ra’s POV

Jory and locked eyes for what felt like an eternity. The world around bus /bseemed to fade, leaving just the two of us, suspended in an unspoken tension My heartbeat hammered in my chest. Then, without warning, I reacted,

lunged at him, knocking the knife out of his hand before tackling him to the ground. The air whooshed from his lungs as his body hit the ground with a hevy thud. Itwisted his arm behind his back, making sure he couldn’t move.

“ra! It’s me!” Jory cried out, panic seeping into his voice,

“I know it’s you,” I hissed, my anger

bubbling over. “But what the hell are your doing by my bedside with a knifeb? /b

Jory’s beyes /bwidened with confusion, and his voice trembled as he stammered, “What are you talking about? It’s your knife! You always keep a knife under your pillow while you sleep. Remember?”

I nced down at the de that had fallen to the floor, my stomach churning Damn it. He was right. It was my knife–an old habit of mine to keep something sharp close by when I slept.

“Okay, fine,” I said, trying to keep my cool. “But why the hell were you in my tent? With the knife?”

Jory’s body shuddered. At first, I thought it was fear, but then realized it was anger–and something else I couldn’t quite ce.

“Are byou /bsuspecting me?” he snarled, his voice tight with hurt. “You think I was… I don’t know…nning something with that knife? Are you insane, ra? You think I’d hurt you? After everything? Damn it, this is ridiculous!”

His anger hit me like a p in the face. I loosened my grip on him but kept him pinned on bthe /bfloor. “Then why were you in here, Jory?” I demanded.

“I was just finishing my shit,” he said quickly, his breath shaky, “I passed by saw you asleep.. and the knife was right there. I thought it might… I thought it could hurt byou /bin your bsleep/b, so I tried to move it. bThat’s /ball.”

My mind reeled, and for a moment, I froze. His words sank in slowly, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Slowly, I released him from my hold, but he didn’t move. He just stared at me, like I’d shattered something inside him

“I can’t believe you thought i would kill you..he whispered, more to himsel than to me.

I felt a pang of guilt twist in my chest, bbut /bI couldn’t find the words to make it right.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “I–I’ve been on edge for too long. I thought I thought byou /bmight try something after I decided to tell Thome about who you really are trailed off, my voice faltering as I met his gare

His eyes filled with bpain/b, and he choked out, “This is insane, ra Before all this… byou /btrusted me. You trusted me to watch your back. But now! You can’t even stand me by your bedside. You can’t even brust me?”

His voice cracked, band /bI felt my heart bsplinter/b, torn between my head and my heart. I wanted to trust him. God, I did. But my role as the Gamma of the Blood Moon Pack, the weight of thousands of soldiers lives on my shoulders… I couldn’t afford to be wrong

A long sigh leh my lips. “I’m fine, Jory,” bI /bbsaid/b, my voice quiet, almost resigned. “You saw it balready/bb. /bNow, go back to your shift.

But he didn’t move. He grabbed the knife from the floor with trembling hands, his face twisted with rage.

b“/bNone of this would be happening if I weren’t ahogue, huh?” His voice was venomous, and before I could react, he pressed the knife to his stomach, the metal glinting dangerously. “You want me to prove my loyalty, ra? You want me to carve out the brand they left on me? Maybe then byou’ll /btrust me

“Put the knife down!” I shouted, my voice hoarse with bpanic/b.

Chapter b75 /b

But instead of dropping it, he sliced the de across his

His thirt was soon soaked with blood, a dark crimson stain spreading quickly.

“I didn’t want to lie to you. But I hate it… I hate it when you look at me like that. With doubt in your eyes,” he choked, his voice breaking mistakeing here. Maybe I should’ve let the rogues kit me years ago.

I felt my chest lighten, the words culling deeper than I expected. Tears burned at the back of my eyes, and the weight of it all hit me like a ton of bbricks/b. Before I could speak, a flurry of footsteps interrupted.

Thorne

He stormed into the tent, his eyes scanning the room with authority.

“What the hell happened?” His voice was a low growl, taking in the scene

Topened my mouth to exin, but Thorne didn’t give me the chance. He took one look at Jory, his gaze hardening

“Talking with de?” Thome asked, his eyes narrowing as he stepped closer to me. “Are you h

I shook my head, turning to Jory. His blood bwas /bstill dripping from his hands, his face ashen.

“Go back to your shit,” I muttered, my

barely above a whisper. But he didn’t budge.

I sighed, pulling out a bandage from my bag and slipping it into his pocket. “Wrap it up,” I ordered softly.

But Jory didn’t move.

“Leave us,” Thome said, his tone shifting from concern tomand. The authority in his voice made Jory inch

Jory dropped the knife, his gaze lingering on me for one more moment before he turned and let the tent, his shoulders hunched in defeat

ed to me, his expression softening

Once he was gone, Thorne turned to

“Want to tell me what happened?” he asked, his voice gentle but firm,

I couldn’t speak for a moment. I needed to breathe, to clear the fog in my mind. Finally, I bshook /bmy head. “Can we not do this here?” My voice bcracked/b. and I couldn’t stop the rush of emotion bthat /bflooded me.

Thorne took my bhand /bwithout a word and led me out of the tent, hi presence a grounding force I didn’t know I needed…

We bwalked /bthrough the dark forest, the sound of leaves rustling underfoot. The cool night air brushed my skin, and soon, we reached a small hill. The moon hung low in the sky, silver light spilling over everything

“Wow,” I whisperedb, /bcaught by the beauty of it all

–Thorne smiled, his eyes reflecting the moonlight. “I’ve always wanted to do this with byou/bb. /bbStand /bunder the moonlight, with nothing but the sound of

bthe /bwind and the birds.”

I chuckled softly, my heart swelling with something I couldn’t name. “Too bad we’re not back at the packhouse.”

We stood there in silence for a moment, the quiet night surrounding us, but I know there was something more I needed to say.

“There’s something about Jory I haven’t told you I said, my voice low.

“What about him?” Thome asked, bhis /bvoice cam

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of my words before i spoke. “I bknow /bmight be naive, but I trust him. I don’t think he’s the mole.”

Thorne didn’t say anything at first. When he finally spoke, his voice was steady. “Well, me neither.”

10:54 Wed, 30 Jul G6

I stared at him, disbelief in my eyes. “Not even after you know he’s a rogue?”

“No.” Theme said, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t think he’s capable of hurting you. He came about you, maybe to much

I let out a long sigh of relied, the tendon leaving my shoulders.

“Then who is it, then? The mole?” Lasked, frustration creeping into my voice. “I can’t believe we’re having this internal p That Rogue King is a damn threat. Ican’t trust anyone but you.”

even before the war begins.

Thorne was silent for a long time. When he spoke again, his voice was low and measured. “I think i had a guess about the mole

I looked up, my heart skipping a beat. “What?”

Thorne leaned in, his face serious. “I’m almost sure… but tell youter. Not now!

I stared at him, desperate for answers, but his gaze bwas /bunwavering. The uncertainty hung in the air like a dark cloud

“Who?“” Lasked, barely able to breathe.

Thorne whispered a name in my cat.

E

AD