The reply came faster than any of us expected.
I was in the smaller training yard near the east wing when the runner found me. A young scout, out of breath, eyes wide with the kind of urgency that didn’t belong to a routine report. He stopped short when he saw me and immediately looked for Asher, who was already crossing the grounds at a sharp pace.
“Ridge path,” the scout said once Asher reached us. “Not a probe this time. A body.”
The air went still.
Asher’s voice dropped into pure command. “Whose.”
“One of ours. Border runner named Pell. Throat cut. Clean. Message left with him.” The scout swallowed. “It’s addressed to the Alpha… and to her.”
Every head that had started to turn toward the commotion now fixed on me. I felt the weight of it settle across my shoulders and forced my b
