Kael arrived at Seren's camp three days after the failed assassination.
He came with fifty soldiers; wolves and humans alike, and a fury so cold it seemed to freeze the air around him. Snow clung to his armour. His eyes were hollow from lack of sleep.
Seren met him at the edge of the camp. She didn't speak. She just walked into his arms and held him.
"I told you not to come," she whispered.
"You told me. I didn't listen." His voice was rough. "Thorne is still out there. I'm not leaving until he's dead."
.
.
.
The hunt began at dawn. Seren decided to join Kael.
Kael had brought Theron's best tracker, a wolf named Brenna who could read footprints in snow like words on a page. She found Thorne's trail within an hour, leading deeper into the mountains.
"He's heading for an old mining tunnel," Brenna said. "There's a network of caves up there. He could hide for months."
"Then we flush him out." Kael turned to Seren. "You stay here."
"No."
"Seren..."
