Chapter 182: Chapter 182: The Spy
As soon as Ivy entered the living room, Moon walked up to her with hurried steps, his face tight with urgency. His boots scraped against the wooden floor, leaving faint tracks of dirt from outside. The lamp overhead cast long shadows across his features, making the lines of worry on his forehead stand out.
Moon was waiting for her the second she stepped inside. He moved quickly, boots scuffing against the rug, his hands twitching at his sides like he didn’t know what to do with them.
"Ivy, I need to talk to you. It’s... it’s something really important," he said, voice low but urgent.
She didn’t even slow down. "Not now, Moon. I have to head back out in a bit. Sonia’s still out there somewhere." She brushed past him, the fabric of her jacket whispering against his arm, and headed straight for her room. Her fingers had just brushed the cool metal of the door handle when his next words stopped her cold.
"You won’t find her. Not in this pack."
Ivy froze. The handle felt suddenly too solid under her palm. She turned slowly, heart already hammering against her ribs. Moon stood under the weak glow of the overhead lamp, shadows carving deep lines under his eyes. He looked smaller than usual, shoulders hunched like he was bracing for a blow.
"What are you talking about?" Her voice came out sharper than she intended. "Why won’t I find her in the pack? Do you know something?" She took a step closer, searching his face. "If you know something and you’re keeping it from me, Moon, I swear I’ll be so mad at you I won’t even know what to do with myself."
He didn’t answer right away. His gaze dropped to the floor, jaw working silently. She could see the battle playing out behind his eyes—the way his fingers curled into fists, then loosened again. Whatever was eating at him, it was big. Big enough to make the air between them feel thick and hard to breathe.
"Moooon!" The frustration burst out of her in a shout. "I don’t have all day for this waiting game. If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. If not, just let me go!"
She turned again, but his voice caught her mid-step.
"Sonia isn’t in the pack... because she’s back in Silverpaw."
The words landed like a slap. Ivy spun around so fast the room blurred for a second. "What?!" Her voice cracked. Her eyes widened, pupils flaring as she stared at him. For a moment she thought her ears were playing tricks on her. The words didn’t make sense. Sonia—back in Silverpaw? After everything?
"Are you sure, Moon?" She hated how her voice trembled. "How the hell do you even know that?"
He swallowed hard, the movement visible in his throat. Then, like the words were being dragged out of him, he said, "Because... I helped plan her escape."
The confession hung there. Ivy felt it hit her chest like a physical blow. Her knees went weak for half a second. She had stood up for this man. Had argued with her own brother, defended Moon against every accusation Lorena threw at him. And now this? Her stomach twisted, a cold, sick feeling spreading through her.
She took a shaky breath, trying to keep her voice steady even as it dropped low. "What did you do, Moon?"
"I can explain," he begged, eyes finally lifting to meet hers. They were glassy, pleading. "Please, Ivy. Just let me explain before you—"
"What did you do?!" The scream tore out of her. Moon flinched hard, shoulders jerking like she’d struck him.
His lips quivered. He gave a small, jerky nod. "It was that day I went after Lorena. The same day the guards were hunting me and I had to run. I was tearing through the forest, branches whipping at my face, lungs burning. I almost missed it. But something... something felt off. So I doubled back and hid behind this huge old oak, heart pounding so loud I was scared they’d hear it."
Ivy’s legs felt unsteady. She moved to the nearest armchair and dropped into it, crossing her legs tightly like that could hold her together. The worn fabric was cool against her skin. She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, willing him to get to the point even as dread pooled heavier in her gut.
"I saw a door," Moon continued, squinting as if pulling the memory back into focus. "Or at least... it looked like one at first. Trees arranged just right to hide a passage. And in that passage, I saw—" His voice caught, rough and strained.
"You saw what, Moon?" Ivy pressed, toes curling inside her boots. Every nerve felt stretched tight. She wanted to shake the rest of the story out of him, but she forced herself to sit there, listening.
"Hazel," he whispered.
The name landed like ice water down her spine. Ivy’s heart stuttered. "Hazel? The one Ramon took in as a kid and trained like his own? Are you absolutely sure?"
"A hundred percent." Moon’s voice gained a little strength, though he still wouldn’t quite meet her eyes. "I followed him. Stayed quiet as death. When I saw him slip clean out of pack territory, I couldn’t believe it. A secret way out. But that wasn’t even the worst part."
Ivy swallowed hard, the lump in her throat refusing to go down. She could feel her pulse in her ears.
"He met someone out there," Moon went on. "A face I’d seen before. Took me a minute, but then it clicked...the night of the Festival of Alphas. Cade. One of Alpha Ferin’s seven sons from Silverpaw."
The room seemed to tilt. Hazel—a spy? Working for the Ferins? Ivy’s mind reeled, trying to fit the pieces together. Ramon trusted Hazel with his life. And now this?
Moon kept talking, words tumbling faster now. "When Hazel headed back, I waited, then slipped out the same way. Cade was still there, like he was hoping for more. I told him what I’d overheard right before I burst into Lorena’s room. They were planning to finish Sonia off. Someone had tipped Lorena that she was still alive, and Lorena said the job needed doing properly this time." His voice cracked. "That’s why I lost it, Ivy. That’s why I attacked her."
Ivy shot to her feet before he even finished the last sentence. Her chair scraped loudly against the floor. Blood roared in her ears. Sonia was alive, back with the enemy pack and Hazel had betrayed them all. The walls felt too close, the air too thin.
"Where are you going?" Moon called after her, voice thin with fear.
She didn’t turn around. "Lock the doors. Don’t open them for anyone, no matter what. I’ll be back soon." Her voice sounded distant to her own ears.
The door slammed behind her with a heavy thud that echoed through the house.
