Lana and Milo approached the pack house. Their hearts raced with anticipation, aware of the horrifying discovery they had just made. "Wait here," Milo instructed, his voice a low growl. He turned to the warriors standing guard at the entrance and spoke with urgency. "You need to lockdown the entire territory immediately."
"And why should we do that, cat?" One of the guards sneered at him. He didn't respect him, as he didn't technically have a place in the pack. They tolerated Milo because they saw him as Ethan's little errand boy.
"Because I just found your Beta in a shallow grave at the edge of the northern side of your territory," Milo shot back. Shock rippled through the warriors' faces. They exchanged uneasy glances but did not say anything. "If you don't believe me, go look for yourself, but it will be your head if you do not act and Alpha Ethan finds out about it," Milo continued.
As the warriors hurriedly dispersed, Lana couldn't help but notice how even Milo seemed shaken by the events that had unfolded. A serious tone replaced his usual sarcastic wit. "Are you okay?" Lana asked.
"No, I'm not. Let's go find Ethan," Milo responded. Together, they sought out Ethan to relay their grim news.
Lily embraced Lana as soon as she entered Ethan's office. "Lana! I'm glad you are safe. Why…why do I smell blood on you? Milo's blood?"
"Hey, it's okay," Lana reassured her. "There is nothing to worry about. He's already mostly healed." Darren, Ethan's Delta, scoffed from his position in his corner, causing Lana to glance at him.
"Why are you here? And why did you bring the cat?" Darren inquired, his brow furrowed.
"That is not necessary," Lana responded in defense of Milo.
Milo stepped forward, his voice somber. "I'm here because I've blown my cover. The Hunters know I'm not human, and I had to save Lana from being executed."
"Is that all?" Darren asked. "We have more important matters to be concerned about. We knew your usefulness had a time limit; however, I didn't expect you to blow your cover for a human."
"Darren," Ethan growled, warning Darren not to say another word.
"No, that's not all," Milo snapped. "While getting back here safely, we stumbled across a shallow grave with the beta and the beta's mate in it."
Darren and Ethan exchanged shocked glances. "That's not possible. He was second to Ethan. He couldn't have been murdered without us knowing. How did we not feel it?" Darren questioned.
"Dark magic has already been used against us. Why would this be any different?" Lily added.
Ethan's piercing brown eyes searched Lana's face, seeking confirmation. "Are you sure?" he asked.
Lana nodded. "Yes, we're sure."
Garrett snarled, frustration and anger bubbling within him. "We've been infiltrated, but by whom?"
"Maybe we should ask Janet," Lana suggested, her mind racing. "It's her job to be on top of these things. If something has slipped by her, then we are truly in trouble."
"Janet's unconscious," Lily interjected, biting her lip. "She was attacked while protecting Kasia and was on the verge of having her neck ripped open."
"Are you sure?" Lana's eyes narrowed, a suspicion forming in her mind.
"Positive," Lily confirmed. "I was there when it happened."
Lana remained silent for a moment, her thoughts whirling. "Excuse me," she said abruptly, turning away. As she walked towards the door, Milo followed her, a flicker of concern in his golden eyes.
"Hey, what's going on?" he asked quietly, catching up to her.
"I need to investigate something," Lana replied before leaving. She quickly walked to the infirmary, her thoughts racing. One of Janet's main lessons in training was to always protect your throat. So, how could someone as skilled as her be caught off guard like that? Lana didn't believe it. She wanted to see if a rogue actually did get the upper hand on Janet.
Upon reaching the infirmary, she greeted the pack doctor with a tight smile. "Can you tell me where Janet's room is and what her current status is?" she asked.
"Of course," the pack doctor replied. "She's unconscious, but her chest wound is healing nicely."
Lana paused in her stride, surprise flickering across her face. "You mean the wound on her neck?"
"No," the pack doctor said, shaking his head. "She has a severe wound on her chest." He gestured down the hallway. "Her room is just at the end of this corridor."
"Thank you," Lana murmured and turned away. Was Lily mistaken?
'No. Something else is going on,' Lana thought as she left the infirmary. She quickly made her way to Janet's room. Lana had to wait to make sure no one saw her enter her room. When no one was around, Lana carefully pushed open the door to Janet's room.
Lana scanned her surroundings, making sure there were no traps before she entered. Once she was satisfied that it was safe, she hurried over to the desk in the room. Thankfully, it was unlocked. Her fingers deftly shuffled through folders and documents in the drawer, searching for anything that might provide answers.
Pulling out a worn notebook, Lana started flipping through the pages. A sketched-out symbol caught her eye, and she felt her heart race. She had seen that pack symbol before; it was Kasia's. She couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.
"Dark Star Pack," she whispered, reading the name scrawled on the page. The name rang a bell, but she couldn't quite place where she had heard it before.
Lana turned her attention to the laptop on the desk. She tried multiple passwords; each attempt met with failure. Frustration bubbled up inside her as the laptop finally locked up. She cursed under her breath and continued searching the desk, unwilling to give up.
Her hands discovered a hidden compartment on the desk's side. Inside, she discovered a small, encrypted communication device. With furrowed brows, Lana fiddled with it until it came to life, revealing a series of messages:
Message 1: "The attack will commence at the festival. The eastern entrance to the city will not be protected."
Message 2: "Ethan's beta knows about our communication. Terminate him immediately."
Message 3: "After taking Kasia, report back. Oak Lake Pack will be the rendezvous point."
Lana's heart pounded in her chest as she clutched the notebook and device. Without hesitation, she rushed out of the room and sprinted towards Ethan's office.
Ethan looked up in surprise as Lana kicked the door open.
"What the hell is your problem, Lana?" Darren snarled at her.
"Shut the hell up! We don't have time for your attitude right now," Lana snapped. She locked eyes with Alpha Ethan; her expression deadly serious. "You need to contact the Oak Lake Pack right away. They're in danger."