Page 70 of Fire Touched

Elga nods, actually understanding my frustration. ‘Because we cannot help those who have left us, only those who remain. Killian, I’m sorry. I know this pains you, but I can’t give you more than that. Even our official records have been locked up tight. You won’t get the answers you seek. I suggest you make peace—’

‘Would you?’ I rise to my feet, my heart hammering painfully in my chest. The quiet has fallen away. Now, everything seems loud, too noisy, my blood roaring in my ears. ‘I have no memories of my mother! She was taken from me before I could remember her face!’

Elga’s lower lip quivers. ‘I’m sorry.’ Her voice breaks, a fresh wave of tears spilling over her cheeks.

I shake my head. ‘What are you protecting that could be so fucking important?’

Elga flinches, but says nothing.

I exhale. I want to believe this woman hasn’t done me any wrong. That, for whatever reason, she has to protect something important to her. But I don’t know. I don’t even know that. She could be a part of this. ‘Were you there that night?’ I whisper. ‘In the hall?’

Elga covers her mouth, devastated. She squeezes her eyes shut. ‘Killian.’ She’s never said my name before. ‘Please. Please, just go. Please.’ She covers her face with her hands.

And I feel like a huge bully, making this woman relive such pain.

But it’s my pain, too.

Even our records are locked up tight.

Maybe I don’t have to push her. I just have to find those records.

*scene break**

The rest of the day is an exercise in patience: watching guard rotations around the alpha estate, wondering if I could walk right inside without having a reason to be there. The alpha estate is vast—hell, it fit a whole great hall in there without us noticing—so it’s my best bet. Verron, the alpha, has an office in there. The records I’m after could be in a drawer in his desk for all I know.

Or it could be in one of potentially a hundred other rooms in that building.

Which could be locked or spelled against admittance.

I watch the outside of the building all day, looking for patterns in the guards’ movements. I’ve come to learn their names during my visits.

Haldreg—the guy who saved our asses when Timmen attacked—appears to be the lead guard or head of security type person, but I don’t see much of him. He only appears at the change of rotation every two hours for a few minutes to address the new guards on the front watch.

There are two guards posted at the entrance.

I circle the building carefully. Two on the south side. Two on the north. Two at the east.

Four entrances, all guarded. And I have to assume that each guard has kick-ass earth-moving, root-stabbing abilities that I can only match with a blade and my ability to burn. Which would not save my hide if they wanted to open up a chasm in the ground and shove me into it for trying to break into the building which protects their leadership.

It takes me the rest of the day, carefully circling, for me to come to a reasonable conclusion.

That this is a monumentally bad idea.

As the sun begins to set, I wonder if the guard posts will change again. My stomach rumbles, and I will it to shut up.

I lean against the tree, still hiding in the cover of the forest. I don’t want to break Verron’s trust by doing this. I don’t want to upset the people of Terran more than I already have. It’s not a good way to build a friendship with Earth Pack, that’s for sure.

As dusk settles, I lower myself to the ground, leaning against a solid tree, nestled into a small hollow between its roots. I lean back, staring up. It’s huge, towering over many of the others. ‘You’ve been here a long time,’ I muse, talking to the tree. ‘You’re as likely to tell me what happened to my mother as anyone else, aren’t you?’ My voice catches and I close my eyes.

Maybe it really is time for us leave. With the barrier up, fearing Julian’s retaliation, there isn’t much room left to run as a wolf. It’s been a while since I shifted, and I’m feeling antsy. Local wolves seem content with the space they have, but not me.

Tears well in my eyes. Katherine wants to go to Air Pack to offer to hold hands and be friends. We can’t even do that here. Not only has someone tried to kill me yesterday, and attacked the others, but they won’t give me a single answer about my mother and father when they were here.

If Elga’s right, and Katherine and Carter’s fate really is to unite the four packs and two covens, I’m afraid they’re in over their heads.

‘That’s a nice bracelet.’

I whirl to stare up at the face barely discernible in the darkness. My first thought is that Timmen has escaped his cell, and come to finish the job. But no. This is someone else. ‘Are you trying to give me a heart attack?’

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