Time wasn’t on our side, but neither was trust. Too many betrayals had scarred me—family, allies, even pack members. It left me wary of everyone except for two people: Elsa and Lucas.
We’d taken over the house where Lucas had brought Elsa after the fight. The Zeta who owned the place had welcomed us, honored to host his Alpha. It was convenient, and for now, it was the safest place for Elsa to recover.
I stayed by her side as much as I could, but the weight of the decisions pressing down on me left little room for rest.
In a rare moment of quiet, I linked Lucas to join me in one of the rooms. As he entered, I made it clear we would be communicating through the mind link only. There was no guarantee of loyalty among everyone here, and the thought of a potential traitor listening in on
