal Kayla’s blood.
But stealing her blood alone wasn’t enough. They needed a way to kill Zayron, something no ordinary wolf could do. That’s when they turned to the Mischievous Women of the Ashokan Region.
These women were known for their mastery of dark spells, and Cedric knew they were his best chance. He contacted them that night.
Together, they planned to cast a shadow spell over Zayron, something strong enough to weaken his mind, to strip away his defenses. Once the spell took effect, the Ashokan wolves would strike.
They knew that without the spell, no wolf, not even an Alpha, could ever kill Zayron.
Now, standing in the Silver Mountain Pack, Cedric felt his frustration growing. Denzel wasn’t playing into his hands the way he had hoped.
He wished Denzel had taken Kayla as well, locked her away where she couldn’t interfere. If she was gone, he and Samira could move freely, controlling the two packs without opposition.
At that moment, Kayla realized that Ana had indeed broken the rule and had to appear before the Great Southern Council.
Stopping Alpha Denzel from taking her would mean breaking another rule herself. The council would not hesitate to come for her by force. And this time, her offense would not be just stealing blood or sneaking into the culinary hall without assignment. It would also be defiance.
Slowly, she stepped aside, allowing the guards to move forward and seize Ana by both arms.
“Go with them,” Kayla said, her voice heavy with emotion. “I’ll try to reach out to Zayron today. Once I do, he will give the order for your release. Don’t panic. They won’t kill you. You’re innocent.”
She tried to sound reassuring, but the sadness in her tone was impossible to hide.