A shiver ran through Rissa at my words. "If he was watching, wouldn't he have come for us anyway?"
I shook my head. "Not necessarily. He's been smart so far. If he suspects this is a setup, he won't risk it."
Silence stretched between us, heavy with the weight of our failure. We had put everything on the line, had risked our lives to draw the rogue out. And it had all been for nothing.
"Let’s go in," Gavin said, his tone grim. "We'll figure out another angle."
But I couldn't give up. I wouldn't. For the sake of my pack, for the sake of my daughter, I had to keep fighting. No matter how long it took, no matter what the cost. I would find a way to end this. To keep my people safe.
Chapter 27
Rissa
I tried notto be too discouraged as I walked beside Krystal and Nathan toward the inn. "I don't understand," I said. "The rogue should've taken our bait. Why didn't he show?"
Nathan's shoulders tensed, his jaw clenched tight. Frustration radiated off him. "He's smarter than we gave him credit for. Careful. Calculated."
"Which makes him even more dangerous," Krystal added grimly.
I nodded, pulse thudding in my ears. The rogue wasn't some reckless hothead. He had a plan. Butwhat?
Each step closer to the inn felt leaden. I replayed the night in my head, searching for what we missed. Some clue to the rogue's next move.
"We need to regroup," Nathan said. "Figure out his endgame before he strikes again."
"Agreed."
As we approached the inn, Erin and Ashton waited on the porch, and Elle and Bryce sat beside them, holding glasses of what looked like iced tea. Elle glanced up first, her expression unreadable.
"They were perfect angels," Erin said warmly. "Though I think Elle was convinced she could fight off a bad guy herself."
Nathan sighed heavily and rubbed his face. He turned to Elle, his tone stern. "You know better. Right?"
Elle shrugged. "It's not like I'm a little kid. I can fight." Defiance edged her casual words.
Exhaling sharply, Nathan reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. "You're thirteen. You don't need to fight." Firmness underscored his voice, but I caught the hint of worry there, too.
Iexchanged a look with Krystal, then knelt to Bryce's level. "Did you have fun?"
His face lit up. "Ashton showed me how to throw a proper punch."
Krystal groaned, but Ashton chuckled, holding his hands up in surrender. "Just a little self-defense, nothing major."
Nathan gripped Ashton's shoulder briefly. "Thanks for watching them." Rare, genuine gratitude colored his words.
Erin smiled. "Anytime."
I watched the exchange, a bittersweet ache in my chest. The kids were growing up fast, wanting to take on the world. Especially Elle. Her fire reminded me so much of myself at that age.
Part of me wanted to shield her from the dangers out there. The other part knew she needed to learn, to be ready. It was a delicate balance. One that Nathan wrestled with daily.
I shivered, the events of the night still weighing heavily. We had dodged a bullet, the kids safe and fairly oblivious. But the rogue was still out there. Plotting. Waiting.
We had to find him before he found us.
The walk back to Nathan's felt lighter somehow. Maybe it was the kids' chatter filling the night air. Maybe it was the momentary reprieve from reality, where things almost seemed normal. Almost.
Elle and Bryce walked ahead of us, their voices hushed. I strained to hear snippets of their conversation, but the words were swallowed by the gentle rustling of leaves.
