By the time I returned to the pack house, I had already arranged my face into something unreadable. Wolves stood in small groups along the corridor, their conversations lowering the moment I passed. News traveled faster than loyalty in this place. I did not slow down to acknowledge anyone. If they wanted confirmation of whatever they had heard, they would not get it from a hallway performance.
I walked straight to my chambers, replaying my conversation with Darien in my head. He claimed he did not know about any child. He claimed someone was blocking access to the woman. He claimed he would handle it. I believed he believed himself. That was not the same as certainty.
I pushed open my door without knocking, already loosening the clasp of my coat. The door shut behind me, and I took two s
