Chapter 701: The Burden of Knowing
Chapter 700: The Burden of Knowing
Orion’s words settled over the room like a weight none of them had asked to carry.
"He may mask his scent too and find a way to blend in so completely that even someone looking for him would not know where to start."
Sophia’s stomach tightened at the thought.
A traitor who knew they were hunting him would not wait to be caught. He would adapt, shift, become someone else entirely. And in a pack as large as Nightshade, with members scattered across the compound, finding him would be like searching for a shadow in the dark.
"That is exactly why no one speaks of this outside this room," Orion said, his gaze sweeping across the elders. "Not to friends. Not to family. Not to anyone. The traitor cannot know we are aware of him."
Daniel nodded grimly. "Understood."
Madam Tyler inclined her head. "We will keep silent."
Orion held their gazes for a moment longer, ensuring the weight of his words had landed, then leaned back slightly.
"But there is something else we cannot keep silent about," he said.
Ronan raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
Orion glanced at Sophia, then back at the room.
"What Sophia saw—the war, the beasts, Victoria’s plans—the pack needs to know."
Caspian leaned forward, his hand still resting on his back. "Are you certain that is wise?"
"It is not about wisdom," Orion replied. "It is about necessity. The pack cannot prepare for a war they do not know is coming. They cannot brace themselves for something they believe is only a possibility."
He paused, letting the words settle.
"And besides, the doubts about Sophia have already begun to fade. They saw her collapse. They saw her eyes glow. They know now that she sees things—things that matter. They may not understand the full extent of it, but they no longer question whether it is real."
Sophia felt a small, unexpected warmth bloom in her chest at that.
She had spent so long fearing the pack’s rejection. Fearing that the moment they learned the truth about her, they would turn away. But they had not. Or at least, not all of them. And those who had doubted were beginning to understand.
Orion continued, his voice softer now, almost grudging.
"The goddess did something good for once."
Madam Tyler’s brows shot up. "Orion—"
"I said what I said," he cut her off, though there was no real heat in it. "She made Sophia see a vision in the presence of everyone, and that is proof. Proof that Sophia is not lying. Proof that what she carries is real."
He shook his head slightly.
"I do not like admitting that she was useful. But she was."
The room was quiet for a moment.
Then Brynhild spoke.
"So you want to tell the pack everything? About the war? About Victoria’s plans?"
Orion nodded.
"They need to know what is coming. This is not something we can hide from them. It affects all of us—every member of this pack, from the oldest elder to the youngest child. They have a right to understand why we are preparing. Why we will be stockpiling weapons and reinforcing walls and training every able body we have."
He straightened in his seat, his expression hardening.
"And when we tell them, we make one thing clear: no one is dying. Not if we can help it. Victoria wants to bring war to our home. She wants to destroy everything we have built. But she will find that we are not so easily broken."
Sophia watched him as he spoke, watched the way the firelight caught the edges of his face, the way his jaw tightened with determination.
This was the Orion she had come to know. Not the boy who had blamed himself for his parents’ deaths, not the man who had carried guilt like a second skin. But the leader. The Alpha. The one who refused to let his people fall.
"Victoria may bring her army," Orion said quietly. "She may bring her beasts and her lies and her cruelty. But we will be ready."
He paused, and something flickered across his expression. Hesitation.
"There is something else I need to tell you," he said.
The shift in his tone was immediate.
Sophia turned to look at him, her hand still in his.
Orion took a breath, deep and slow, and then he spoke.
"I met Selene."
The room went still.
Madam Tyler’s staff tapped against the floor as she straightened. "What?"
"Or rather," Orion amended, "she came to me."
"When was this, brother?" Ronan asked.
"The night Sophia regained consciousness, after we went to sleep," he said.
"I had forgotten about it," he admitted, shaking his head slightly. "Especially with everything that happened and was to happen that day."
Daniel leaned forward. "What did she say?"
Orion’s expression darkened.
"Not much. She apologized. She said she was sorry for attempting to wipe out our pack. That she was sorry for the pain she had caused. But she could only say it to me and not to you all, which is quite pathetic."
Madam Tyler’s grip tightened on her staff. "Orion, she is the goddess—"
"I do not care what she is," Orion snapped. "She is a coward. She hides behind visions and prophecies and the suffering of others while refusing to face the consequences of her own actions."
The room was silent again, heavier this time.
Orion exhaled, forcing himself to calm down.
"She apologized to me," he said, quieter now. "She told me she was wrong. But an apology without action is just words. And words do not fix what she broke."
Madam Tyler opened her mouth to respond, but Orion cut her off.
"Do not tell me to speak of her with respect. I will not. Not when she stood by while our people died. Not when she ignored our prayers. Not when she planned to erase us entirely because of what Dolion did."
His voice hardened.
"Unless the goddess does better, I will speak of her as I please. She is the reason we are in this situation. She is the reason Victoria rose to power. She is the reason Sophia suffered."
The room was quiet again. Then Ronan turned to Tobias.
"Brother, you may need to do some thinking now. Is there anything in that brain of yours that you forgot that may actually help us?" he asked.
Tobias shrugged, then his eyes widened.
He turned to the others then.
"Maybe?" he asked.
