The Darkness Within

Darius's POV

The moon hung like a silver eye in the night sky, watching me as I crept along the northern perimeter of the Shadowfang area. My heart raced, but my hands stayed steady. I'd done this many times before.

I checked my watch: 2:17 AM. Perfect time. The pack guards would switch posts in exactly three minutes, leaving a short window when the eastern fence would be unwatched.

The weight of my decisions pressed down on me as I disabled the alarm system. I wasn't just a Beta anymore. I was a criminal. But they'd never understand why.

"Positions?" I whispered into my fake phone.

"In place," came the hushed reply from Vex, the Syndicate's best spy. "Eastern approach clear?"

"Thirty seconds. Enter through the red-marked trees, avoid the silver sensors."

I'd been feeding information to the Midnight Syndicate for months now. Little things at first—patrol plans, pack numbers. Now I was letting them onto our land.