I needed air, a minute free from the weight of decisions weighing me down.
The afternoon sun filtered through the trees, casting shadows. along the ground. My mind circled back, as it eternally did, to Dane to the frail outline of his body in my memory.
“Luna,” Rowan called, his voice breaking into my thoughts.
I turned to see himing, L at his side, she seemed hurt as she limped and had a bandage around her head. I don’t bother to ask her how it happened.
Nerves were betrayed in every angle; his eyes flickered from mine down toward the ground. “I need to talk to you.”
“Does it involve more bad news?” I asked, my voice sharper than I had intended.
Rowan flinched but stood his ground. “No, not bad news… At least, I hope not.”
L prodded him forward with her elbow, nudging him onward.
“We’ve been looking into the contacts that Ca had,” Rowan said, his voice firming up. “L and I have been researching the
archives, hoping we’d find something to help us in strengthening pack defenses.”
I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow. “And?”
Rowan was slower to continue “We found some old maps and documents that suggested Ca may have been in league with a roguework, working close to our borders.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You’re sure?”
L spoke this time, her tone even and soothing. “The evidence is strong, mentioning key locations and names we have heard. before.
I watched them closely. Nobody showed hesitation; nobody looked uncertain. “And what, precisely, do you n to do with this information?”
Rowan stepped forward. “We will strategize and use this to protect the pack.“.
I let out a sigh, my face softening. “You’re trying to prove yourself to the pack, aren’t you?”
“Not just to the pack,” Rowan said, correcting my tone with softness to his voice. “To myself…e with us, we will show you in the archives.”
My curiosity getting the better of my doubts, I followed them to the archives. The room was covered with aged paper and dust, record after record from battles, alliances, and treasons lining