Rennick nods in agreement. “As much as I hated every second of that nightmare,” he starts, rubbing at his face and the exhaustion I see etched there. “I’m hoping another one unlocks soon and we can get more information. I’m so fucking tired of being in the dark.”
He’s just tired in general. Between the stress and mystery of what the memory implies and the weight of worrying about me, I know he isn’t sleeping well. I feel it when we curl up in his bed or the nest when my omega half refuses to settle. He drifts in and out, always half awake, half alert. Meanwhile, I’m sleeping better than I ever have when I’m wrapped up in his warmth and protection.
I take his hand and lace my fingers through his, drawing it down to rest in my lap.
“I’ve had this sinking feeling for days,” I admit to him, but know Seren and Rhosyn can hear too. “Maybe it’s just the weight of everything piling up at once, or maybe it’s the fact I know that dark coven is still out there—plotting—but I can’t shake this feeling that death is circling us.” Rennick’s hold on me tightens immediately, his protective instinct flaring so fast it’s almost palpable. It feels like he’s always balanced on that knife’s edge now, waiting for the moment something tries to pull me out ofhis arms. I look between all three of them. “I can’t handle losing anyone else.”
“We won’t,” Rennick answers without hesitation, his voice firm with Alpha conviction.
Rhosyn nods across the table, her green eyes holding the same steadfast faith.
“With Lowri’s wolves officially joining Pack Fallamhain,” she begins, and that still shocks me a little, still makes gratitude swell in my chest. They lost their leader. The safety of their home. Everything they knew. And now they’re putting down roots here and starting fresh. “And with Amara and her coven, and now Rook and his men up at the north border, this territory is more protected than it’s ever been.” She lifts her chin toward Rennick. “We can still put in a call to Alpha Faolan like we planned before everything…you know, fell into chaos and caught on fucking fire.”
Rennick makes a noncommittal sound before his jaw tightens. “At the very least, we should warn him about the coven. Make sure his omegas are being watched and protected.” His voice takes on an edge. “For all we know, his pack has already been targeted too.”
His anger burns hot for the coven, old and freshly stoked all at once, but the wreckage beneath it belongs to the omegas they’ve taken and killed, and it bleeds through each of his words.
“Who’s Alpha Faolan?” I ask.
Before anyone can answer, Seren stands abruptly. Ivey stirs against her chest, the baby’s face scrunching as soft, fussy sounds start to build. Seren rubs her back and bounces gently, eyes apologetic.
“Shit, sorry, guys. I need to get her back,” she tells us, already half turned away from the table. “Noa, let me know how the rest of Elio’s visit goes. And if you find out anything else about whatever the hell is happening out at that shed.” Her eyes holdmine as she reminds me, “Thalassa thought whatever it is was important. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have bothered leaving that memory as one of the first ones for you to remember.”
“You’re right,” I tell her, brow furrowing a little at the way she’s already moving away from us. “I’ll check in with you later, Ser.”
She leaves, but something feels so off about the abruptness of it. I frown at her back.
Weird. What the hell was that?
Once she’s gone, Rhosyn turns back to me. “Alpha Faolan is based in Montana,” she explains. “From what I’ve heard, he’s a pretty intense dude and his pack is a little more…” Her mouth twists as she searches for the right word. “Beastly?”
Rennick’s broad shoulders lift. “Anything I know about Pack Faolan comes from other people, so take it for what it’s worth. But from what I’ve heard, they’re strong believers in letting their wolf instincts and natures lead. They’re not at all interested in fitting into human society and live pretty isolated up in the mountains—even more than we are. Alpha Faolan is five or so years older than me, and I’ve only crossed paths with him once at a pack summit. Never spoke to him. But his territory is one of the largest in the region, and we thought he might make a solid ally.”
I nod slowly, letting the information settle.
I’ve heard a lot of names over the years at the sanctuary. Omegas arrive with their stories, and the names woven into those stories tend to linger. The alphas who hurt them. The packs they came from before everything went wrong. I can list dozens without trying. But Faolan…
“I’ve never heard that pack name before,” I tell them. “If his omegas are being targeted too, none of them have made it to me.” My chest aches at the thought. “But giving him a heads-up is the right thing to do. For his omegas’ sake. The more preparedpeople are, the fewer will end up carrying the same scars as Siggy, Elio, and Hattie.”
My work has always begun after the breaking. After the violence has carved its mark and all that’s left is the choice between enduring or surrendering to the wreckage. I know how to mend, how to help these souls survive the aftermath. But if there’s even a narrow window of opportunity where I can stand in front of the harm instead of behind it—where I can try to prevent it before it starts—I won’t turn it down.
“I’m going to head back to my office and go through my contact list,” Rhosyn decides, standing from the bench. “We need to warn as many packs as we can now that we know who’s behind this.”
“Good call,” Rennick tells her.
“I’ll keep you updated,” she says over her shoulder as she heads for the door.
The lodge grows quiet around us. Rennick and I sit together for a few moments, each lost in our own thoughts. Planning. Worrying. Processing.
Then he nudges me gently and tips his chin toward my laptop. “What are you working on?”
I sigh and wake the screen up. “When we left Ashvale, we packed what we could, but some of our supplies are pretty barebones. Hattie and Elio need more nesting materials and clothes.” Especially since it looks like both Nightingales will be flying the coop sooner than later, Elio to Gareth and Corbin, and Hattie to the cabin shared with the Craddock wolves she’s grown close with. “And the general store here doesn’t carry what they need. I’m also low on some herbs and ingredients I usually keep on hand. Zora doesn’t have any, and I’d normally just restock at the apothecary, but that’s not an option right now. I was checking to see if Silverthorne carried what I’m looking for anywhere.”
Rennick scrolls through the listings. “You probably won’t find the medicinal stuff you want there, but there’s a big box store about two hours from town. They’ve got a decent nesting section. Clothes and basics too. We send people there a couple times a month to load up when we’re between flown-in shipments.”
That store definitely wasn’t there when I was growing up here. Back then, getting to something remotely like that was a whole-day ordeal, and I dreaded every minute of it.
“Can we go?”
