The chilling words from Kairos echoed in Evelyn's mind, each syllable a hammer blow against the fragile peace she had found in Lucien's recovery. The Heart of Lycaon. Genocide. A source within the manor. The sheer audacity of the hunters' ambition, combined with Sebastian's insidious power play, formed a suffocating web around her. Lucien, the Alpha, lay comatose, a silent, vulnerable king. And his kingdom, the ancient Blackwood pack, was under siege from within and without.
She paced the plush carpet of her guest suite, the silence of the manor pressing in on her, amplifying her own frantic thoughts. She was a human, trapped in a lair of wolves, armed only with stolen knowledge and a will of steel. But she couldn't afford to be a passive observer. The stakes were too high. Not just for Lucien, not just for the pack, but for the very balance of this hidden world. And her mother. If the pack fell, the hunters would stop at nothing.
She needed an ally. A wolf. And only one seemed remotely viable: Marcus. He was a creature of loyalty, bound by his Alpha's command, but his gaze, though distant, held a pragmatic intelligence. He prioritized the pack, and right now, the pack was vulnerable.
Evelyn found him in the vast, almost empty training grounds below the manor, practicing with a pack member, his movements fluid and powerful, a reflection of the contained strength beneath his human facade. She waited until their session concluded, her presence a silent challenge in the frosty air.
"Marcus," she began, her voice low, direct, lacking any of her usual subtle deflections. "I need to speak with you. Alone."
He eyed her, his expression unreadable, a faint scent of pine and exertion clinging to him. "Mrs. Reed. I am on duty. My priority is the Alpha's safety and the pack's security."
"And mine is to ensure both," Evelyn countered, meeting his gaze directly. "My information comes from outside sources. Sources that tell me the hunters aren't merely retaliating for the attack on Alexander. They're seeking something specific. Something within this manor. An artifact known as 'The Heart of Lycaon'."
Marcus's impassive mask shattered. His eyes, usually cool and professional, widened, a flicker of genuine alarm crossing his features. His body tensed, the subtle shift of a predator sensing danger. "How do you know that name?" he demanded, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl.
"That is irrelevant, for now," Evelyn pressed, refusing to be intimidated. "What is relevant is that the hunters believe this 'Heart' can be used for… what Kairos calls 'genocide'. And Sebastian," she lowered her voice further, "is actively destabilizing the pack. Whether intentionally or not, his actions are weakening the very defenses that protect this artifact. He's leaving it vulnerable."
Marcus stared at her, his mind clearly racing, weighing her words, searching for the truth in her scent. The scent of fear was there, yes, but beneath it, a desperate, undeniable resolution, a fierce loyalty to Lucien that he, Marcus, recognized. He was caught between his Alpha's unconscious state, his pack's traditions, and a human woman with impossible knowledge.
"Sebastian is not a traitor," Marcus finally stated, his voice tight. "He is an opportunist. But he is loyal to the pack."
"Is he?" Evelyn challenged softly. "Or is his ambition blinding him to the greater threat? Regardless, the artifact needs protection. And you, Marcus, are the only one capable of ensuring it, without raising Sebastian's suspicions. We need to monitor the vault. Ensure its security. Without letting Sebastian know we suspect him."
Marcus's jaw worked. He was a wolf of action, of loyalty, not political intrigue. But the name, 'The Heart of Lycaon', carried immense weight. He knew its significance. He knew its power. "What do you propose?" he asked, a grudging, reluctant alliance already forming in his eyes.
Buoyed by Marcus's grudging assent, Evelyn knew her next move was far riskier. Victoria Blackwood. The Alpha's mother, a formidable matriarch whose contempt for Evelyn was a tangible force. But Victoria, for all her pride, was a mother first. And her son, her legacy, was under threat.
Evelyn found Victoria in the sprawling, dimly lit conservatory, tending to exotic, fragrant plants, her silver hair a stark contrast to the verdant green.
"Mrs. Blackwood," Evelyn began, her voice formal, respectful, yet utterly firm. "I believe we need to talk. Not about Lucien's injury, but about the future of this pack. And your son's legacy."
Victoria straightened, her dark eyes flashing. "You presume much, human. You speak of legacy when you are merely a stain on our history."
"A stain who has information that could save your son's pack from annihilation," Evelyn retorted, her voice hardening. "Sebastian is making his move. And while he is busy undermining Lucien, the hunters are searching for 'The Heart of Lycaon.' A relic, I'm told, capable of genocide against your kind. Do you wish to protect your son? Or your pride? Because right now, those two goals are diametrically opposed."
