RETH

He hadn't slept. Or at least, only barely.

The memories of what he had done that day—and thoughts of what he might do in the days to come—tormented him as he stared at the ceiling of the cave in the deepest dark of the night. Plagued by disgust, fear, rage, and betrayal, he'd been yearning for his mate.

His mind was already reeling, but then to have that desperate moment with his Mate? He couldn't fathom… he'd gathered before that she had shifted, but she was a Lioness? She'd have no control—and stuck in the human world with only a disformed to help her. It was a recipe for disaster!

After that first dream-meeting, he'd spent the night searching for Elia, desperate to sleep again and find her in the dream, but constantly alert in case she appeared in the furs. Which he knew could not happen, and yet his blasted senses kept searching for her. Tugging at him to wake and check for her the moment he began to doze. For a time when they could be together and alone. A time when his days were marked by love, not war.

He was out of the furs before the lanterns lit, checking the guards, examining the events in his mind, searching for a way out of taking the life of an Avaline and her unborn. Waiting for the moment it would be acceptable to turn up at Aymora's cave and demand that she search the histories—Elia couldn't be the first human to have become Anima. It had to be the pregnancy, surely?

But as he walked up the path to Aymora's cave soon after dawn, Reth's weariness was a boulder on his back. It dragged his limbs down and slowed his mind.

Usually the sight of his dearest friends would lift his heart, or at least bolster his hope. But this morning as he entered the cave Behryn lay sprawled in a cot on Aymora's floor, and she leaned over him, her brows furrowed in concern.

He hurried forward, a question in his eyes—was there infection?

But Aymora's face lightened some when she saw him, and Behryn was able to shift himself to better see Reth approach.

"Good morning,

" he said, his voice hoarse and rough with lack of sleep.

"Morning,

" Aymora said.

Behryn grunted.

"You look like you got dragged backwards through a warthog's den,

" he quipped, though his voice didn't sound any better than Reth's.

Reth grimaced, but immediately put his hand to Aymora's face.

"I told you, Elia is coming to me in the dream. It's real. And she's shifting. We have to figure out what's going on!

"

Aymora blinked twice, then sniffed at his finger. Her eyebrows rose almost to her hairline.

"How?!

"

"I don't know, but it's real. And if we can figure out how it's happening, maybe we can use it.

"

Aymora gaped, at him, but she nodded.

"I'll… I'll look into it. But, Reth… I've never heard of this—

"

"I know. I know. And I know you're busy. But please…

"

"I'll look, Reth. I will. I just… don't get your hopes too high, okay?

"

"What is going on?

" Behryn asked weakly. Reth sighed and pulled up a stool to sit next to his best friend's bed as Aymora, her mind a mask of confused preoccupation, continued to undress his wound.

"Elia is shifting, and appearing to me through the dream,

" Reth said.

"What? You can't be—

"

He shoved his fingers in front of Behryn's nose, who sniffed and blinked.

"Creator's Light!

"

"My thoughts exactly. Did you sleep?

" he asked gruffly.

Behryn started to shrug, then caught himself.

"Not a lot. But then, I spent half the day out of it, so we'll see.

"

"He's healing,

" Aymora said quietly with a glance at Reth.

"But he won't be off this cot until tomorrow, and nothing strenuous for a week, just to be certain. We have to watch for infection and that can take days.

"

Reth nodded, but Behryn rolled his eyes. Reth put a hand to his friend's back, low down, where it wouldn't hurt.

"Do as she asks. Otherwise Hollhye will literally kill me,

" he muttered.

Behryn snorted, but his heart wasn't in it.

"She'll be here in an hour. You might want to be busy by then.

"

Reth nodded and Aymora rolled her eyes.

"You could both learn a great deal from a female in this.

"

Reth frowned.

"How so?

"

"She doesn't want to remove Behryn from the work he loves. She wants to be heard and valued. Instead of arguing with her, ask her how she would solve the problem.

"

"She would solve it by removing my Captain and Second!

" Reth muttered.

"Not if she wasn't afraid. Behryn, you remind her how much you love your role. And Reth, you tell her she's important so you need a compromise, and ask her what she would see as a solution.

"

Reth looked at Behryn, who was frowning.

"I have told her many times how I love my role.

"

"When you weren't arguing? Have you asked her to see your world? Your heart? Or merely tried to prove her incorrect?

"

Behryn's frown deepened. Reth would have laughed, but Aymora gave him a look that included him in her question and he turned away.

Aymora went back to dabbing some kind of mixture onto Behryn's wound and Behryn winced.

"Distract me, brother,

" he said through his teeth.

"What have you decided to do with the Bird?

"

Reth sighed heavily and clawed his hand through his hair.

"I have no choice,

" he said.

"I have to—

"

Footsteps sounded on the path outside the door. Running footsteps. Reth was on his feet so fast the stool fell over, but the guards didn't alert, and a moment later Tobe ran into the cave, his eyes wide.

"Captain do you know —oh, Sire! You are here!

"

He slid to a halt in front of them, panting—which meant he'd truly been running. The Equine were notoriously long-winded.

"Yes, I am,

" Reth said calmly, though it was a façade.

"What has happened?

"

Tobe looked over his shoulder, panting, then turned back to them and murmured barely loud enough to be heard.

"There's been a message from one of your contacts within the encampment, sir!

"

All three of them froze.

Reth looked at the open door to the cave, then strode over to close it, before returning to Tobe and the others.

"Which one?

"

"I don't know. An arrow was shot into one of the sentry posts with the message tied to it.

"

"What?!

"

Tobe nodded and pulled a small piece of parchment from his little bag, unfolding it and handing it to Reth.

"The Sentry said they didn't see anyone.

"

"I bet they ** themselves,

" Behryn muttered.

"I would assume so. I didn't see them until a messenger reached me, but… the male was pale,

" Tobe said, his lips twitching.

Reth looked at the parchment first—clean and smooth, it had obviously been tied with some care around the arrow if it had reached them in such good condition. Or the arrow had flown true—which didn't seem likely with the uneven weight and airflow that would occur with the message tied to it.

Then he read what it said and all other thoughts fled from his head.

THE WOLVES KNOW THE PRISONERS WERE KILLED.

THEY PLAN TO ATTACK. SECURITY COUNCIL MET. ALPHA FURIOUS THAT PRISONER WAS KILLED IN COLD BLOOD.

I DID NOT HEAR THE DAY, BUT THE ATTACK WILL COME TO THE LION AT HOME AND THE CITY ONCE HE IS DISTRACTED.

BE PREPARED.

Shit, Reth thought. Shit, **, **.

It was happening. This would not be another assassination attempt. This would not be a skirmish. There would be no bringing Elia back.

The war was coming to the Tree City—and to Reth, apparently.

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