Chapter 83: Maren’s Plan Unfolds
The attack came without warning.
Bella had been resting against the cave wall, her silver fur gleaming in the moonlight, when the first growl echoed through the trees. Her wolf ears snapped upright, and she sprang to her feet just as dark shapes burst from the undergrowth on all sides.
Six wolves this time, their eyes glowing with predatory hunger, their lips pulled back to show yellowed fangs. They moved with coordinated precision, spreading out to surround her before she could escape.
"The silver one," the largest wolf snarled. "Maren wants her broken and alive."
Bella’s claws extended, her muscles coiling for battle. "Come and try."
The first wolf lunged at her throat, but she twisted away and raked her claws across its flank. Dark blood sprayed across the forest floor as the wolf howled and stumbled back. The others closed in immediately, trying to overwhelm her with numbers.
That’s when she heard them. Four familiar voices shouting her name through the darkness.
"Bella!"
Luca burst through the trees first, his wolf form massive and powerful, his amber eyes blazing with protective fury. He slammed into the nearest attacker, sending it flying into a tree trunk with a sickening crack.
Killian was right behind him, his agile wolf form darting between the enemies, his teeth finding vulnerable spots on their legs and throats. Cassian came from the left flank also targeting the pack’s weak points. Rafe emerged from behind the other three, moving like a ghost, striking and disappearing before his targets could react.
"You came for me," Bella gasped, relief flooding through her as the boys took defensive positions around her.
"Did you think we wouldn’t?" Luca growled, his eyes never leaving the attacking wolves. "We made a pact."
The enemy wolves regrouped, their confidence now shaky but not broken. "Five against six," one of them sneered. "We still have an edge over you."
"Not when you’re fighting us," Cassian snarled back.
The battle erupted in earnest then. Claws met claws, fangs flashed in the moonlight, and the forest echoed with growls and howls. Bella fought alongside the boys, feeling their bond strengthen with each coordinated attack, each protective move they made.
But the enemy wolves were relentless, and more howls in the distance suggested reinforcements were coming.
"We need to move," Rafe called out as he dodged a vicious swipe from a massive gray wolf. "This is just the first wave."
"There’s a clearing ahead," Luca said, his voice strained as he grappled with two wolves at once. "That part should be more defensible for us."
They began fighting their way toward higher ground, covering each other as they retreated. Bella stayed in the center of their formation, but she was still fighting. Her claws found their mark again and again, proving that her first shift had awakened powers that even surprised her.
The clearing Luca mentioned opened up before them, a circular space surrounded by tall trees that would prevent them from being completely surrounded. They backed into it, forming a tight circle with Bella at the center.
"That’s far enough," a new voice called from the tree line.
A figure stepped into the moonlight, and Bella’s blood ran cold. It was one of Maren’s lieutenants, a wolf she recognized from her nightmares. Scarred, ancient, and utterly ruthless.
"Korvin," she whispered.
"Hello, little Moonblood," Korvin said with a cruel smile. "Your mother sends her regards from the grave."
Luca snarled and stepped forward, but Korvin held up a hand.
"Before we continue this dance, there’s something you should know." Korvin gestured, and another figure stumbled into the clearing. It was a young man, barely more than a teenager, his clothes torn and bloody.
"I escaped," the young man gasped, falling to his knees. "I was captured by Maren’s forces, but I got away. I have information."
Killian’s eyes narrowed. "Information about what?"
The young man reached into his torn jacket and pulled out several folded papers. "Letters," he said. "Communications between Maren and someone in your group. Someone’s been feeding her information about your plans."
The clearing went dead silent. Even Korvin seemed to pause, watching the drama unfold.
"What?" Cassian’s voice was barely a whisper.
The young man held out the papers with shaking hands. "I found these in Maren’s command tent. Look at the handwriting. Look at the details. Someone close to Bella has been betraying you all along."
Killian was the first to move, snatching the letters from the messenger’s hands. His eyes scanned the pages rapidly, his face growing paler with each line he read.
"No," he breathed. "This can’t be right."
"What does it say?" Luca demanded.
Killian’s voice shook as he read aloud. "Dear Maren, the Moonblood’s shifting process is progressing faster than expected. She shows signs of awakening her full power within days. I recommend accelerating the timeline for elimination."
