The lovely evening air chilled Aveline's face as she rode back to her pack's territory, her thoughts a mixture of frustration and fear. The note slipped under her door, still burning in her mind: Cassian knows your secret. She couldn't shake the threatening words, nor could she ignore the growing tension developing among her council members.
Gabriel's warnings about Thorne and the possibility of a traitor within her ranks only added to her unease. The time for waiting was over—if there was a traitor in her pack, she had to root them out now.
Aveline arrived at the central hall of her pack's compound to find the atmosphere thick and filled with tension. Wolves moved in different groups, their whispers stopping as she passed with their gaze fixed on her. The unease was detectable, and Aveline could feel the level of suspicion in their body language.