Victoria's breath hitched. Her hand trembled, brushing against a delicate fern. The name, 'The Heart of Lycaon', visibly shook her. Her eyes, usually so cold, now held a flicker of ancient fear, and a raw, maternal desperation.
"You lie!" Victoria hissed, her voice trembling. "Sebastian would never betray his blood!"
"Perhaps not intentionally," Evelyn conceded. "But his ambition blinds him. And the hunters are very good at exploiting blindness. You saw the wolfsbane. The silver. They are organized. They are coming for you all. And they want that artifact."
Victoria stared at Evelyn, her mind a maelstrom of conflicting emotions: fury at the human's audacity, fear for her son and her pack, and a dawning, terrifying realization. She looked at Evelyn, not with warmth, but with a new, grudging respect, a recognition of the danger Evelyn represented, and the truth she spoke.
"How do you know this?" Victoria finally asked, her voice low, strained.
"Let's just say a ghost whispered it to me," Evelyn replied, a subtle, chilling hint of her own unique secret. "What matters is that it is true. And you need to decide whose side you are on, Mrs. Blackwood. Sebastian's ambition, or Lucien's survival."
Victoria did not offer an alliance. She merely turned back to her plants, her shoulders stiff with unspoken turmoil. But as Evelyn left the conservatory, she felt a subtle shift in the air, a lessening of the overt hostility. She hadn't won Victoria's affection, but she had earned her attention. And perhaps, her reluctant, silent support.
After the tense encounters, Evelyn retreated to Lucien's bedside. The silent room was her sanctuary, his unconscious form her grounding point. She spoke to him, not expecting a reply, but seeking solace in the act of sharing her burden.
"I spoke to Marcus," she whispered, her fingers gently brushing the dark hair from his forehead. "About the Heart of Lycaon. And Sebastian. He listened. I think he'll help." She paused, her voice thick with emotion. "And Victoria… she knows too. She won't fight me. Not directly."
As she spoke the words "Sebastian" and "Heart," a subtle tremor ran through Lucien's body. His eyelids flickered. His hand, resting on the bed, twitched, a faint, almost imperceptible squeeze against her own, as if in acknowledgment, in reassurance. A wave of intense, protective anger, not her own, washed over Evelyn, so strong it almost buckled her knees. It was Lucien. His conscious mind might be asleep, but his wolf, his Alpha spirit, was hearing her. Processing her words. Responding to her fear, and her loyalty. The bond was deepening, becoming a profound, supernatural conduit between them. It was terrifying, and exhilarating.
Working discreetly with Marcus, Evelyn put her plan into action. They couldn't move the artifact without drawing Sebastian's attention, but they could monitor it. Evelyn, using her stolen knowledge of the manor's schematics and a discreet surveillance camera Marcus provided from the pack's less-used equipment stores, installed a tiny, almost invisible camera near the ancestral vault, feeding a live stream to a secure, encrypted tablet she kept hidden in her room. The goal was simple: to catch Sebastian in the act, or at least to see who was accessing the vault.
The pressure intensified. Sebastian, sensing the subtle shift in allegiance, the new, quiet resolve in Marcus's posture, reacted. He called for a pack assembly, ostensibly to discuss the ongoing attacks and pack security. But his true agenda was thinly veiled. He began to circulate whispers about Evelyn: "The human is unstable… she is manipulating Marcus… she is seeking pack secrets." He "suggested" that for her own "safety," and for the pack's peace of mind, Evelyn should be moved to a more secure, more remote wing of the manor, under constant guard. It was a thinly veiled house arrest, a move to isolate her completely, to make her a non-factor in the brewing power struggle.
The walls were closing in. The hunter's ultimate target, the Heart of Lycaon, was vulnerable. Sebastian, the internal threat, was tightening his grip. And Lucien, the only one who could truly stop them, remained lost in the depths of his coma.
Then, her burner phone buzzed, a new message from Kairos.
< The hunt for the Heart intensifies. A source within the manor is suspected. The Beta. Watch your back.
Evelyn stared at the screen, her heart cold with dawning comprehension. A Beta. It wasn't just Sebastian. It was someone closer. Someone within Lucien's inner circle. Someone who knew the pack's secrets, who could betray them from within. The paranoia reached new heights. The danger was everywhere. But so was the truth. Evelyn knew the game had changed. She was no longer just protecting herself; she was fighting for the pack, for Lucien, for a world she was only just beginning to comprehend. The hunt was on, and the traitor was closer than she ever imagined.