"Who signed it?" Bella asked, though she dreaded the answer.
Killian’s eyes found Rafe across the clearing. "It’s signed with your handwriting, Rafe. Your name." He said grimly.
Rafe’s wolf form shifted back to human, his face a mask of shock and confusion. "That’s impossible. I never wrote those letters. I would never betray Bella."
"The next one’s worse," Killian continued, his voice getting harder. "It details our route into the forest, our plans to find her, even the location where we were going to make our stand."
Luca shifted back to human form as well, his eyes blazing. "Let me see those."
But Killian pulled the letters away. "There are three more, Luca. All in Rafe’s handwriting. All giving Maren detailed information about how to capture or kill Bella."
"Those are forgeries," Rafe said desperately. "Someone copied my handwriting. This is exactly what Maren would do to turn us against each other."
"The handwriting looks pretty convincing," Cassian said quietly, having shifted back to read over Killian’s shoulder. "And the information in these letters... only one of us would know those details."
Bella felt the world spinning around her. The bond that connected her to all four boys was suddenly full of suspicion and doubt.
"Rafe," she said, her voice barely audible. "Tell me you didn’t write those."
"I swear on my life, I would never betray you, Bella." Rafe said, but his voice sounded hollow in the face of the evidence.
Killian’s anger, which had been simmering all day, finally boiled over. "You lying bastard!" He launched himself at Rafe, his fists flying.
"Killian, stop!" Luca shouted, but it was too late.
The two boys crashed to the ground, rolling and punching as their carefully maintained unity shattered. Cassian tried to separate them, but in the chaos, none of them noticed Korvin and his wolves closing in.
"Perfect," Korvin murmured to himself. "The plan is working beautifully."
Bella watched in horror as her protectors turned on each other. The prophecy was coming true right before her eyes. One shall guard, one shall betray, one shall bleed.
"Stop fighting!" she screamed. "Can’t you see what’s happening? This is exactly what Maren wants!"
But her words were lost in the sounds of combat as Killian and Rafe continued to battle while Luca and Cassian struggled to restore order.
The wounded messenger who had delivered the letters quietly slipped back into the forest, his job complete. He was no wounded escapee, he was one of Maren’s shape-shifters, and he had played his role perfectly.
Korvin stepped closer, his pack spreading out to surround the fractured group. "Such a shame," he called out mockingly. "The great pack bond, broken by simple mistrust. Maren will be so pleased."
That’s when Luca realized the truth. "It’s a trap," he shouted. "The letters, the messenger, all of it. Maren planned this."
But it was too late. Killian had Rafe pinned to the ground, his hands around his friend’s throat. "You sold us out," he snarled. "You sold her out!"
"I didn’t," Rafe gasped, clawing at Killian’s hands. "Killian, please. Look at me. You know me. I would die before I hurt her."
For a moment, something in Rafe’s eyes got through to Killian. The raw honesty, the desperation, the pain of being falsely accused by his closest friends. Killian’s grip loosened slightly.
"The letters..." Killian said, confusion replacing rage.
"Are fake," Rafe whispered. "Just like Bella said. This is Maren’s doing."
But before Killian could fully process this, Korvin struck. His pack launched their attack.
"Defend Bella!" Luca roared, shifting back to wolf form.
The others followed suit, but their coordination was gone. The trust that had made them powerful was fractured. They fought bravely, but separately, each one wondering if he could truly count on the others.
Bella found herself truly alone, surrounded by chaos and doubt. The four boys who had sworn to protect her were fighting both the enemy and their own suspicions.
And somewhere in the darkness, Maren’s laughter echoed through the trees.
The prophecy was unfolding exactly as she had planned. One of the boys had already betrayed Bella by believing the lies. The question now was whether their bond could survive long enough to keep her alive.
As claws and fangs flashed in the moonlight, as blood spattered the forest floor, Bella realized that the real battle wasn’t just against Maren’s wolves.
It was against the poison of mistrust that was tearing her protectors apart from within.
"Fight together!" she howled into the night. "Please, fight together!"
But her voice was lost in the chaos. Bella truly feared that she was going to die.
Not from Maren’s claws, but from the collapse of everything she had trusted to keep her safe.