18 - Ben


    Luna Sam''s expression was one of utter defeat, her shoulders slumped as if the weight of the world pressed down on her. ra, on the other hand, prowled restlessly like a wild animal trapped in a cage, her pacing sharp and anxious. Junior sat frozen, stunned by the gravity of what we''d just uncovered. Around the room, our warriors stood silently, each absorbed in their own thoughts, while I felt numb— emotionally paralyzed. It was the only way I could remain steady without breaking something in frustration. Outside, the storm still raged fiercely, trapping us indoors for the time being. Once it abated, we''d be able to move again.


    I had already updated my Alpha and Jeremiah on everything we''d learned today, and ra had done the same with her father. It turned out that all the alphas were aware of the situation, though none had been forting until now.


    Perhaps it was because we''d been so consumed with training and school, or maybe we''d simply been oblivious to the darker currents swirling beneath the surface, but it was shocking to realize that drug overdoses among teenage wolves, while rare, were not unheard of. Someone had discovered how tobine human recreational drugs with certain herbs that triggered euphoric effects in us, much like they do in humans. The problem was that these herbs suppressed our natural healing abilities, allowing the drugs to take hold. If the concoction was off-if too many suppressive herbs were included the wolf could overdose, leading to the devastating consequences Luna Sam had witnessed firsthand.


    I never imagined wolves could even take drugs, let alone experience their effects. The realization made me feel foolish and uninformed. How were we supposed to lead when we were blind to such dangers? ra and Jeremiah shared my anger when the alphas confirmed the drug problem. It was a trend that waxed and waned, but now it was spiraling out of control, and no one could find the source. They''d managed to eliminate a few dealers, but the crisis persisted. We needed to identify the head of the snake and sever it.


    "Okay, walk me through this again," ra broke the heavy silence, her voice sharp with urgency. “Who stands to gain the most if multiple packs are wiped out by these drugs?” Her restlessness was evident in every movement-she needed to act, to do something. None of us could sleep; the weight of the situation was too heavy. We might as well stay together and hash it out.


    "That''s the tricky part," Luna Sam replied, rubbing her face wearily with her hands- the first sign of exhaustion I''d seen from her. “Different groups have different motives. The witches would expand their territory. They think humans and wolves have too much already. Vampires would lose the control we exert over them if we were weakened. The fae tend to keep to themselves and avoid other species, but even they have vulnerabilities when ites to humans. It would be advantageous if we were out of the picture. Themon thread, in my mind, is humans.”


    I cleared my throat, my voice rough and low from disuse. "What about us?"


    Heads turned sharply toward me.


    ra echoed, "What about us?"


    I pressed on, needing answers no one else dared to ask. “Who benefits the most if


    all three of our packs are taken out? Which group, pack, or Alpha gains the most from this?"


    The room fell silent as everyone exchanged uneasy nces. Luna Sam''s face flickered with something unspoken, but she remained silent.


    "It''ste. You all need rest if we''re traveling tomorrow. Get some sleep," she finally said, dismissing us.


    "She''s hiding something," Chance muttered under his breath. "Maybe someone''s threatening her or Junior because we''re getting too close to the truth."


    "What do you want us to do?" Chance asked, looking to me.


    "For now, nothing," I answered. "Just prepare to travel. She''s right-we''ll need our strength if the snow sticks around. ra''s mother was attacked or poisoned, and I know ra wants to get back to her. I''ve already put Jeremiah on alert. As soon as we can, we''ll head to ck w, get ra safely back with Jax and Dev, then return home. I need to talk to the Alpha and Jeremiah before we make any moves."


    "Goodnight, Luna Sam. Junior," I said, standing and offering my hand to ra. She shot me a look that clearly said she didn''t need my help.


    I didn''t move. She could be stubborn with anyone else, but I knew better. Ignoring me, she stood up and brushed past with a frustrated huff. Whatever I''d done this time, I had no clue. Still, I followed her to our room. I needed her desperately-but tonight, I knew I wouldn''t get anything from her. I would make sure she got home safe, and then Chance and I would leave at the earliest opportunity.


    Once inside, ra headed straight to the bathroom, and momentster I heard the shower running. Perfect. We were both clearly avoiding each other. I grabbed a pillow and an extra nket from the foot of the bed, then made a spot on the floor. Hopefully, I could fake sleep well enough to dodge any more conversations.


    We each managed only about four hours of restless sleep. I knew ra was worried sick about her mother and her pack, and I was equally anxious about my friends. If someone had gotten to Luna Emilia, then Beth and Rayna were in danger. With Rayna pregnant, we couldn''t afford to take any chances. I needed to get home.


    Neither of us slept well. I spent much of the night listening to ra''s frustrated sighs and shifting as she tried to getfortable. My wolf urged me to join her, to offerfort in the face of her distress, but I shut that down immediately. Now was definitely not the time for mate-bond nonsense.


    As dawn''s light filtered through the window, we silently agreed to stop pretending we were rested. We rose and began to prepare for the day, still avoiding any conversation. We took turns in the bathroom, each of us lingering longer than necessary, then paced the bedroom restlessly. The tension was suffocating. Because we''d fled in a hurry, we hadn''t brought anything to distract ourselves—no phones, no books, no devices.


    When the silence became unbearable, I stepped to the door and slipped out without looking back. I needed space or I was going to lose it.


    An omega had set out breakfast, and I grabbed a sandwich before stepping onto the porch. The storm hadn''t been as fierce as I''d feared-mostly wind whipping the snow into a frenzy, creating the illusion of a blizzard. The snow was wet and already melting in ces. I wasn''t sure I''d ever seen weather quite like this before.


    Then a thought struck me-Luna Sam had mentioned witches. Could they be behind this strange storm?


    I swallowed my sandwich in two quick bites and headed back inside, finally feeling like I could take action.


    "Luna Sam!" I called out.