Wren's pov
Maribel pushed me into the cooking space and locked the thin bar. My hands kept shaking bad. Growls came from outside. They moved far then near then far again.
"Sit now," Maribel said. "You look ready to fall."
"I cannot sit. Kade is still outside. Grier is too."
"Grier faced harder things than one dark shape in the trees. Your leader did the same." She put a warm cup in my hands. "Drink this. Give your body something else to do."
I did not drink. I stood by the glass and watched the black yard for any sign of them. The outside sounds stopped after a while. The quiet felt worse than the noise.
The door opened about ten minutes later. Kade came in with his shirt ripped at the top. A small cut on his arm was already healing. Grier walked behind him and limped on one side.
