Xander POV
The grey wolf they had seen fall at the western gate was one of mine. His name was Orin. He'd worn my old war cloak because the night was cold and I had no use for it in wolf form. By the time I reached the gate, he'd bled out under the cloak, and three sentries had abandoned their posts after hearing I was dead.
I covered Orin's face before his mate came to claim him. Then I asked the surviving gate captain to tell me exactly how the report had spread.
"A runner from the ridge," he said. "Large brown wolf. He shifted outside the gate, showed a patrol token, and said he'd watched you fall."
"Name?"
"He called himself Bracken. We checked the token."
"Did you check the man?"
The captain had the decency to look ashamed. "We were taking wounded in through the west arch. He kn
