KAEL
“So you believe Varik left the High Wilds and killed your brother,” the alpha on the screen said.
Calder’s face filled the monitor. Unlike most wolves I had known, and most I had seen living this far inside the High Wilds, he kept his hair cut close to his scalp. Not just trimmed. Maintained.
The kind of cut that required daily effort. It told me he cared about control. About order. His expression stayed guarded, openly distrustful, but there was a quiet pull in his gaze. Interest. He wanted to hear the rest, even if he didn’t want to admit it.
If Calder had been Varik’s second, then trusting him would have been foolish. Torin had been clear about that. Calder hadn’t climbed through loyalty or respect.
He had climbed by waiting. By watching Varik closely and learning his weakn
