Chapter Ninety – Smoke and Shadows
Morning sunlight filtered through the high windows of Rowan’s office, casting long lines across the war table that took up most of the space. Maps were spread out across the surface, red pins marking rogue sightings, troop movements, and the last known locations of both Elia and Rhea. Rowan stood at the head of the table, his hands braced on the wood as he studied it all with a deep frown.
“We’re missing something,” he muttered, more to himself than the others.
Luther stood to his right, arms folded and expression hard. “She’s not leaving a trail. Either she’s moving through rogue territory too carefully to be tracked, or… she’s getting help.”
“Both,” Kalen said grimly, his fingers tapping a slow rhythm against the edge of the table. “Elia was trained in shadow work before she came to us. And if Rhea really had access to our internal defenses, it makes sense they’re staying one step ahead.”
“I still don’t like that we’ve gone this long without a trace,” Liam added from Rowan’s left. His voice was smoother, more thoughtful. “And it doesn’t sit right that Elia disappeared right after Giselle escaped. She wasn’t just hiding from you. She was hiding from someone else, too.”
Rowan straightened, jaw tight as he circled the table.
“She knew what she did to Giselle was wrong,” he said. “But she wasn’t acting on her own. Someone put her up to luring Giselle out of that cell. I think Rhea used her—maybe even threatened her.”
Kalen nodded. “And now Elia’s running, thinking someone’s going to come after her. We need to make it clear that we want answers, not vengeance.”
Rowan’s eyes met Kalen’s. “That’s assuming she’s not still working with Rhea.”
“She was scared, Rowan,” Liam added. “Sylah told me she tried to come clean before everything blew up. I think we have to consider that she’s hiding because she regrets it—and doesn’t know if she’ll be met with mercy or punishment.”
Silence stretched for a moment. Rowan hated mercy. Not because he didn’t believe in it—because it was unpredictable. Uncontrollable.
But Giselle believed in it.
“Fine,” he said at last. “We assume she’s on the run and not trying to lead us into a trap. We start combing the outer ridge near the boundary to Silverwind territory. If she’s trying to stay off grid, she’d go through those cliffs.”
Kalen moved to mark the area on the map. “We’ll send out two teams. Keep it small. You, me, and Luther on one. Liam and his men on the other.”
Rowan looked toward the window, jaw clenched.
“I want Rhea found. Alive.”
Luther raised a brow. “Alive?”
“She needs to answer for everything she’s done,” Rowan growled. “If we just kill her, we never get the full story. And I’m not leaving another threat out there unanswered.”
He thought of Giselle’s face, soft in sleep beside him that morning. The steady rise and fall of her chest. The peace in her eyes that she’d fought so damn hard to earn.
He would burn down every forest and rip apart every hiding place if that’s what it took to keep her safe.
Even if that meant showing restraint.
For now.
A firm knock echoed through the room just as Kalen finished marking the cliff path near Silverwind. Rowan lifted his head from the map, already scenting who it was.
The door creaked open, and Charlie poked her head inside, her golden hair pulled up in a messy bun and a hint of curiosity lighting her eyes.
“Busy?” she asked, voice light but edged with interest.
Rowan gestured her in with a nod. “Always.”
As she stepped into the room, her mates moved instantly toward her. Luther’s arm curled protectively around her waist, while Liam took her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. Rowan couldn’t help but smirk slightly at the way they flanked her like living shadows.
She came up to the edge of the table, her gaze flicking to the men in the room and then settling on the map. “What are you all working on?”
“Elia,” Rowan said plainly. “Or more accurately, how to find her. We've got nothing on Rhea, but we think Elia may lead us to her.”
Charlie stepped closer, her brows knitting together as she studied the red pins scattered across the parchment. She took her time, her lips pressing into a thoughtful line before she pointed at a narrow path sketched faintly through the mountain woods on the eastern border—one none of them had circled.
“Here,” she said. “If she wanted to vanish and had help doing it, this is the route I’d take.”
Luther leaned over her shoulder, frowning. “That’s a drop zone. Hard terrain. No safe shelter along the path.”
“Exactly,” she replied. “Which means no patrols. No wandering warriors. Elia’s smart, and scared. She wouldn’t want to risk running into anyone.”
Kalen leaned over and nodded slowly. “It’s a long shot, but it makes sense. That trail is old, barely used since the fire seasons three years back. We stopped clearing it after the rogue raids moved west.”
Rowan studied Charlie’s face, watching how her confidence didn’t waver under their scrutiny. His sister had come a long way from the frightened, silent girl who had once been torn from their family.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
She looked up at him and nodded once. “If she’s alive, and she wants to stay hidden—this is where I’d go.”
Rowan turned his attention back to the map, fingers pressing into the edge as possibilities unfolded in his mind. “Then that’s where we’ll look.”
He reached for a fresh pin and drove it into the map along the trail Charlie had marked. His wolf stirred beneath his skin, sensing the shift. A clearer direction. A place to begin.
"Good work," Rowan said, looking back at her. “You’ve got an eye for this.”
Charlie grinned, her expression softening for a moment before she leaned into Luther’s side.
“We’re going to find her,” Liam said, eyes steady. “And when we do, the rest will fall into place.”
Rowan didn’t say it, but he hoped Liam was right. Because if this path didn’t lead to answers, it meant Rhea was more dangerous—and more hidden—than any of them had realized.
And Rowan was done being caught off guard.
“Let’s move,” Rowan ordered. “We ride out at first light.”
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