<h4>Chapter 125: Chapter 125: The Hidden Traitor</h4>


    Selene sat quietly at the table, her hands wrapped around a cup of water that had long gone warm. She didn’t know how much time had passed and she had sat just like this, zoned in her own memories.


    She only snapped back when she heard the opening of the door and saw Sara’s cheerful eyes.


    "Selene! We’re back."


    Sara came in first, her cheeks flushed from the night air, followed by Aswin and Rael who carried a basket of fruits.


    Theirughter filled the room, but it faded the moment they caught sight of her expression.


    Selene raised her eyes slowly. The heaviness there made all three of them stop.


    "Selene..." Sara’s smile faltered. "What’s wrong?"


    For a long moment, Selene said nothing. She just watched them—her friends, the ones who had risked so much already. Her chest tightened with hesitation. But then, she knew these were the people she was willing to trust.


    So without hiding anything, she told them everything that happened that day.


    The room grew still. Aswin set the basket down with a quiet thud. Rael crossed his arms, waiting for her to continue. Sara moved closer, pulling out a chair beside her.


    "What is it?" Sara asked softly.


    Selene’s hands clenched together. "There’s a witch," she said, her voice low. "A witch who has been helping the werewolves in secret."


    The words struck the air like a de.


    Aswin’s jaw tightened. Rael straightened, his eyes narrowing. Even Sara looked stunned, as though the ground beneath her had tilted.


    "What?" Sara breathed. "That can’t be—"


    "It’s true," Selene cut in, her voice trembling but firm. "Think about it. How else could the werewolves have gained the knowledge they have? How else could they have easily chained all those witches recently?"


    "And most importantly I am the living proof because they have used enchanted cuffs on me."


    "That’s how they captured me. Those cuffs... they bound even my power. I couldn’t summon even a small magic."


    A sharp gasp slipped from Sara. Her hand flew to her mouth.


    Rael’s face darkened, his voice hard. "That’s impossible. Pure-blood witches can’t be bound so easily. Not unless..." His words trailed off, heavy with realization.


    "Not unless the one who crafted them was far stronger than we imagined," Aswin finished grimly.


    Selene nodded, her fingers digging into her palms. "Exactly. Do you understand what this means? To forge cuffs like that—cuffs that can suppress even a pure-blood’s power—it would take knowledge and immense power. And if she has the capability to make those powerful cuffs, that means she is a powerful witch."


    Silence fell again over them.


    Sara finally whispered, "But why? Why would one of our own... betray us like that?"


    Selene’s eyes burned as she shook her head. "I don’t know. Power? Greed? Fear? I don’t have the answer. But what I do know is this: as long as that witch remains hidden, we’ll never be free. The werewolves will always have the upper hand. They will always keep us chained."


    Rael leaned forward, his eyes almost burning with rage. "If I find that witch, I swear she will pay with her blood," he said with hatred and pain.


    All of them looked at him and could feel his pain, as he had all the right to be angry. Because his sister had actually been caught by those werewolves and they couldn’t even locate her, and now finding that all of this actually happened because some goddamn witch had betrayed their own kind.


    His rage was justified.


    "It won’t be that easy," Selene said simply. "She won’t reveal herself. If we speak too soon and spread the words that we suspect someone has actually betrayed us, she’ll vanish before we evene close. No... we have to move carefully."


    <fn56a9> This content belongs to find(?)ovel</fn56a9>


    Sara reached out, gripping Selene’s hand tightly. Her eyes were wide with fear but also with determination. "Then what do we do?"


    Selene took a deep breath. "I need to step closer to the wolves. Closer than any of us have dared. I need to watch them and find their secret. This is the only way to get any information about that witch."


    "Because I knew we could only track her when she came in contact with the werewolves again."


    Sara’s grip trembled but did not loosen. Aswin exchanged a tense nce with Rael. None of them spoke for a long moment, but the weight of her deration sank into all of them.


    Finally, Rael broke the silence. His tone was quiet, but there was steel in it. "If you do this... you won’t be alone."


    Selene’s heart gave a painful twist. She wished she could takefort in that, wished she could lean on them. But deep down, she knew this path was extremely dangerous and she did not n to take them with her.


    Every one of them had a family waiting for them. She couldn’t allow any risk to fall on them. On the other side, she had no one waiting for her. She could take the risk, and even if something happened to her then so be it. At least it would not break some happy family.


    Still, she met their eyes and replied in a steady voice. "I’ll find her. No matter what it takes."


    The fire in her chest burned brighter. The traitor witch was out there. And Selene would not rest until she brought her into the light.


    "Then tell us," he said, his tone clipped. "If this witch hides so well... if she could even create something like those cuffs... how do we find her?"


    All eyes turned to Selene.


    She exhaled slowly, her gaze lowering to the table. "I’ve thought about it," she said, her voice soft but firm. "There’s only one way."


    Then Selene lifted her head. Her eyes were calm now, steady with a quiet resolve that sent a shiver through them all.


    "I know what has to be done." And after that, she discussed her entire n with them.


    The moment the words left her lips, Aswin was already on his feet. His chair scraped harshly against the floor. "No," he snapped. "Absolutely not."


    Rael’s expression hardened, his jaw tightening. "He’s right. We can’t let you..."


    But Selene didn’t back down. She stayed where she was, her hands resting on the table, her gaze locked on theirs.


    "This is the only way," she whispered.


    Her words cut through their protests, soft but unshakable.


    "Only I can do this. I’ve lived among them, I know their habits, their ways. I know how they move, how they speak, how they think. If anyone can slip among them without raising suspicion..." Her voice lowered, almost a murmur. "...it’s me."


    Sara’s breath caught. Her hand reached for Selene’s, gripping it tightly.


    The men exchanged a look, their faces grim. The tension in the room pressed like a storm about to break.


    "You don’t understand what you’re saying," Aswin growled. "You’d be walking into the wolves’ jaws. One mistake, and..." He broke off, his teeth clenched.


    Rael only shook his head, his silence heavier than words.


    Selene met their fear with unwavering eyes. "I understand perfectly. That’s why it has to be me."


    For a long moment, the argument went back and forth—Aswin’s anger, Rael’s refusal, Sara’s desperate attempts to soften the edges. But Selene didn’t waver. Her voice remained steady, her resolve unbroken, until finally the storm quieted.


    The silence that followed was different this time.


    Selene’s gaze swept over them, thennded on Sara. Their eyes met, and in that nce, a decision passed between them without words.


    "If she goes," Sara said quietly, "then I’ll go too."


    The words struck the air like thunder.


    "What the hell are you saying, Sara? Not you too..." Aswin almost growled at her with frustration.


    Sara tried to ease them, her hand brushing Aswin’s arm, her voice gentler. "It’s better this way. She won’t be alone."


    The two men exchanged another long look, their faces drawn tight with unspoken dread.


    And so, in the silence of that small room, the decision was finally made.


    Selene and Sara would go together.


    Neither of the men smiled. Neither offered approval. They only looked at both of them with disapproving gazes.


    But Selene and Sara refused to back down.


    ***


    On the other side Kael and his group were already heading towards his pack, all he wanted was to go back as soon as possible and meet with his brothers and find out more about her.


    "Is she alright? How does she look? Did something happen? What was her reaction when they met?" and so many questions.


    He could only suppress his uneasy heart and wait to go back and look at her himself.


    Only he knew how excited he was, and his wolf was practically howling inside him to go back there as soon as possible.


    So he had given the control to his wolf, who was urging all of the members to increase their speed, and now they were running so fast that the wind was whipping at their faces.