Ayla's POV
I almost didn't go.
Even after I opened the door and stepped outside, the cold rushing against my skin sharp and immediate, I stood there with my boots planted in the snow and the packhouse at my back and thought about turning around.
It would have been easy. I could have climbed back into bed, pulled the blanket up, and let the silence swallow the note, the cupcake, and all of it.
That was the problem, actually. No one would have stopped me.
"They'd notice," Tala said. "At least two of them would. Ryker is still working on basic observation skills, but the other two would know."
"I don't care," I said.
"You do," she replied, quieter now. "You always have. Even when you pretend you're made of stone."
I didn't argue. My feet were already moving.
They were waiting near th
