Matthew's Pov

　　I glance over and see blood streaming down his arm, yet determination and hatred are etched on his face.

　　Someone had betrayed us. Someone had revealed our plans to the Moonshadow Pack. This realization hits me like a punch straight to the gut. Someone within my own pack decided to betray me. To betray my trust and put the lives of my brothers and sisters at risk.

　　The car skids on a tight curve, and I feel the wheels lose grip for a moment before Liam regains control. The headlights briefly illuminate a horde of enemy werewolves, their lupine forms imposing and fierce. Among them are warriors still in human form, some armed with firearms like machine guns and semi-automatic weapons.

　　"Alpha Matthew, get ready to jump!" Liam warns, pressing the accelerator to the floor. We have no choice but to abandon the vehicle and face the werewolves of the Moonshadow Pack head-on.

　　They have surrounded us; we're in their territory and without the advantage of surprise. The bastard who betrayed us, when I find out who it was, I'll tear their skin off their bones with my claws!

　　At the right moment, we all leap from the moving vehicle, rolling on the ground covered in leaves and pebbles. Pain explodes in my shoulder, but adrenaline keeps me from focusing on it, and I'm soon back on my feet. The car continues forward, crashing into a tree and exploding in a fireball that lights up the dark forest.

　　My warriors and those of the Direwolf Pack scatter across the open field, some jumping out of cars like my group. Others create a new barricade against the Moonshadow Pack, trying to prevent them from advancing on us.

　　As soon as I stand up, I transform into my Lycan form, feeling my spine elongate, my face grows longer, and my eyes sharpen with lupine vision. My muscles expand, my bones reshape, and my sense of smell becomes even keener. Fenrir sniffs the air and howls loudly, making the very air around us tremble. My skin grows covered with coarse fur, and my senses explode in a symphony of stimuli. I smell the metallic scent of blood, the clash of weapons, and the smell of gunpowder, even the glow of spells being cast.

　　The Moonshadow Pack advances on us before we can regroup. I run towards the transformed werewolves of the Moonshadow Pack, fighting fiercely, taking down two wolves with precise strikes of my claws.

　　I dodge spells crackling around me, trying to hit me. The bastards have sorcerers on their side too. Sons of bitches!

　　"Everyone, get to your defensive positions! Don't let them break the line and push us towards the cliff!" I roar, my lupine voice louder than the sound of gunfire and howling.

　　Fear tries to creep into my bones as I see the massive attack of the Moonshadow Pack against my warriors and those of the Direwolf Pack, but I don't let fear dominate me—only rage.

　　The first assault is brutal. The werewolves of the Moonshadow Pack attack with terrifying precision, breaking through our defenses, as if the traitor had reported even this. Knowing exactly where our weak points are.

　　"Pull the wounded back. Retreat to the inner circle!" I command through the mindlink to my warriors.

　　I try to reorganize our forces, but the battle is deteriorating rapidly. The Moonshadow Pack is larger in number and very well-coordinated. I witness my warriors falling one by one, fighting bravely.

　　Amid the chaos, it's hard to distinguish friend from foe, my adrenaline driving me into a bloodthirsty frenzy. To find the son of a bitch who betrayed us. Is he among us? I sniff the air for a different scent among the Moonshadow Pack. A scent of ours, of my werewolves, but among them.

　　I'm not just looking for the traitor by scent but also by subtle movements, hesitations in battles, and furtive glances. I search while taking down Moonshadow Pack wolves in my path. I'm so focused on reaching Michael and the traitor who sold us out that I don't immediately notice a very familiar scent.

　　A blinding flash lights up the forest, momentarily blinding everyone. I'm disoriented, and that's when I identify this familiar scent. Emma! My mate is here.

　　Emma's figure emerges from the light behind my troops in the forest, flanked by some sorcerers. Her eyes glow in lupine form, her short hair fluttering in the cold wind.

　　Emma also transforms into her Lycan form; it's the first time I've seen her like this. I'm fascinated, my mate is a Lycan like me, and this fills me with pride.

　　Around my mate is a legion of werewolf warriors, forming an impenetrable wall against the Moonshadow Pack. When Emma raises her hand, a shield of energy envelops my troops and the Direwolf Pack troops, repelling the Moonshadow Pack's attacks.

　　The spells and deadly bullets that were hitting us began to dissipate under the powerful attack of Emma's allied werewolves and sorcerers.

　　However, I don't let this distract me completely. Now that we have the advantage, with a new element of surprise, I want to find the traitorous bastard.

　　I advance with allies on both sides across the battlefield until I finally put a face to the betrayal within my pack.

　　"You fucking bastard, son of a bitch!" I snarl, running towards Steve, my head chef.

　　The traitor was perched high in a tree, shooting at my men. I climb quickly up the tree trunk before he has a chance to escape.