Ragnar POV
"Why?" my mother asked again, when I didn't answer immediately.
I straightened beside her bed, choosing my words. “She's connected to this pack through the mate bond," I said. "Her disappearance creates certain complications that require resolution."
Helena studied my face for a long moment, her eyes carrying an intensity that made me distinctly uncomfortable despite her physical frailty.
"Complications," she repeated.
"Yes," I said.
"Not concerned for her safety," Helena continued. "Don't worry that something terrible might have happened to her, alone and unprotected beyond our borders. Simply... complications."
The word felt hollow the more times it was repeated back to me, first by Kieran, now by my own mother, both apparently recognizing something in my justification
