Maybe not,” I said. “But it holds *now*. And until we find a way to cut the curse at its root, isn’t ‘now’ worth something?”
Rowan’s eyes sharpened.
“You’ve been reading,” he said quietly. “In the archives.”
“Yes,” I said.
Maera frowned.
“What have you found?” she asked warily.
“Enough to know this isn’t the first time a witch has dangled power in front of desperate wolves,” I said. “Enough to know she likes to work from the shadows, through rogue packs and borderlands.”
“And enough to terrify you,” Holt muttered.
“Enough to give me direction,” I corrected.
Holt waved a hand.
“Fine,” he said. “Read your stories. Light your hands on fire. None of that changes the fact that we must manage optics. If other packs catch a whiff of how deep this has sunk its teeth into him—”
“You thin
