We walk for just over fifteen minutes, and finally the familiar smell of the camp hits me—smoke, sweat, and wet fur mingling with the metallic tang of blood and iron. A moment later, I see rising smoke and the tops of the tents over the next hill.
Aurelia’s eyes go wide, taking in the enormous war camp sprawled across a clear patch in the center of a snowy field. Hundreds of canvas tents, their surfaces stained with smoke and weathered to a dull gray-brown, are lined up in neat concentric circles like the rings of a tree. The occasional lantern flickers between the rows, but most of the light comes from the middle of the smallest circle of tents, where an enormous bonfire roars, sending a column of orange sparks spiraling into the night sky. That fire will stay constantly lit, day and night, until the camp finally packs up and moves to their next location.
A strange pang hits me in the chest—it’s something between longing and anxiety. I never thought I’d see one of those fires again.
As we get closer, I can see the grey dots of wolves circling the perimeter, and soldiers in their two-legged forms milling around, cleaning and sharpening weapons, drinking, or silently conversing with one another. They all stop to stare as we walk down the hill and through the middle of the camp, Viktor in the lead. Dozens of curious gazes slide from me to Aurelia, thenlinger on her. A low hum of muttering rises in the back of my head, and my throat goes dry.
They know she’s not one of us. She’s not safe here.
My entire body goes tense as Viktor leads us to a large canvas tent with unfamiliar blue and gold banners hanging on the outside.
“Wait here,”he says to me in my mind. Then, glancing at Aurelia with disdain, he repeats himself out loud. “Wait here.”
I let out a breath as Viktor ducks into the tent.
Beside me, Aurelia shifts nervously. “What the hell is happening?”
I wince. Even that single comment would have been heard by practically the entire camp. I know I told her that wolves don’t speak out loud, but maybe I didn’t explain exactly how quiet these camps are, or how good shifter hearing is. I shoot her a glare that I hope conveys the need for her to stay silent, then say a prayer that, for once in her life, she doesn’t do the opposite of what I’m telling her out of sheer spite.
“Come in,”Viktor’s snide voice calls to me in my mind.
I step forward, my fingertips brushing against the rough canvas as I lift the tent flap, and reach back with my free hand to guide Aurelia through. I’m tense, ready for a fight, but as I step inside my eyes widen with shock and recognition. “Kai,” I blurt out loud.
Viktor’s lip curls at my verbal outburst, but Kai’s scarred face breaks into a wide smile.
My old friend crosses the tent in three long strides and clasps my shoulder with a firm grip, touching his forehead briefly to mine in the old wolf greeting.“Fuck, I thought you’d gone and died on me.”
“Almost did,”I reply, surprised by the smile pulling at my own lips.“Figured you were long gone yourself.”
“Not yet.”He grins.“Came close a few times.”
“I see that.”
I release him and Kai steps back, hand flying to the scar on his face, which stretches from his left temple, across his eye and nose, and disappears into his beard on the opposite side. His left eye is slightly unfocused beneath its scarred lid. His smile widens.“Must have happened thirty years ago now. I lost the vision in this eye, but I’ve still got the other one. I hardly even notice it anymore.”
I nod. Fuck, it really has been half a lifetime since I last saw him.“That’s not the only thing that’s changed,”I comment, unable to hide my shock as I glance around the tent.“You’re the alpha.”
Kai nods, clearly reading my surprise and taking no offense from it.“It’s a long story, but I want to hear yours first. What the hell are you doing back here?”
I open my mouth to explain, and find myself at a loss for words. It’s too much to summarize so quickly—the years in Dyaspora and eventual escape, my friends in Vernallis, the royal army, Aurelia…
When I say nothing, Kai’s eyes shift to Aurelia. His gaze travels from her face down to her boots, then back up again, lingering on her throat hidden behind the hood of her cloak. My fingers curl into my palms, nails digging half-moons into the flesh, and I feel my upper lip begin to pull back from my teeth before I force it still.
Kai’s eyes snap back to me, his mouth curving into a knowing grin. His eyebrows lift slightly as he glances between us, and a low rumble of understanding vibrates in his chest. Without breaking eye contact, he tilts his head almost imperceptibly toward Aurelia, then pointedly touches two fingers to his throat.
I give a single, sharp nod, and mirror the gesture, fingers brushing my own throat. Out of respect, Kai takes a pointed step back.
“No shit,”Kai says. Even in my head his tone is incredulous.“How is that possible?”
“I honestly don’t know,”I reply.
He cocks his head, and his eyes flash with an almost manic interest.“Could it be because you were outside the borders of Thermia?”
I grimace.“Maybe.”
Fuck me, I’m going to hell for this.
Clearly, this entire exchange is too much for Viktor. “This is impossible. She’s a fucking witch!” he snaps out loud.
