Caleb Silver POV
Blood dripped onto the old book as I yanked my hand away from the blade hidden between its pages. The cut burned like fire across my palm. Someone had booby-trapped the old text about Triple Moon Bearers.
"Who would do this?" I muttered, watching crimson stain the yellowed leaves. The library around me was empty and quiet, but my mind raced with dark thoughts. This was no chance. Someone had put that thin, sharp metal deliberately to hurt whoever searched for information about Lily's mark.
I wrapped my hand in my shirt to stop the blood, but it soaked through quickly. The cut was deep. I needed help, but Father and my brothers were busy with security after last night's rogue attack. And I couldn't trust just anyone with what I'd found.
Lily. I needed to find Lily.
I shoved the damaged book into my bag and rushed toward the nursery where Lily worked. My head felt light from blood loss by the time I pushed through the door.
"Can I help—" Lily's words stopped when she saw me. "Caleb! What happened?"
The tiny house was warm and smelled like milk and baby powder. Three wolf pups slept in small cribs against the far wall. Lily rushed forward, her eyes wide with worry.
"Someone left a surprise in an old book," I said, showing my bloody hand.
Lily didn't waste time with questions. "Sit," she demanded, pointing to a small chair. Her voice was strong – not what I expected from the quiet omega I'd watched from afar for years.
She moved with quick, sure steps, taking a wooden box from a shelf and filling a bowl with clean water. Nothing like the nervous girl from last night who had just learned she was linked to all three of us brothers.
"This will hurt," she warned, taking my hand gently.
She wasn't wrong. I bit back a howl as she cleaned the wound. The cut ran from my thumb across my palm – deep enough to need stitches.
"Who would put a blade in a library book?" she asked, her fingers cool against my hot skin.
"Someone who doesn't want us learning about Triple Moon Bearers," I said. "The same people who want to hurt you."
Her hands stopped for just a second before continuing their work. "What did the book say?"
"That's the strange part. It stated that the Triple Moon Bearer isn't just connected to one mate, but to the pack's future itself." I watched her face carefully. "Last night wasn't a mistake, Lily. The mark choosing all three of us means something important."
She opened her wooden box, revealing dozens of small pouches filled with dried plants. The scents hit me at once – mint, lavender, and others I couldn't name.
"This will stop the bleeding and fight infection," she said, mixing three different herbs with honey. "My grandmother taught me before she died."
I hadn't known that about her. "You're good at this."
"When you're an omega, you learn to be useful," she replied, not meeting my eyes.
"Is that why you work in the nursery? To be useful?"
Her hands stilled. "I work here because I love the pups. Nobody watches an omega in the nursery, so I can be myself here." She spread the sticky paste across my cut. The pain immediately lessened.
"You hide who you are?" I asked.
"Wouldn't you, if being yourself made people treat you worse?" She wrapped clean cloth around my hand with practiced movements. "Everyone sees what they expect to see. Alpha's son. Beta's daughter. Worthless omega."
Her bitter words surprised me. I'd always thought she was just shy.
"I saw you," I said quietly. "In the library sometimes. Reading books nobody else touched. Making notes."
Her cheeks turned pink. "I didn't think anyone noticed."
"I notice a lot of things people think I don't see," I admitted. "It's easier to learn when others underestimate you."
One of the pups whimpered in sleep. Lily instantly went to him, stroking his forehead until he settled. Her touch was so gentle it made my chest ache.
"The book I found," I continued, "said the Triple Moon Mark emerges during times of great danger to the pack. When change must happen or the pack will fall."
"What kind of danger?" Lily asked, returning to finish bandaging my hand.
"The kind that comes from inside," I said. "The book was damaged, but it mentioned pack balance being broken when omegas lose their voice."
She tied off the cloth with a small, neat knot. "Omegas never have a voice in Silver Peak."
"But they used to," I argued. "That's what I've been studying. Generations ago, pack leadership included all ranks – alpha for strength, beta for loyalty, and omega for knowledge."
Lily's eyes widened. "That's nothing like what we have now."
"No," I agreed. "And maybe that's why the mark chose you – to help restore balance."
She shook her head. "I'm just me. I can't change pack rules that have existed for decades."
"But what if the laws themselves are wrong?" I leaned forward, excited despite the pain in my hand. "What if—"
The nursery door burst open. Aiden stood there, his face tight with worry.
"There you are," he said, eyes moving between us. "Father's called an emergency meeting. More rogues have been spotted, and Luna's missing."
My blood ran cold. "Missing how?"
"Her room is empty, and her things are gone," Aiden said. "And there's more. Someone broke into Elder Iris's home and attacked her."
Lily gasped. "Is she—"
"She's alive, but hurt badly," Aiden said grimly. "Before she passed out, she said one word: 'Traitor.'"
I stood quickly. "Someone inside the pack is working with the rogues."
"And they know about Lily's mark," Aiden agreed. "Father's ordered both of you to the pack house instantly. Brock is guarding the borders."
Lily gathered her herb box, hands shaking slightly. "The pups—"
"Other caregivers are coming," Aiden told her. "We need to move now."
As we hurried through the snowy path toward the pack house, my newly patched hand brushed against Lily's. The middle moon on her mark glowed brighter, reacting to my touch.
"I'm scared," she whispered so only I could hear.
"Stay close to me," I said. "My brothers and I will protect you."
The main clearing was chaos as we arrived. Pack members rushed in all directions, some changing to wolf form to join patrols. Others gathered belongings, ready for possible evacuation.
Father stood on the pack house steps, his face grim as we neared. Brock emerged from the tree line, blood on his shirt.
"Border's secure for now," he reported. "But they're out there waiting. At least twenty rogues."
Father nodded, his eyes moving to my wrapped hand. "What happened?"
"Trap in a book about Triple Moon Bearers," I explained. "Someone doesn't want us learning the mark's true meaning."
"Or they wanted to slow you down," Brock suggested grimly.
A chilling howl cut through the air – the distress call of a pack wolf under attack.
"That's from the eastern border," Aiden said.
"Where Elder Iris's cabin is," Lily added, her face pale.
Father straightened. "Aiden, take Lily inside. Brock, with me to check the border. Caleb, get that hand properly fixed, then join us."
"I can help," Lily argued. "My herbs—"
"You're the target," Father cut her off. "You stay protected."
As Aiden led Lily up the steps, she looked back at me with worried eyes. The connection between us hummed like a pulled string.
"We'll figure this out," I called after her. "Together."
I turned to follow Father and Brock toward the howls, but stopped when my foot hit something half-buried in snow. Bending down, I found a small pouch of plants – identical to the ones in Lily's wooden box.
The same plants she'd just used to treat my wound.
And beside it, Luna's silver hair clip, covered in fresh blood.
My heart stopped as I realized what this meant. I spun to call a warning, but Aiden and Lily had already disappeared inside the pack house.
The pack house where a spy waited.