His eyes met mine, strained and uncertain.

“We don’t have much time,” I said. “How did you get ahead of the others?”

He glanced in the direction from which we’d come. “There was an uproar when they found Flynn’s body, but I caught your scent and took off. The rest of them were still regrouping. My father’s pack. The elder Banes.”

He tensed and cold flooded my limbs.

“What about the Nightshades?” I asked.

“They’re being held for questioning.”

“What happened in Vail?” I had to pull away from Shay, needing to get my bearings.

No one answered me, and I fought off a chill like the one I’d felt the night of our escape.

Right now I couldn’t afford to be consumed by the fear of what might or might not have befallen my packmates. Unwavering strength and steel resolve were my best—no, my only—shots at helping them.

“What about the fight? How did you find us? Did you kill Bosque Mar?”

Connor laughed. “Kill Bosque Mar. No one can kill that thing.”

“Thing?” Shay’s eyebrows went up. “What do you mean, thing?”

“No one can kill Bosque Mar yet,” Monroe said, looking at Shay before speaking to me. “We’re still trying to determine what’s happening in Vail.”

“Do you know anything?”

“Watch your tone, wolfie,” Ethan said, adjusting the crossbow slung over his shoulder. “If it weren’t for us, you’d have bled out in that library.”

“You were the reason I was bleeding out in the library!” I lunged forward, remaining human but grabbing Ethan by the jacket and slamming him onto the tabletop. Leaning down, I made sure he was looking straight at my fangs. “Don’t ever tell me to watch my tone; you have no idea who you’re dealing with.”

“Calla!” Monroe was at my side, pulling me off Ethan. “Please, this isn’t necessary.”

Ethan jumped up. “The hell? You’d better curb your dog, Monroe.”

I smirked. “And you’d better learn not to call me a dog.”

The girl who’d been in the room with Shay when we first arrived began to laugh. “Nice.”

“Go to hell, Ariadne.” Ethan was still livid.

“Language.” Ariadne clucked her tongue.

“We need Calla,” Monroe said, unflinching despite Ethan’s glare. “This isn’t negotiable.”

“There’s that, and she’s right,” Connor added, eyeing me warily but with an admiring grin. “You did shoot a bunch of bolts into her.”

“This is bullshit,” Ethan said. “First negotiating with this kid and now the wolf. We’re better than this.”

“The kid is the Scion.” Monroe held Ethan in a steady gaze. “And an alpha wolf could be the key to winning this war.”

Ethan snorted. “The Scion hasn’t done anything for us, and no way are wolves winning this war. This is our fight and they are on the other side!”

“I’m sure things will be different now that Calla has joined us.” Monroe raised an eyebrow at Shay, expectant.

Shay shoved his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, I guess.”

“That’s not good enough, Shay.” A shadow of irritation flitted across Monroe’s face.

“What is he talking about?” I asked.

Shay stopped glaring at Monroe long enough to look at me. “I wouldn’t tell them anything about Vail or what we’d found in the library until you were here. Healthy, safe.”

“Oh.” Somehow I managed not to blush, but I felt a flash of heat deep in my body.

Ethan’s fists were clenched and he began to pace near Monroe. “I don’t care if he is the Scion. He’s practically a baby to our world. He needs to follow orders, not try to set terms.”

“I can leave anytime you’d like,” Shay snarled. “If I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

“There’s the door.” Ethan gestured to it.

“That’s enough! This is the way things are, Ethan,” Monroe said. “From now on. Is that clear?”

Ethan stared at him silently, then finally turned and walked to the opposite side of the room.

“Well, then,” Ariadne said. “Since I’m guessing we can’t actually talk about Vail until Anika joins us, maybe we should take care of introductions.”

She moved forward fluidly, smiling as if the tension of the room didn’t exist.

Monroe frowned at her. “Introductions?”

“Of course,” she said. “You seem to have forgotten this is my big debut. With all the excitement about Shay here, no one cares. But I’ve been ordered to report to you, Monroe.” She slapped the sheaves of paper against his chest. “I trust you’re satisfied with my completion of the Academy training. I’m ready for my assignment with the Haldis team.”

He sighed when he took the documents. “Yes, Ariadne. Congratulations on completing your examinations. We couldn’t be more proud to have you on board.”

She offered him the imitation of a smile.

“It’s just Adne now,” she grumbled. “The whole name is such a mouthful.”

“If you insist. You’ve completed your training at an astonishing speed, and you did receive the highest commendations from your trainers,” Monroe said. “You can have your pick of assignments.”