Fang of Silence

The Lie

The fever hit Kael before they reached the compound gates.

His legs buckled. His vision went white at the edges. Theron caught him under the arms and dragged him the last fifty feet. The guards at the gate saw them coming and rushed to help.

"Silver wound," Theron said. "Get the healer. Now."

They carried Kael to the infirmary. His arm was a dead weight. The silver had worked its way deep into the muscle. He could feel it burning through him, slow and patient.

Mira Dane was already there when they laid him on the cot. Her hands were steady. Her face was calm. She cut away his sleeve and pressed a cloth to the wound.

"This is bad," she said. "The silver is in his blood."

"Can you save him?" Theron asked.

Mira looked at Kael. Her eyes were dark. Unreadable. "I can slow it. But the poison has to work its way out. He'll be weak for days."

"Do it," Theron said.

Kael tried to speak. His throat was dry. His tongue felt thick. "The bodies"

"Handled," Theron said. "I sent wolves to collect them."

"The one that ran—"

"Gone. We'll find him."

Kael wanted to argue. He wanted to get up and find answers. But his body would not obey. The fever pulled him down into darkness.

---

He woke to silence.

The infirmary was empty. Moonlight streamed through a single window. Kael sat up slowly. His arm was wrapped in clean bandages. The silver burn had been cut out. The wound was raw but healing.

He swung his legs off the cot. The floor was cold concrete. His boots were beside the bed. He put them on.

The compound was quiet. Too quiet. The pack should have been stirring. Morning patrol should have been mustering.

Kael walked to the door. His legs were steady. The fever had broken.

He found Sera Wynn in the corridor outside. She was waiting for him. Her hands were clasped in front of her. Her face was nervous.

"You shouldn't be up," she said.

"I need to see the Alpha."

"He's in the council chamber. He's been there all night."

"With who?"

Sera hesitated. "Theron. And Commander Hale. And the tactical officer."

Kael felt something cold settle in his stomach. "They're meeting without me."

"You were unconscious."

"They started without me."

Sera did not deny it. She just looked at her feet.

Kael pushed past her and walked toward the council chamber. His arm throbbed with every step. The wound was fresh. The muscle was still knitting. But he did not slow down.

The council chamber doors were closed. Two guards stood outside. They crossed their arms when they saw him.

"Alpha's orders," one said. "No one enters."

"I'm the Silent Fang," Kael said. "I have information about the ambush."

"Alpha said no one."

Kael looked at the guard. He knew this wolf. Four years in the pack. Two children. A wife who worked in the kitchens.

"Step aside," Kael said.

The guard did not move.

Kael took a step forward. The guard's hand went to his knife. The second guard did the same.

Kael stopped. He looked at both of them. Then he turned and walked away.

He found an empty corridor and leaned against the wall. His arm was bleeding through the bandages. He had reopened the wound.

He needed to think. The Alpha was meeting with his inner circle. Theron was there. Voss was there. Commander Hale was there. Everyone who knew the patrol schedule.

Everyone who could have sent the wolves.

Except Kael was not in that room. He was out here. Bleeding. Waiting.

The message was clear.

He was not trusted.

---

Sera found him in the corridor. She had followed him. She was holding a roll of clean bandages.

"Let me fix that," she said.

Kael let her work. She was gentle. Her fingers were quick. She did not meet his eyes.

"You knew about the patrol schedule," Kael said.

Sera froze. "What?"

"You're the intelligence runner. You carry the Alpha's orders. You would have seen the rotation before Theron wrote it."

"I—"

"Did you tell anyone?"

Sera's face went pale. "No. I would never—"

"Who else had access?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. The Alpha. Voss. Commander Hale. Theron. That's all."

Kael stared at her. She was telling the truth. He could see it in her face. She was too scared to lie.

But someone had told the wolves where to find him. Someone with access to that schedule.

And Theron had written it.

Kael thought about the silver bullet casing. The Rusted Stag. The human weapons dealer who operated out of the back room.

Who in the pack had enough coin to buy silver bullets? Who had the connections to meet with human traders without raising suspicion?

Voss had been to the Stag before. Everyone knew that. He negotiated with the human smugglers for supplies.

Commander Hale had been there once. Years ago. Before the attacks started.

Theron had never gone. He swore off the place. Said it was beneath him.

But the casing was fresh. It had been fired recently. Someone had gone to the Stag. Someone had bought silver.

Kael looked at Sera. She was watching him with wide eyes. She was waiting for him to say something.

"Do you trust Theron?" Kael asked.

Sera blinked. "He's your friend. He's our captain."

"That's not what I asked."

She was quiet for a long moment. "I don't trust anyone," she said. "That's my job."

Kael nodded. He understood that better than she knew.

---

He left Sera in the corridor and went to Theron's quarters.

The door was unlocked. Theron was inside, sitting at his desk. He looked up when Kael entered. His face was tired. His eyes were red.

"You should be resting," Theron said.

"I should be in the council chamber."

Theron's jaw tightened. "The Alpha wanted you to recover first."

"He wanted to talk without me there."

"He wanted—"

"Don't lie to me."

Theron stood. His hands were flat on the desk. "I'm not lying."

"You wrote the schedule. You knew where I'd be. And now you're meeting with the Alpha without me."

"Kael—"

"I found the casing. The silver casing. Someone went to the Rusted Stag and bought weapons. Someone who knew my route."

Theron's face went pale. "I didn't—"

"You had access."

"I had access, yes. I wrote the schedule. But I didn't sell you out."

"Then who?"

Theron did not answer. He looked away. His hands were shaking.

Kael stepped closer. His voice was quiet. "Tell me who."

"I can't."

"Can't or won't?"

Theron met his eyes. There was something there. Something Kael had not seen before. Fear.

"Because if I tell you," Theron said, "you'll do something stupid. And I'm trying to protect you."

Kael stared at his friend. His training partner. The man who had saved his life twice.

The man who was hiding something.

"Protect me from what?" Kael asked.

Theron did not answer.

Kael reached for his knife. His fingers closed around the handle.

Would you trust your best friend when he refuses to tell you the truth? Or would you make him talk?