*She was protecting us before we existed,* I said. *I understand the significance. You don't have to explain.*
My wolf, with enormous satisfaction: *I'm just saying.*
I looked at Lera.
"You were scared," I said. "Because this changes how I feel about Corva, and Corva arrived on the night Ren was born, and you didn't know if what she is—" I paused. "You didn't know if she's someone I should trust or someone I've already let too close."
"Yes," Lera said. Relieved to have it said plainly.
I thought about it properly.
"She put a protective system in place before I was born," I said. "It went wrong — Hew went sideways, Pell got involved, the mark became a chain instead of a shield. But the original intent—" I turned this over. "She was trying to make sure I survived long enough to present
