Chapter 3 The Traitor Is Among Us!

• NYRA POV
• Solara bowed her head. The words left her lips unsteady.
• The truth settled heavy in my chest, hard to swallow.
• My spirit drifted lower, out of control. I could not name the feeling that pulled at my ghostly knees.
• The Veylar drum thundered—not the call to war this time, but the call for a traitor.
• “She has wolfsbane in her blood,” Aeluneth announced, voice ringing across the clearing. “Our Luna was poisoned by her own Beta. She has one full moon to return to her body… or she stays dead.”
• Gasps swept through the clan.
• “I didn’t poison her!” Solara cried. “She was my Luna. My sister!”
• Two strong warriors seized her arms before she could finish. She fought, but they were faster. Silver-laced chains clamped around her wrists and ankles with a heavy clink.
• “You gave her the last drink!” Mira shouted. “You poisoned her!”
• Solara’s eyes went wide. Her knees hit the white sand. Hands bound behind her back.
• “No! I would never. Not Nyra. We drank from the same flask!”
• No one listened. Pain and anger ruled the pack. They dragged her to the center of the clearing and forced her to her knees. The interrogation began at once.
• “Why did you poison the Luna?” the lead interrogator demanded, voice cold.
• A fist smashed into Solara’s jaw. She gasped. Blood ran from her lip.” I didn’t!” she insisted, voice breaking. “I swear on the Moon-Thorn tree—I know nothing!”
• Another blow struck her ribs. She doubled over, coughing. The whole clan watched in silence. Some looked away. Others whispered. The trust that held the pack together was cracking.
• My ghost form hovered nearby, helpless. I tried to scream, to push between them. My hands passed through everything like mist.
• Stop! She’s innocent! Solara would never hurt me!
• Tears stung even though I had no real eyes to cry with. Watching my closest friend—the Beta who had fought beside me for years—beaten and accused was unbearable.
• Solara… how could they think you wanted me dead?
• The questions kept coming. “Where did you get the wolfsbane?” “Who are you working for?” “Why betray your Luna?” Her answers never changed.
• “I didn’t. I would never. Please believe me.”
• Her black wolf form flickered in and out as she fought the chains, but the silver weakened her. Blood stained her clothes. Bruises spread across her skin. Still she refused to break.
• I floated closer, wishing I could touch her shoulder, offer any comfort. The pain in my chest hurt worse than any wound from battle.
• I’m here. I believe you. Hold on.
• But the pack’s anger was too loud. They needed someone to blame. Solara was the easiest target.
• I could not watch anymore. My spirit drifted away from the clearing, through the camp. I was nothing but a powerless ghost. Near the edge of camp I found a group of spear-maidens whispering.
• “She was never worthy of the name Luna,” Mira said quietly. “Her grandmother gave her the title. Maybe this is the Moon’s way of fixing that mistake.”
• The others nodded, almost as if the words had taken hold of them. Is that what they all think? That I never deserved this? Tears gathered and fell, pulled by gravity even in this form.
• Devastated, I wandered deeper into the woods, drawn toward the ancient Moon-Thorn Tree. Its twisted branches reached for the sky like claws.
• Then I saw him.
• A tall man with an athletic build. A long mark cut across the side of his face. Strong arms. The scent of a werewolf. Even as a ghost my sense of smell was sharp. I watched from above.
• He stood before the Moon-Thorn Tree, careful not to step into Silver Moon land. His lips moved with silent words. Then he knelt and pressed his forehead to the roots.
• I floated closer, frowning. He was worshipping the tree. How pathetic.I sniffed again. Curiosity mixed with pure hatred. My eyes closed as I focused on the scent.
• No! The enemy—on our border. I growled.
• His feet stayed just inside Lycanthrope territory. He never crossed the line.Suddenly he rose.“I guess you should come out of your hiding and say your business, spirit.”His voice rolled through the trees. His eyes locked straight onto me—steady, certain.
• My own voice came out thin and ghostly.
• “You can see me?”