Chapter 461:

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Nero’s voice changed so quickly that the warmth in his expression vanished completely. He stood close enough that I could still feel the heat of his body against mine, but he was looking at Caya as if she had just walked up to our cabin carrying a declaration of war. His shoulders stiffened, his jaw tightened, and something dangerous stirred behind his eyes. I had seen that look before. It was the Dark Alpha returning.

Caya didn’t seem frightened by it. She shifted the heavy bag higher onto her shoulder and took a slow breath. Up close, she looked worse than I had first noticed. Her hair was tangled from travel, dried mud streaked the side of one boot, and exhaustion had settled beneath her eyes. Whatever road she had taken to find us, she had traveled it quickly.

“After you left the mining town,” she said, “the Chimera soldiers came back.”

Nero’s eyes narrowed. “They came back?”

Caya nodded. “Angry.”

The air around us seemed to grow colder.

𝘚𝗁𝗮rе y𝘰𝗎𝗋 𝘵𝘩𝘰u𝗴htѕ 𝗼ո 𝘨𝘢𝗹nо𝗏𝖾𝗅𝘀.соm

“They found the place destroyed. Their prisoners were gone. Some of their soldiers were dead.” Her gaze held Nero’s. “They knew exactly who had done it.”

Nero didn’t look away. “I don’t regret what I did.”

There was no admiration in Caya’s voice this time, only exhaustion. “They couldn’t find you, so they looked for the people who had helped you.”

The knot in my stomach tightened before she even said their names.

“Drift and Sable?” I asked.

Caya nodded. “They took them.”

For several seconds, nobody spoke. Nero’s hand curled slowly into a fist. “What happened to them?”

“We don’t know. We only received a message.” Her gaze dropped briefly before she looked back at him. “The remaining Rabid Saints are next.”

Nero went very still. I could feel the change in him through our bond. His anger wasn’t wild. It was controlled, compressed into something far more dangerous.

“Where is Rook?”

“Hiding.”

His eyebrow lifted. “Rook is hiding?”

“Yes.” Caya gave a humorless laugh. “He finally decided there are some things even he isn’t stupid enough to fight head-on.”

“And you?”

“I’ve decided I’m not spending the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.” She dropped her bag onto the floor with a heavy thud. “I’m going to Moonstone to fight beside you.”

I stared at her. Caya folded her arms as if she had announced the most obvious thing in the world. “I’ll travel with you.”

My mouth opened before I could stop myself. “No.”

Caya’s eyes moved to me, and I folded my arms. “You can travel to Moonstone yourself tomorrow.”

“I can’t travel alone.”

“There are people in the village going that way.”

“I don’t trust them.”

I stared at her. “Well, that’s unfortunate.”

Nero glanced at me, and I caught the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth.

She’s ruining our honeymoon, Parrot said angrily.

I couldn’t disagree.

Caya looked back at Nero. “I need you to get to Moonstone.”

“And you will.”

“With you.”

I sighed. “Why does it have to be with him?”

“Because I trust him. He can protect me, and it’s partly his fault I’m in this situation.”

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