Chapter 75: The True Master

The basement smelled of blood and fear. Elena stood over Kael, her hands steady despite the rage coiling in her chest. He was tied to a chair, his beta strength useless against the silver chains Damon had forged. Blood dripped from a cut above his brow, but he met her gaze with defiance. "You think you can break me, little wolf?" Kael spat. "I've survived worse than a she-alpha playing interrogator." Elena didn't flinch. She had learned patience in the years of silence. "You betrayed your alpha. You let the Crimson Fang into our territory. And now you'll tell me who really controls them." Kael laughed, a wet, broken sound. "You still don't understand, do you? The Crimson Fang is just a puppet. The strings are held by the Council of Ancients. They've been pulling them for centuries." Elena's pulse turned cold. She had heard whispers of the Council—myths told to scare young wolves. "The Ancients are dead. They died out generations ago." "That's what they want you to believe." Kael leaned forward, the chains clinking. "They've been hiding, waiting for the right bloodlines to merge. Your child, Elena. Your child is what they want. A super-wolf born from the strongest alpha and the most resilient she-wolf. They've been orchestrating this since before you were born." Damon stepped out of the shadows, his presence filling the room. "You expect me to believe that a council of ancients is behind the attacks on my pack?" "Believe what you want," Kael said. "But I've seen their stronghold. I've stood in their hall. They don't just want your pack, Alpha. They want to create a new race of wolves. And your mate's bloodline is the key." Her fingers moved before she could think, slapping Kael across the face. The sound echoed in the small room. "You sold us out for what? A promise of power?" "I sold you out because I had no choice!" Kael shouted, his composure cracking. "They have my sister. They said if I didn't deliver you, they'd kill her. I was trying to buy time." Damon grabbed Elena's arm, pulling her back. "Where is their stronghold?" "The Blackthorn Mountains. An old fortress hidden by magic. But you'll never get in without the Council's mark. And even if you did, they have spies everywhere. In your pack. In your inner circle." Elena's pulse beat hard. A spy. Someone close. She thought of Lydia, of Marcus, of every face that had smiled at her while hiding a knife. "Who?" "I don't know the name," Kael said. "But they report directly to the Council. They know everything you do, every move you make." Damon's face went hard. "Then we give them something to report." He turned to Elena. "We'll make a public show of executing Kael. The spy will report back. And while they think we're celebrating, we'll move against the Council." "No," Elena said. "We don't execute him. He has more value alive. We use him to draw the spy out." Kael's gaze broke open. "You're going to use me as bait?" "You're going to help us," Elena said. "Or your sister dies." Damon looked at her, a hint of pride in his eyes. "You're learning." Before she could respond, the door burst open. A young wolf stumbled in, his face pale. "Alpha! We're under attack. A group of rogues—they came out of nowhere. They're heading for the healer's wing." The healer's wing. Elena's blood turned to ice. Edra kept the pregnancy tonics there, along with the blood samples that proved the child existed. If the Council got them, they would not need Elena in chains to begin their rituals. Damon was already moving, but Elena was faster. She grabbed a blade from the wall and ran, her wolf howling inside her. The hallways blurred as she raced through the pack house, her heart hammering. She could hear the sounds of battle—claws against stone, growls, screams. She rounded the corner and saw them: five rogues, their eyes glowing red, advancing on the healer's door. A lone guard lay dead at their feet. Elena didn't stop. She launched herself at the nearest rogue, her blade sinking into his throat. He gurgled and fell. The others turned, their snarls filling the air. She faced them, blood dripping from her hands. "You want my child?" she said, her voice low and dangerous. "You'll have to go through me." The rogues charged. Elena met them head-on, her movements a blur of fury and precision. She took down two more before Damon arrived, his wolf form tearing through the remaining attackers. Within minutes, the hallway was silent, littered with bodies. Elena fell to her knees, her chest heaving. Damon shifted back, his body slick with blood. He knelt beside her, his hand on her cheek. "Are you hurt?" She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "They were after our baby. The Council sent them." "I know." He pulled her into his arms, his voice a low growl. "But they won't touch our child. I swear it." A figure emerged from the shadows—a woman Elena didn't recognize, her silver hair braided with bones. She wore the mark of the Council on her arm. "Impressive," the woman said. "But the Council doesn't send rogues to kill. They send them to test." Elena rose, her blade still in hand. "Who are you?" "An ally," the woman said. "I was once part of the Council. I know their secrets. And I know they have a spy in your pack." "We know," Damon said. "Kael told us." "Kael doesn't know everything." The woman stepped closer. "The spy is closer than you think. Someone who has access to your private chambers. Someone who handles your pregnancy tonics and ward schedules." The warmth drained from her veins. The quiet runner from the healer's room. The girl with quick hands and downcast eyes, who had brought tea when pregnancy sickness left Elena shaking. "No," she whispered. "Yes," the woman said. "And if you want to stop the Council, you'll need to move fast. They know you're coming. But they don't know I've defected. I can get you inside the stronghold." Damon looked at Elena, his eyes searching hers. "Do we trust her?" Elena thought of Kael's sister, of the runner's gentle hands, of the faces she had trusted. She thought of her unborn child, hidden beneath her heart and already hunted by people who treated blood like property. "We don't have a choice," she said. The woman smiled, a cold, knowing smile. "Then prepare yourselves. The Council's stronghold is warded against wolves. But not against the blood of a true alpha's mate." Elena's fingers went to her stomach, where her child had grown. Her blood was the key. And she would use it to burn the Council to the ground. As they turned to leave, the woman's voice stopped them. "One more thing. The spy isn't just watching you. They're waiting for a signal. When you move against the Council, the spy will strike. And they'll aim for the one thing you can't protect." Elena's heart stopped. "The baby." The woman nodded. "The Council doesn't want the child dead. They want it alive. But the spy has orders to kill it if capture seems impossible." Damon's growl shook the walls. "Then we don't give them that chance." He took Elena's palm, and together they walked toward the healer's wing to lock down every vial, tonic, and ward tied to the pregnancy. Behind them, the woman watched, her eyes gleaming in the dark. The spy was among them. And time was running out.