Gale sat on the edge of his bed, his elbows resting on his knees, his head bowed. In the darkness of his room, only the orange glow of the wall lamp danced faintly on the walls. Axel's words played over and over in his mind, perhaps haunting him all night.
Flashback – Axel's voice, deep and tinged with bitterness:
"He's using Diana like he used me. He's using her jealousy, her feelings, to manipulate everyone. He doesn't love her. He just wants her to be useful to him to get to Isabella. And the day she's no longer useful... he'll throw her away."
Gale sat up abruptly, his breath coming in short gasps as if he'd just emerged from a waking nightmare.
"What did you do, Klaus...?" he whispered under his breath, his voice trembling. Is that really the kind of man you've become...? he finished, his voice almost breaking, his gaze lost in space.
It was at that moment that his phone vibrated on the nightstand. He reached out and quickly read the message. It was brief, formal:
"Urgent meeting tonight. Attendance required. Alpha's order. Message from the Werewolf King."
Gale frowned. An impromptu meeting, outside the lunar cycle? That wasn't typical of their Alpha. Worry knotted his stomach. He sighed, stood up, put on his dark jacket, and left his house without a word.
The sky was overcast, heavy, as if he too felt this growing tension.
When he arrived at the gathering place, several members of the pack were already there, gathered around the central fire. He immediately recognized Ray, Isabella, Axel, Marlie, Diana… and Klaus. Just seeing him, Gale felt a dull anger surge through him. He clenched his fists, took a step toward him, ready to demand answers, but a hand landed on his shoulder.
"Hey, how are you?" a familiar voice called.
Gale turned around.
"Ghost!" he exclaimed. "It's been a while."
"Tell me," Ghost replied with a short laugh.
Then, lowering his voice:
"Do you know why the Alpha is calling us together like this, without warning? It's neither a full moon nor a solstice…"
"No, it's not. That's what worries me," Gale murmured. "An emergency meeting, out of cycle… it's never a good sign."
While they exchanged a few more words, another movement caught their attention.
Diana, her gaze fixed on Isabella, slowly moved away from her group. Her expression was gentle, almost too gentle. She approached calmly and gave an enigmatic smile.
"Good evening, Isabella."
"Oh! Hi, Diana... I didn't see you there."
"Yes, yes, I see that," Diana replied with a hint of irony. "So, how are things with Ray?"
Isabella blinked in confusion.
"Um... You know Ray's with Miria, right? And... we're just friends. I don't want to spoil anything."
"Really? What a shame," Diana replied with a mock-apologetic pout. "You give up so easily... even if your breakup was just a misunderstanding?"
Isabella felt her heart skip a beat.
"A misunderstanding...?" she repeated, her voice troubled.
"Let's just say I was told you and Ray were separated due to a misunderstanding. That's all I know. But if I were you... I wouldn't give up so quickly."
Without another word, Diana turned and joined Axel and Marlie, leaving Isabella alone with her doubts.