Elara POV
I found Mira on the training grounds the next morning.
She was sparring with another wolf, her movements sharp and precise. But I could see the tension in her shoulders. The distraction in her eyes.
Something was wrong.
I waited until she finished, then pulled her aside where we could talk privately.
"What's going on?" I asked. "You've been avoiding me since yesterday."
She looked away, guilt flickering across her face. "I haven't been avoiding you."
"Mira."
She sighed. Ran a hand through her hair. "There's something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you weeks ago."
My stomach twisted with dread. "What?"
"There's someone." The words came out reluctant. Heavy. "A vampire. We've been seeing each other. For months now. In secret because it's forbidden. Because if anyone found out—"
"They'd kill him," I finished. "And probably you too for betraying the pack."
She nodded miserably. "I know how dangerous it is. How stupid. But I love him, Elara. And he loves me. We're not hurting anyone. We just want to be together."
"Does Kaelen know?"
"No. No one knows." She pulled something from her pocket. A small cloth bundle. "But someone's been helping us. Leaving messages. Telling us where to meet safely. And two days ago, they left this."
She unwrapped the cloth to reveal a shard. Black. Crystallized. Covered in symbols.
Theron's rune.
The moment I saw it, understanding clicked into place. "That's how they did it. How the traitor mimicked my power to frame me. Theron gave him one of these."
"There might be more," Mira said quietly. "More shards. More people working for Theron. The ambitious council member wasn't working alone. He couldn't have been. Someone helped him. Someone gave him access to places he shouldn't have been."
I took the shard carefully, feeling the dark magic pulsing through it. "Where did you find this?"
"At our meeting place. Just sitting there like someone dropped it. Or left it as a warning." She met my eyes. "I'm scared, Elara. Scared that whoever's helping us is actually using us. Using my secret to hurt people. Using my love as a weapon against both of us."
"We need to find out who's behind this." I closed my hand around the shard, and it pulsed once. Then twice. Then started glowing with faint red light.
"It's activating," Mira said, stepping closer.
"Not activating. Responding." I opened my palm and watched the light intensify. "It's pointing. Tracking something."
The glow oriented itself. East. Toward Nightspire.
"It's tracking the source," I realized. "Whoever created these shards. Whoever's been supplying Theron's spies."
"Theron himself?"
"Maybe. Or someone close to him." I looked at Mira. "We need to know if there are more spies. More traitors we haven't found yet. Because tomorrow at the parley—"
"Everything could go wrong," she finished.
We stood there in silence, both understanding what was at stake. Tomorrow, I'd face both kings at the Thornwall. Tomorrow, everything would change.
But if there were more traitors. More people working for Theron inside the summit. More ways for him to manipulate what happened.
"I need to tell Kaelen," I said.
"Tell him what? That I've been sneaking around with a vampire? That I've been breaking pack law for months?" Mira's voice shook. "He'll exile me. Or worse."
"Or he'll help us figure out who's using you." I grabbed her shoulders. "Mira, you're not the enemy here. You're a victim. Someone's been manipulating your relationship. Using it as cover for their real plans. Kaelen needs to know so he can protect you. Protect all of us."
She was quiet for a long moment. Then she nodded. "Okay. But you tell him. I don't think I can say the words without falling apart."
We headed back to the summit together, the shard pulsing gently in my pocket. Its red light dimmed but not gone. Still pointing east. Still tracking.
Tomorrow at noon, I'd face Theron at the Thornwall. Tomorrow, I'd hear his offer. See his proof. Make my choice.
But first, I needed to make sure there weren't any more surprises waiting. Any more betrayals hidden in the shadows.
Any more weapons pointed at my back.
I found Kaelen in his study, pouring over maps and troop movements. He looked up when I entered, and the relief in his eyes made my heart ache.
"Elara. I was about to come find you." He stood, crossed the room in quick strides. "Theron's army is moving. Positioning east of the Thornwall. He's bringing thousands. This isn't just a parley. It's—"
"Preparation for war." I finished. "I know. But that's not why I'm here."
I told him everything. About Mira's secret relationship. About the shard. About my fear that there were more traitors we hadn't found yet.
He listened without interrupting. His expression darkening with each revelation.
"She should have told me," he said finally. "Months ago. Before it became this complicated."
"She was scared. Can you blame her?"
"No." He sighed. Rubbed his face. "But I can't protect people if they don't trust me enough to be honest. If everyone's keeping secrets because they think I'll punish them for being human."
"She trusts you. That's why she agreed to let me tell you." I pulled out the shard. "But that's not the important part. This is. Someone's been supplying Theron's spies with these. Someone with access to his magic. His resources. And there might be more we haven't found."
Kaelen took the shard. Studied it. "This is ancient vampire magic. Crafted specifically to mimic bond-severance. Only someone very close to Theron could create this. Or someone he trusted completely."
"Dorian?"
"Possible. Or another of his inner circle." He set the shard down carefully. "We'll need to sweep the summit. Search for more of these. Find out if there are other traitors we missed."
"We don't have time. The parley's tomorrow."
"Then we work through the night." He pulled me close. Pressed his forehead to mine. "One more day, Elara. One more day to prepare. To plan. To make sure we're not walking into a massacre."
"And after tomorrow?"
"After tomorrow, everything changes." He kissed me softly. Brief. "Whatever you choose. Whoever you choose. I'll stand by it. But I need you to survive long enough to make that choice."
"I will," I promised, even though I wasn't sure I believed it.
Tomorrow at noon. The Thornwall. Both kings. Both offers.
And somewhere in the middle, the truth about what I was. What I could become. What I was meant to do.
Twenty-four hours left to prepare for the end of everything.
Or the beginning of something new.