Kael found Mira in the old hunter's cabin.It was hidden in a hollow three miles from the Rusted Stag. She had been using it as a safe house. A place to disappear when the pack got too close.She was sitting at a wooden table. A candle flickered between them. Her hands were folded. Her face was calm."You found something," she said.Kael tossed the journal onto the table. "Hale. Commander Hale. He's the traitor."Mira picked up the journal. She flipped through it. Her eyes moved quickly. Her face did not change."This is good," she said. "Very good.""You knew."Mira looked up. "I suspected. I didn't have proof.""You had proof. You just didn't share it.""I had pieces. This journal is the whole picture."Kael stared at her. She was calm. Controlled. But there was something else in her eyes. Something he had not seen before.Relief."Why didn't you tell me?" Kael asked. "Why did you let me walk into Vane's compound blind?"Mira set the journal down. She met his eyes. "Because I needed

Kael watched him. The knife was in his hand. The map was on the floor between them. The name was still there, clear in the moonlight."Start talking," Kael said.Theron swallowed. His voice was hoarse. "They have my sister."Kael went still. "Sabine?""They took her three months ago. She was on a supply run. They grabbed her and her entire escort. I got a message the next day. A human. He said if I didn't cooperate, she'd die.""Why didn't you come to me?""Because you were the Silent Fang. You would have done something. You would have tried to rescue her. And they would have killed her."Kael stared at him. His hand tightened on the knife. "So you sold me out instead.""I didn't sell you out. I gave them patrol routes. Supply caches. Weakness assessments. I never gave them your name. I never—""You wrote the schedule. You knew where I would be. You sent those wolves after me."Theron's face went white. "I didn't send them. I swear. I wrote the schedule, but I didn't tell anyone. I di

Kael stood in the shadows of the Rusted Stag.The building was alive with activity. Humans moved in and out. Voices drifted through the walls. The smell of alcohol and smoke filled the air.Vera stood beside him. She had given him a coat. Human clothes. A disguise."Remember," she said. "You're a rogue wolf looking for work. You've already met Vane. He knows you. He might trust you enough to bring you inside.""And if he doesn't?""Then you run. Fast."Kael looked at the building. At the guards at the door. At the weapons they carried."I'm not running," he said.He walked toward the entrance.---The guards recognized him. They let him pass.Inside, the bar was crowded. Humans. Wolves. Rogues. Traders. The air was thick with smoke and tension.Vane was at the back. He was sitting at a table with three other men. They were talking. Laughing. Counting money.Kael walked to the table. Vane looked up."You're back," Vane said. His voice was neutral. "I thought you'd run.""I needed time

The Rusted Stag was alive with shadows.Kael stood at the edge of the courtyard. The building loomed before him. Lights flickered in the windows. Voices drifted through the walls. Laughter mixed with the clink of glasses.Voss stood beside him. His face was pale. His hands were trembling."Remember," Kael said. "You're introducing me as a new recruit. A rogue wolf looking for work."Voss nodded. His throat moved. "And if they ask questions?""Let me handle the questions. Just get me in."Voss walked toward the entrance. Kael followed.---The guards at the door recognized Voss. They let him pass. They looked at Kael with narrowed eyes but said nothing.Inside, the bar was crowded. Humans. Wolves. Rogues. Traders. The air was thick with smoke and tension.Vane was at the back. He was sitting at a table with four other men. They were talking in low voices. Counting money.Voss approached the table. Kael stayed a step behind."Vane," Voss said. "I brought someone you should meet."Vane l

Kael woke to fire in his arm.The silver had spread. He could feel it in his chest now. A cold weight pressing against his heart. The fever was back. His vision blurred at the edges.He pushed himself up. The fallen log was still beside him. The valley was dark. The moon was low.He had maybe two days left. Maybe less.He needed to find Mira. She had more of the cure. She had to.He pushed himself to his feet. His legs shook. His arm was a dead weight.He walked.---He found her at the old hunter's cabin. She was sitting at the table. The candle was burning. She was waiting."You look terrible," she said."I feel terrible."She gestured to the chair. He sat. She reached into her coat and pulled out a vial. Clear liquid. Identical to the others."Drink this," she said. "It will slow the poison."Kael took the vial. He uncorked it. He drank.The bitterness was familiar. The warmth spread through his chest. The fever receded. His vision cleared."Two days," Mira said. "Maybe three. That