Colliding Dreams

Chapter Twelve: Shadows of Sabotage

[Luna's POV]

It had been a few days since Rayne had returned to the pack, and though I tried to push my suspicions aside, the unease never left. Darius had reassured me that Rayne was just family, that I had nothing to worry about. But the way she hovered around him, the way her touches lingered longer than necessary, gnawed at me. The overheard phone conversation haunted my thoughts: "I'll be the new Luna soon enough. I'll do whatever it takes to get rid of her."

I wanted to trust Darius. I wanted to believe that Rayne was just being overly familiar because they were close, but deep down, something about her felt off. And every day, that feeling got worse.

The day started like any other. I had planned to help Darius and a few other pack members train in the forest, learning more about Bloodmoon's fighting techniques. It was something I had been looking forward to all week. Darius had promised to teach me a few tricks, and I couldn't wait to spend the day with him.

I was getting ready in my room, tying my boots and straightening the oversized flannel I had thrown over a crop top. My cute grunge style had become a signature look here, and it was something that made me feel grounded—like I was holding onto a piece of myself. I grabbed my bag, packed with essentials for the day, and was about to head out when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I called, expecting Darius.

Instead, Rayne walked in, a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Heading out for training?" she asked sweetly, though there was a strange edge to her voice.

"Yeah," I replied, my guard instantly up. "Darius and I were going to meet in the clearing."

"Oh, right. Training," she said, her eyes scanning me from head to toe. "I heard Darius talking about it this morning. He's been really excited."

I felt a twinge of annoyance at how casually she said his name, like they had been best friends all morning while I wasn't around. But I kept my expression neutral. "Yeah, he's been helping me a lot."

Rayne tilted her head, her smile widening. "You know, Luna, fighting in the Bloodmoon Pack can be intense. Are you sure you're ready for it? You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone—especially Darius."

The subtle dig hit harder than I wanted it to. I straightened my back, trying to appear unaffected. "I think I'll be fine."

She shrugged, glancing at my bag. "If you say so. Just... make sure you're prepared. You wouldn't want anything to go wrong today."

I didn't have a chance to respond before she walked out, her words hanging in the air like a warning. I brushed it off, shaking my head. Rayne was trying to get under my skin, and I wasn't going to let her. Not today.

The training session started smoothly. I paired up with Darius for sparring, and his gentle encouragement and guidance made me feel more confident. Every now and then, I'd catch Rayne watching from the sidelines, her arms crossed, a small smirk playing on her lips. I tried to ignore her.

After sparring for a while, Darius suggested we switch to practicing with weapons. I grabbed a wooden staff and followed him to the training circle. Just as we were about to start, I noticed something was off about the staff I had picked. It felt unusually heavy, the wood unbalanced.

I frowned, testing it out with a few swings. Something wasn't right. The staff had been tampered with—too much weight on one side. It could easily throw me off in a fight. I glanced around the training area, my suspicion growing.

Rayne stood nearby, leaning against a tree, watching with an expression that seemed a little too smug. My stomach twisted. Had she done something to the weapon?