Chapter 28

I found myself waking up on that familiar lawn again. The moon was even more prominent, its glow brighter than before. I quickly glanced around, spotting the Moon Goddess behind me.

I didn’t understand why I was back here. A shiver of fear ran down my spine as I wondered if I was teetering between life and death once more.

“Am I okay?” I whispered, instinctively checking my clothes for any signs of injury or distress.

“Yes, Scarlett, darling, you’re just sleeping,” she replied in a soothing tone. The Moon Goddess stood still this time, her hands clasped behind her as she admired the stunning landscape that surrounded us.

“You’re on the right path. You’re just too naive to understand the real reason behind the attacks. I thought it was time you knew. It’s not just about territory. It’s something much deeper.”

She unclasped her hands and brought forward a necklace that hung around her neck, examining the moonstone pendant it held.

“Scarlett, moonstones are found deep in hills that are bathed in moonlight, usually near low vegetation. Rubies are found in mountains, typically farther north near pine trees. And diamonds are found in hills near oak trees,” she explained.

I was confused, unsure of why she was sharing this information. She noticed my confusion and offered a comforting smile. Being in her presence was an incredible experience—it made every hair on my body stand on end and filled me with a sense of peace and love. Seeing her smile was even more heartwarming.

“Do you remember what I told you the last time we met?”

“Which part?” I asked, puzzled. She had shared so much with me I wasn’t sure which part she was referring to.

“That the whole truth will be revealed at the right time. You need to remember this, Scarlett, and I need your faith in me to be stronger than ever. I will always be with you. Even when everything seems hopeless, I always find a way. When it comes to my will, miracles can happen.” Her words echoed in my mind, leaving a lasting impression.

She extended her index finger toward me, and I knew what was coming. I closed my eyes and felt the world spin around me.

I woke up, still puzzled by the dream. I turned to find Christopher beside me, but his side of the bed was empty.

There was a note:

~You looked too peaceful sleeping. I didn’t want to disturb you. I’m in the office if you need me.~

I smiled at his thoughtfulness, got up, and headed for a shower. Afterward, I made my way to his office. It was strange how quickly I had become familiar with this place, and deep down, I found comfort in it.

As I approached the large wooden doors of his office, Hensen was just leaving. He held the door open for me.

Christopher was engrossed in some paperwork, but he looked up as I entered the room. His face lit up with a smile at the sight of me. I loved how his face brightened every time he saw me. I walked slowly toward him.

“Have you been up long? You should have woken me,” I said.

He pushed his chair back, creating space between him and the table, and patted his lap twice, inviting me to sit.

“As much as I love having you by my side, these papers keep me up at night. And you needed the rest,” he said as I settled onto his lap. He brushed my hair off my back, sending chills down my spine with every touch. He gathered my hair to one side, leaving my neck exposed—a gesture he seemed to have grown fond of.

“Any news?” I asked, turning my attention to the table. It was cluttered with papers, but one caught my eye. It was an old, yellowed map.

It was an ancient map from the time when Christopher and Joshua’s packs were one. It was a territorial and geographical map, but one image stood out. It marked the hills that currently divided the packs. They were the hills with oak forests.

I stared at the map for a few seconds. Christopher said something, but it sounded like a distant whisper. My mind was elsewhere, trying to piece together the puzzle, and my eyes were fixated on the hills and the oak forest. I remembered my dream.

“It wasn’t just a dream.”

“Scarlett, what are you talking about?” Christopher asked, prompting me to turn to him.

“I had a dream last night. Or at least I thought it was a dream. The Moon Goddess was telling me about precious stones and where they are usually found. She mentioned something about diamonds and hills of oak trees and…”

Suddenly, Christopher shifted beneath me. He moved to get up, and I quickly hopped off his lap. I watched as he ran his hands through his hair nervously.

“How do you know that?

He began to speak, his words rushed and nervous. I could see the turmoil in his eyes.

“Christopher, what’s going on?” I asked, and his eyes met mine.

“Scarlett, my grandfather…” he began, then paused, seemingly overwhelmed by the improbability of it all. “My grandfather spoke of an ancient legend of our lands, that they held secrets and treasures. He mentioned diamonds, that if we ever needed help, we could go deep, deeper…” His choice of words reminded me of another part of my dream.

“The Moon Goddess said something about this conflict. She said we were too naive to understand the real reason for the attack, that it was deeper,” I shook my head, trying to organize my thoughts. “Christopher, do you think that’s what it is?” I asked him, my eyes wide as I turned back to the map. “Do you have a map of the current division of the packs?”

Christopher nodded and sifted through some more papers. We placed the two maps side by side. The picture became clearer. I took a sheet of translucent paper and traced the current map, marking the division of the borders, and placed it over the old one. I circled the entire oak area, and it all made sense.

The Goddess was right. Things were much deeper than Joshua wanting more territory. Joshua was after the diamonds in the hills with the oak forest. They not only marked the borders; they were just the beginning.

Joshua’s pack only had a small part, the tip of the iceberg, but our pack was simply bypassed by them. That is, if there were diamonds down there. Joshua had seen a small part of this, and he wanted our pack’s territory to explore further.

“Christopher, if he’s dug in the part of the forest that reaches his pack, he must think that the rest of the forest is filled with diamonds beneath it.”

Christopher began pacing, his words tumbling out. “If he’s been digging around, even if he’s been trying to keep it under wraps, there’s bound to be some evidence in the finances. Maybe we’ll find a clue there.”

I nodded, my mind racing to connect the dots. “That’s why someone from the council must be in on it. They were promised a cut of the diamonds.”

Christopher turned to me, his eyes serious. “We need to move quickly, Scarlett.” My heart fluttered at his use of the word “we.”

He was thinking of us as a team, as a united front.

“And we will,” I assured him, a plan beginning to form in my mind. “Let’s start by examining his financial records. We can access those after a year, right?”

He nodded. “I’ll get your dad on it.”

“And we have Bertha and some of the exiles in custody, don’t we?” I asked.

“Yes,” he confirmed, his brow furrowing as he tilted his head to the side.

“And they’re clueless about us knowing everything now, right?” I pressed. A smile spread across Christopher’s face.

“So we use that to our advantage,” I suggested, shrugging nonchalantly. “We interrogate them, tell them we know Joshua wants his pack for family and territorial reasons.”

Christopher’s arms encircled my waist, pulling me close.

“You’re so damn sexy when you’re calling the shots, making plans, saving our pack,” he murmured. I grinned back at him as he spun us around, his hips coming to rest against the table, drawing me into his embrace. His lips found my neck, sending shivers down my spine, and I pressed myself closer to him.

“We need to act, Alpha,” I whispered. His growl vibrated against me as he pressed himself even harder against me, his arousal evident.

“Hearing you call me Alpha isn’t helping, sweetheart,” he murmured against my lips, claiming them in a heated kiss. It was so easy to lose myself in him, to forget about our plans and just give in to the desire between us.

“We need to go,” I managed to say, my breath coming in short gasps from his kisses, but I forced myself to think rationally.

“I know,” he sighed, reluctantly pulling away.