Chapter 531: The Words Only Wolves Know

One Month Before

The battle ended quickly. The smell of blood hung thick in the air.

Their bodies lay scattered on the floor. Barry’s eyes were still open; he had died in shock.

Blood had soaked into the dirt beneath him, spreading slowly like dark ink through paper.

The other warriors who had ridden with Tobias were not faring any better.

Some had died in their wolf forms.

Others had fallen with blades still clutched in their hands.

Even the direwolves Victoria had sent with them lay motionless now, their massive bodies crumpled between broken branches and churned earth.

Tobias had to admit that he had expected more from Barry and the others he had come with.

Well, not that he was any better. He wasn’t dying or on the verge of death, but he was very much a hostage.

His hands were bound tightly behind his back with thick rope, the coarse fibers digging painfully into his wrists. Another rope had been looped around his chest and secured to the thick trunk of a nearby pine tree.

Members of the Silver Creek Pack surrounded him in a loose circle.

Some remained in their human forms. Others stayed in wolf form, their eyes fixed on him with quiet suspicion.

A few feet away, the blonde woman stood with her arms crossed.

Her wheat-colored wolf had long since vanished, replaced by the woman Tobias had seen before the fight began.

Her hair fell loose around her shoulders now, pale gold beneath the fading light.

Her expression, however, was far from soft.

She looked at Tobias as if he were a puzzle she had not yet decided how to solve.

Beside her stood the older man, the one who had thrown the dagger into Barry’s shoulder.

The man’s gaze was cold. He stared at Tobias like a hunter deciding whether the animal caught in his trap was worth keeping alive.

He leaned slightly toward the blonde woman and lowered his voice.

"We should kill him too."

The words were quiet.

But Tobias still heard them.

"He came with them," the man continued. "That alone should be enough."

Several others nearby murmured in agreement.

The blonde woman remained silent for a moment.

Then she sighed.

"Nathan," she said calmly, "calm down."

Nathan frowned at her.

"Calm down?"

She gestured toward Tobias.

"There is something about him."

Nathan looked back at Tobias with clear irritation.

"I don’t see anything about him apart from the fact that he was part of those bloody warriors that came to us," he said.

The woman tilted her head slightly as she studied Tobias again.

"True, but he saved me."

Nathan blinked in shock.

"What?"

"During the fight," she said, "when one of the warriors came from the side."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she recalled the moment.

"He was subtle about it. But I saw as he moved just enough to throw the man’s aim off," she continued. "If he hadn’t... that blade would have gone straight through my ribs."

Nathan’s gaze snapped back to Tobias, who said nothing.

"And apart from saving me, he saved most of us, getting rid of the warriors," she told him.

Nathan stared at Tobias curiously now. He moved closer until he was directly in front of Tobias, then he leaned down.

"Who are you?" he asked.

Tobias slowly lifted his head and stared at the man.

"My name is Tobias," he said. "I am from the Nightshade Pack."

The blonde woman and Nathan both turned their heads toward each other.

A silent exchange passed between them.

Then the woman stepped forward.

She crouched down directly in front of Tobias.

For a moment, her expression remained unreadable.

Then a blade appeared in her hand. Before Tobias could even react, the cold edge pressed firmly against the side of his neck.

Right against the artery. The steel was sharp enough that he felt the sting instantly.

"Listen carefully," she said quietly.

Her voice had lost all of its earlier calm.

"I am not someone who enjoys jokes."

The blade pressed slightly deeper, and a thin line of blood immediately appeared.

"I have no idea where you heard that name," she continued. "But I will ask you again, and this time I want nothing but the truth."

Her eyes locked onto his.

"Who are you?"

Tobias swallowed carefully.

"My name is Tobias," he repeated. "And I am from the Nightshade Pack."

The woman’s expression did not change, but the pressure of the blade increased. Blood slid slowly down his neck now.

"Really?" she asked him, and Tobias nodded.

"Then... prove it," she said. "If you truly belong to the Nightshade Pack, then you should know how to prove it."

Tobias went still.

His mind began racing with secret codes and messages he had stored. There must be something that could help him prove that he was from the Nightshade Pack to this woman.

Finally, after several minutes, Tobias lifted his head slightly.

"The moon hides where the nightshade blooms," he said quietly.

The woman stared at him, completely unimpressed. Even Nathan frowned at that.

The woman’s eyes hardened as she pushed the blade deeper.

Pain burned across Tobias’s neck as fresh blood trickled down.

"That was not very convincing," she said coldly. "And that is everything I need to know. You are a fake, and you deserve to die."

Tobias winced.

"Wait," he said quickly. "Maybe that one was a mistake. I have numerous codes and secret phrases in my head that I must have mixed up."

Nathan snorted at that.

The woman did not move the blade.

"You only get one more try," she told him.

Tobias closed his eyes briefly.

Think.

Think.

Then something surfaced in his mind.

Tobias opened his eyes.

"When the forest falls silent," he said slowly, "the shadow still listens."

The clearing went quiet. The woman stared at Tobias for a while before she turned to Nathan. She nodded and then stood up.

She gestured toward two nearby pack members.

"Untie him."

The ropes around Tobias’s chest were cut first.

Then the ones around his wrists.

Blood rushed painfully back into his hands as the bindings fell away.

Tobias slowly stood. His legs felt stiff after sitting tied to the tree.

The blonde woman stepped forward again.

She stopped directly in front of him.

For a brief moment, Tobias thought she might say something.

But that wasn’t the case because the next thing he knew, a fist slammed against his stomach.

The punch landed squarely, making him double over in pain.