I stayed at the meeting hall until 1 AM and noticed that Axel seemed determined to leave only after I did. He helped me wrap up the paperwork I needed to finalize before heading out, and we said our goodnights to everyone else.
Once we stepped outside, Axel called over a couple of patrol warriors to keep an eye on the building. He instructed them to alert him if any of the new members left for any reason and to track their whereabouts. The last thing we could afford was a traitor lurking within our pack.
I slung my bag, which held both laptops and all the notebooks I'd taken along, over my shoulder and began the walk back to the packhouse. As we walked in silence, Axel kept his focus on the forest surrounding us, but I found it hard to decipher the emotions swirling inside him. They were
