VALIK POV
The question should’ve been simple.
It wasn’t.
It meant: How long was I gone? How far did they take me? How much did I lose while I was missing?
I stepped forward before my pack could start answering over each other.
“Trig.”
Trig appeared from the trees like he’d been carved out of them. He didn’t puff up with pride. Didn’t try to claim glory. He simply inclined his head once, acknowledging both the praise and the reality.
“I found the trail,” he said. “Lost it at water. Picked up enough to get us close.”
Maethys looked at him properly for the first time. Her eyes narrowed slightly—not hostile, assessing.
“Thank you,” she said, and it was blunt, honest, the way she did everything.
Trig shrugged like it was nothing. Like it wasn’t the reason she was standing in front of
