Chapter 244

Lily's Perspective The tension visibly drained from Ethan's shoulders, and from my brother Keith’s, whose usual “the sky can fall, someone taller will catch it” demeanor masks the fact he worries more than anyone. Even the stubborn stress pimples on Keith’s jaw had receded. Their patrols became less frequent, shorter, with more responsibility passed to the younger cubs to learn the borders and hone their senses. As Keith put it: “We can’t rely on our old noses forever. New blood needs to learn how to mark its own territory.” We all knew why. It wasn’t that the Hunters had suddenly found peace. The chaos Jacob and Celena had stumbled into was like a bleeding chunk of fresh meat, holding the rapt attention of every hyena and vulture that had caught the scent. It was a relief, but a heavy, damp piece of wood seemed lodged in the pit of my stomach. Sometimes, in the dead quiet before dawn, I’d have nightmares about them. Not specific scenes, but a feeling—a cold, clingi