#Chapter 119: Trust Test

Ember The border report comes on a Tuesday morning, three days after the Council approved my new position. I'm standing behind Kaine's desk reviewing patrol schedules when Jake walks in with a sealed envelope and the kind of expression that means something needs handling. He hands it to Kaine without a word, and I watch my mate's face shift as he reads — jaw tightening, brow creasing, fingers pressing hard enough into the paper to leave dents. Rogue wolves at the northern border, a small pack crossing into our territory without clearance, and the outpost commander requesting experienced trackers to investigate. I don't wait for Jake to finish his briefing before the words come out of me — "I'll go" — steady and certain, the kind of volunteer that isn't really a request. Kaine's head snaps up. He doesn't say anything right away, but the bond floods with something sharp and immediate — not anger, not quite, but something that wears anger's clothes while fear does the talking unde