Kane gasped, his eyes widening in shock as the pain hit him. His hand shot to his chest, but it was too late. Blood seeped from the wound, his legs giving way as he collapsed to the ground.
Fern's heart remained steady. She watched calmly as Kane’s body hit the floor, his breaths shallow and strained. Kane’s eyes locked with hers, confusion and disbelief written all over his face. “Fern… What…?”
“Sorry, Kane,” Fern said softly. Her angelic face was so innocent-looking that it looked more scary than beautiful at that moment. “I prefer an Alpha like Cedar.”
Kane’s breath hitched, and he tried to push himself up, but his body was already growing weaker. “I thought we… I thought you—”
Fern crouched beside him. “You were always just a tool to me, Kane. I needed you for a time, but now you’re useless.”
Kane gasped for air. “You… You lied… I—”
“No,” Fern interrupted. “I didn’t lie. You just didn’t see it. You were always meant to fall. Now, die like the Beta you always were.”
Kane’s hand fell to the ground, his body going limp as life left him. Fern watched, unblinking, as his last breath escaped him. The blood from the silver bullet stained his chest, and his eyes glazed over in death.
She stood up, looking down at him with no emotion. There was no sense of guilt or remorse in her. This was just the next step in her plan. Now with Kane out of the way, the path was clear.
Fern turned to the warrior who had taken the shot. “Good job. Now, make sure no one knows it was me. Keep it quiet for now. We don’t need any distractions.”
The warrior nodded and disappeared into the shadows as Fern turned her back on Kane’s body. The pack was still fighting outside, the howls of battle ringing through the night.
But Fern didn’t care about that anymore. She had what she needed. The Shadowfelt pack was on the brink of destruction, and soon it would be hers. She would be the Luna. And no one, not even Lavender, would stand in her way.
Cedar was the first to react. He barked orders at the warriors stationed at the entrance. “Find out what’s going on! Now!” His voice carried the authority of an Alpha, but there was an edge of unease that didn’t go unnoticed.
Within moments, a scout came rushing in, his face pale and his chest heaving. “Alpha, it’s the Bloodfang pack. They’re attacking from the northern border.”