“I know it’s not all,” Shay said. I saw his sharp canines flash as he spoke. “But it’s important. That ceremony, having to be with him, it was insane.”

“How can you talk about him that way?” I snapped. “Ren tried to help us. He lied for us and the Keepers will know it. They could kill him!”

No, it was worse than that. And the awful truth of it was what fueled my rage. I lowered my lashes and spoke to the floor. “They will kill him.”

I didn’t bother to hide my grief when I looked at Shay again, unblinking though my eyes had filled with tears.

Shay’s face paled; the veins in his neck were throbbing, but it was Monroe who reacted to the sound of Ren’s name.

“Ren?” His eyes widened. I could tell he was fighting to keep his tone neutral. “Do you mean Renier Laroche?”

“You know who he is?” I asked, startled.

Monroe turned his face away. “I know of him,” he said, his voice rough.

Anika was watching Monroe carefully. “That’s an interesting development. It could be vital, don’t you think?”

Monroe didn’t meet her eyes, but he nodded.

“Tell us more about this ceremony,” Anika said. “It would help us to understand exactly what we’re walking into in Vail.”

“Calla and Ren were supposed to form a new pack this spring,” Shay said, still glaring at me. “Another set of Guardians to protect Haldis Cavern.” His jaw clenched. “One of the Keepers’ arranged unions.”

I glared back at him, biting my tongue. Hadn’t I run from the union, leaving Ren behind, risking everything to help Shay escape? What else did I have to prove to him?

“We’re familiar with that practice.” Monroe met my gaze. “You were running away from him?”

“No, not from him,” I said. Shay’s hands formed fists and though it was petty, I felt a pinch of satisfaction. “The Keepers were going to make us kill Shay as part of the union. I found him tied up in the woods. I had to run to save him.”

Shay wasn’t looking at me anymore, and the ripple of smugness faded to guilt. It didn’t help that Adne had taken his hand, leaning in to whisper to him. Great, now I’m a slutty bitch and she gets to be the good friend. Nice work, Calla.

“The sacrifice,” Monroe said. “We knew that was going to happen at Samhain, but we didn’t know where. We tracked the Scion’s location to Rowan Estate.”

“Lucky for us,” I said, shuddering at what might have happened if the Searchers hadn’t appeared that night.

“Were the Guardians tracking you?” Monroe asked.

I nodded. “They sent the Banes after us.”

“An entire pack?” Anika frowned. “How did youelude them?”

Shay sighed, as if he were conceding a major point. “Ren helped us get away. He caught up with us in the woods, and he let us go, kept the rest of the pack off us.”

“He helped you?” Monroe’s eyes found me; the dark glint of his gaze remained utterly unreadable.

“Yes.” My response was barely a whisper. I was finding it hard to breathe. Each moment I relived from that night was like a stone placed on my chest, piling up one after the other to suffocate me.

Adne continued to watch us.

“That’s good to know,” Monroe said.

“Yes, it is.” A smile appeared on Anika’s lips and vanished just as quickly. “That bodes very well for our plans.”

Connor reappeared in the doorway. “What’d I miss?” His eyes flicked to Adne and Shay’s twined fingers, and he grimaced. “Let me guess, the Scion proposed to you.”

“She knows Renier Laroche,” Adne said, grinning at his sour expression and keeping her hand clasped in Shay’s. “They both do.”

Shay grimaced and twisted his fingers free of hers, looking at me sideways. I smiled at him, and his expression softened.

Connor whistled, his irritation giving way to surprise. “Isn’t that interesting.”

The two of them exchanged a knowing glance. Why do the Searchers all know about Ren?

“For the moment that’s not our concern,” Monroe said curtly. “Where’s Ethan now?”

“I sent him to work point for the Reapers,” Connor replied. “I think the outpost is a safe enough distance.”

“He’s just come off patrol.” Monroe frowned. “He’s not due to go back out until tonight.”

Connor shrugged. “Lydia thought it was a good idea too. Ethan needs something to keep his mind occupied. Besides, you know he’s our best sniper.”

Monroe made a low, affirmative sound, leveling a serious gaze at Shay. “I understand why you were about to attack Ethan, but you’d best avoid shifting into your wolf form while you’re among us unless we’re out in the field, fighting. There are a lot of itchy trigger fingers around here that belong to soldiers trained to shoot Guardians first and ask questions later.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Shay muttered.

“Thank you,” Anika replied. “Calla, before you left, had any of your packmates expressed discontent with their lot? If Ren was willing to take that risk for you, it would follow that others might come to our aid—with your leadership, of course.”

Would they? I thought about Mason and Nev. About Sabine. Life under the Keepers was brutal for them. They’d jump at a chance to leave, wouldn’t they?