Cade's POV
The photographs were worse than any words.
Cade spread them across his desk one by one. Victoria in an abandoned warehouse. Victoria handing a folder to Silas Cross. Victoria collecting a bag of money. Each image was crystal clear. Each one was absolute proof of something that Cade's mind was still struggling to accept.
His Luna was working with his enemy.
Three days. That's how long Jaxon had been following Victoria. Three days of surveillance that had revealed a betrayal so complete, so calculated, that Cade still couldn't quite believe it was real.
"The dates match her absences," Jaxon said. He stood across from Cade's desk with his arms crossed. His Beta looked grim. Certain. Like he'd already accepted what Cade was still trying to process.
Cade looked at the dates on the back of the photographs. Three weeks ago. Two weeks ago. Last week. Victoria had been meeting with Silas regularly. Meeting with the one Alpha who had more reason to destroy the Stone Pack than anyone else.
"What's in the folder?" Cade asked, though he already knew the answer. Could already feel it in his gut.
"Our security protocols," Jaxon said quietly. "Our territory maps. Protection spell locations. Everything. She's been stealing information from your office and selling it to Silas."
Cade picked up the photograph of Victoria handing over the folder. She looked happy. Proud. Like she was accomplishing something important. Like she was doing exactly what she was supposed to do.
"How long has she been planning this?" Cade's voice was steady but something inside him was breaking.
"Since before the ceremony. My guess is her entire family sent her here as a plant. A spy. Her job was never to be a good Luna. It was to infiltrate and destroy."
Cade set the photographs down carefully. His hands were shaking but he made them steady. An Alpha didn't show rage. An Alpha didn't show betrayal. An Alpha just made decisions and moved forward.
"I need to know everything," Cade said. "What information did she steal? When is Silas planning to attack? Who else knows about this?"
"Victoria has been in contact with Silas at least six times that we documented. Each meeting, she's given him more information. Based on the timeline, my guess is Silas is going to make his move soon. Within the next week. Maybe sooner."
Cade stood up and walked to the window. From his office, he could see the pack grounds. Wolves moving around. Training. Living their lives without knowing that their Alpha's mate was a traitor. Without knowing that war was coming.
"Does anyone else know?" Cade asked.
"Just Marcus. I told him when I found the first photograph. He wanted to keep it quiet. Handle it secretly."
"No." Cade's voice was sharp. Certain. "We prepare openly. We ready the pack. We make sure every wolf is prepared for what's coming."
"Victoria will notice that something's wrong."
"Let her notice." Cade turned away from the window. "Bring her to me. I want to confront her. I want to hear her explain this."
Jaxon left to find Victoria. Cade sat back down at his desk and looked at the photographs again. He studied her face in each one. Trying to find something that explained how he could have been so wrong about her. Trying to understand how someone could infiltrate his pack and steal his secrets without him sensing it.
But he realized the truth. He hadn't sensed it because he'd been too distracted. Too focused on feeling broken over Rowan. Too consumed with missing his true mate to notice that his Luna was a spy.
If he'd been paying attention. If he'd been the Alpha he was supposed to be. If he hadn't been falling apart over a girl he'd rejected, he might have caught this sooner.
The door to his office opened and Victoria walked in. She looked surprised to see Jaxon behind her. Looked confused about why Cade wanted to see her alone.
Cade didn't say anything. He just turned the photographs around so she could see them.
He watched her face transform. Watched the surprise turn to understanding. Watched the moment she realized that her cover was blown.
She didn't deny it. Didn't make excuses. She just smiled.
"You were supposed to be distracted," Victoria said. "You were supposed to be miserable without the omega. You were supposed to be falling apart. That was the whole point of sending me here."
"So it was a plan from the beginning."
"Of course it was a plan. My family doesn't send people on missions by accident. I was supposed to make you weak. Make you dependent on me. Get you to give me access to your pack so I could steal what we needed. And it worked perfectly until your Beta got curious."
Cade looked at this woman who'd been sleeping in his bed. Who he'd crowned as his Luna in front of three hundred wolves. Who'd played the role of a devoted mate while she was selling his secrets to his enemies.
And he understood something terrible.
Rowan had been right to leave.
Not because of Victoria specifically. But because Cade had proven that he was willing to choose power and empire over the true connection he had with his mate. Had proven that he couldn't be trusted. Had proven that his judgment was so compromised that he'd bring a spy into his own pack.
"When is Silas attacking?" Cade asked.
"Soon," Victoria said. "Within days probably. He has all the information he needs. The Stone Pack is about to burn and there's nothing you can do to stop it."
Cade reached out and grabbed her throat. Not hard enough to kill. Hard enough to make her understand that she'd made a terrible mistake.
"You're going to tell me everything," he said quietly. "Every detail of the plan. Every weakness Silas knows about. Every piece of information you gave him. And then you're going to pray that your family can buy your way out of what's coming."
Victoria laughed even as his claws dug into her skin.
And Cade realized that he'd made so many mistakes that there might not be any way to fix them.