I find Iris in the west library, a room that still smells faintly of cedar and candle wax instead of death and ruin. She’s surrounded by stacks of old tomes and maps, half of them open, half scattered across the floor. Her eyes are pinched at the sides, deepening the wrinkles around them, like she’s trying to will the right page to appear.
She doesn’t look up when I enter, though I know she’s already aware I’m here. “You’re stomping,” she says absently, flipping a page. “Which means you’re either furious or about to do something stupid. After last night, probably both.”
My rumbling chest is her only confirmation.
“Good,” she murmurs. “Consistency suits you.”
She stays hunched over a book, looking exhausted. Her graying hair is knotted, her eyes bruised with sleeplessness, and there’s a cup of untouched tea cooling near her elbow.
“Tell me you’ve found something,” I say, stepping closer.
“I’ve found a lot of nothing.” She gestures at the open map. “I’ve been tracing ley lines and residual magic flows from the battle, trying to figure out what energy Rowan tapped into. Maybe if we can understand the source of her Ashmark power, then we can find someone to track her more easily. But half of this garbage has led me nowhere. The others twist back toward the northern mountains.”
“Glacier Crest territory.”
Her mouth tightens. “Yes. And before you ask, I’ve already reached out to my contacts in the packs that border that region. No one’s seen anything, or at least no one’s willing to admit they have. Liz told me about The Keep. Same thing there. Nobody’s saying a word.” She exhales sharply, muttering, “I’ve bribed, threatened, and even baked—nothing loosens a wolf’s tongue like pie—but apparently terror does the trick to silence them.”
I blink, not buying into her twisted humor, waiting for her to continue.
She looks up, eyes narrowing. “Either the ghost who took our girl is exactly that, or he’s more powerful than we’ve yet to realize. And before you say it—yes, I even attempted to summon him by muttering his name a few times. Didn’t work. The walls just creaked, and my tea went cold.”
I drag a hand through my hair, pacing. “I’ve surmised all that from Taren as well, and it seems to be the latter. Malrik has been hiding for who knows how long, and he wants Rowan for something, but nobody knows what.” I stop and look out the window, watching as a few of my old pack members make rounds now that it seems the cleanup from the battle is done. “I’m going to find her, Iris.”
“I know.” She closes one of the books with a snap. “He’s somewhere the earth hums. That kind of power doesn’t stay quiet, even when cloaked. Make sure you don’t let your rage distract you. I bet that son of a biscuit is counting on it. You have to stay alert and in control. You have to bring Rowan home.”
I stare at the maps. The twisting lines of ink make my eyes ache. “I won’t come back until I have her.”
“Good,” she says, then stands before adding, “I’d say take the ferret-turned-beast, but Archie left hours ago. He has a head start on you. Though it doesn’t much matter who finds Rowan, as long as she’s breathing when we do.”
My head snaps toward her. “What?”
“He picked up a faint trail, something that smelled like Rowan andfrost magic, as he called it. Said he could follow it.” Iris’s lips press into a thin line. “He wasn’t waiting for permission, and I wasn’t going to stop him.”
I grab her by the throat before I can think better of it. “What is it with you people leaving the most important information for last?”
“See? There’s that temper of yours.” Her voice gurgles. “My bet’s on the ferret.”
I release her with a shove, sending her stumblingback into the chair. It would be a waste of my time to kill her. I’ve already lost enough of that.
“I’m leaving.”
“Don’t get lost in the mountains,” she calls, then, quieter, she adds, “Or maybe do.”
My pulse hammers as I stride down the main corridor, boots echoing off the marble. I have nothing to take—nothing I need—because according to Taren, there’s nothing that can stop Malrik.
We will, my wolf says with a snarl.
We don’t have a choice,I answer.
From what I’ve heard about this sorcerer, I hope getting Rowan out is still an option. The look of devastation when she left, though… It reminds me that I have to be prepared for a different outcome.
I’ve never been one to fall in line, especially with those who have ill-intent…but for my mate, I just might. If that’s what I have to do to keep her.
I’d rather be someone’s puppet than live without her. Full stop.
The front doors loom ahead, tall and sure, unlike the rest of this place. Pale light cuts through the windows, painting the cracked floor in stripes of yellow and orange. I grab the handle—cold metal biting into my palm—and the instant I pull, two shadows fall across the threshold.
Liz leans against the doorway, leather-clad and smirking like she’s been waiting for this exact moment. Elias stands beside her, calmer, but his stance says all I need to know.
