The air in Kael's quarters was still thick from last night's breach.
Tarin arrived before breakfast, his expression grim. "We found signs someone entered the west wing after curfew."
Kael set his coffee down. "Through the gates?"
"No. From inside."
My chest tightened. "You mean one of your own?"
Tarin didn't answer me directly. His eyes stayed on Kael.
Kael's jaw flexed. "Show me."
He rose from the table, then stopped when he saw me stand. "You're not coming."
"Yes, I am," I said.
"No, you're staying with Liam."
"I'm not hiding while you chase shadows," I said. "If someone inside this pack is helping Blackclaw, I want to know who."
Kael's stare was heavy, but he didn't argue. Instead, he jerked his head toward Tarin. "She stays at my side."
The west wing was quieter than the rest of the house, long hallways lined with closed doors. Tarin led us to a storage room with a broken window latch.
Kael knelt, inspecting it. "Forced from the inside," he said.
There was a faint scent of something foreign, sharp against the normal pack smell.
Tarin held up a folded piece of paper. "Found this wedged under the door."
Kael took it and unfolded it. His eyes scanned the page once, twice.
"What is it?" I asked.
He didn't hand it to me. "A map of the packhouse. Marked with patrol routes."
My stomach turned. "So last night wasn't random."
Kael's voice was low. "They knew exactly where to go."
I glanced around the room. Dust lay thick on the shelves, except for one clear patch. "Someone's been here before."
Kael's eyes followed mine. "Tarin. Who had access to this room?"
Tarin hesitated. "Everyone who's been here more than a year."
"Then narrow it down," Kael said. "Start with the ones who knew Elara was coming back."
I froze. "You think this is about me?"
His gaze met mine. "I know it is."
Kael kept me close as we moved back through the hall. Too close, his arm brushed mine every step, his body angled like he was shielding me.
"I can walk on my own," I muttered.
"I know."
"Then stop hovering."
"No."
The stubbornness in his tone was infuriating, but it was the kind that didn't need volume. Kael could make a word feel like a wall.
We passed a group of pack members talking in low voices. They fell silent as soon as they saw us.
Kael didn't slow, but his hand brushed my lower back, a small, steadying touch that I hated noticing.
Back in the main hall, Tarin handed Kael a folded list. Kael scanned it, his eyes hardening.
"Three names," he said. "One of them is the leak."
I stepped closer. "Who are they?"
Kael hesitated.
"Tell me," I pressed.
His gaze flicked to mine. "One of them is Maren."
The name hit like a stone in my chest. Maren had been my friend before I left. The only one who told me I was making the right choice in leaving Kael.
"She wouldn't…" I stopped, realizing I couldn't be sure.
"She could," Kael said. "And if she did, she put you and Liam in their sights."
I shook my head. "You can't just assume"
"I'm not assuming," he cut in. "I'm preparing."
Later that day, I found Maren in the courtyard. She was leaning against the low wall, watching the younger wolves train.
When she saw me, her brows lifted. "Elara. Back in the Alpha's shadow already?"
I ignored the jab. "We need to talk."
She gave a small shrug. "We're talking."
"You know someone's feeding information to Blackclaw."
Her smile didn't fade. "And you think it's me?"
"I want to hear it from you."
Her gaze sharpened. "You came back with a child who's a perfect copy of Kael, and you expect everyone to welcome you with open arms?"
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting," she said, pushing away from the wall. "Careful, Elara. Kael can't protect you from everyone in here."
Kael was waiting in his quarters when I returned.
"You went to her," he said flatly.
"I wanted to hear it myself."
"You think you can interrogate a traitor alone?"
"She didn't admit anything."
"She wouldn't. But she just got bolder."
He stepped closer, his presence crowding mine. "When I tell you to stay with me, it's not because I want to trap you. It's because I don't want to find your body in a hallway."
The words hit harder than they should have.
"I'm not helpless," I said.
"I know," he said quietly. "That's why I want you alive."
For a moment, neither of us moved. Then Tarin knocked on the door.
"Alpha," he said, "we found something else."
Kael opened the door, and Tarin handed him a folded scrap of paper.
Kael read it, then passed it to me.
Full moon. East gate. Bring the pup.
The handwriting was messy, the words rushed.
Kael's eyes were like steel. "They're planning to take him in three nights."
Kael folded the note in half, his hands tight around the paper like it was a throat he wanted to crush.
"They know exactly when to strike," he said.
I moved closer to the desk. "Then we get out before the full moon."
"No," he said instantly. "That's what they want. They'll be waiting for you to run."
"They'll be waiting either way."
"Not if we control the ground," he replied, eyes locked on mine. "They think we're going to react. We're going to make them walk into a trap."
I frowned. "Using Liam as bait?"
His expression didn't change. "Using their obsession against them."
The idea twisted in my stomach. "I don't like it."
"You're not supposed to like it," he said, stepping closer. "You're supposed to trust me."
I searched his face for some sign of hesitation. There was none.
"What if they get past you?" I asked.
"They won't." His voice was low, deadly certain. "Because I will be between them and him. Every second. Every breath."
The intensity in his eyes made my chest tighten.
Tarin cleared his throat from the doorway. "Alpha, we need to plan the patrol rotations."
Kael didn't look away from me. "Stay in my quarters until I get back. And Elara…"
"What?"
His voice dropped, almost a growl. "Don't open that door for anyone. Not even me… unless I speak your name."