Chapter 19

“Where did you go?” Netya asked. “Was your journey important?”

Khelt dismissed her question with a wave of his hand. “It is nothing for you to concern yourself with. Just know that our pack is safe, as are you.” From his tone it was clear that he had no desire to speak further about his business of the last two days.

He groaned and stretched, allowing Netya to unfasten his cloak and work the tension from his shoulders with her fingers. A strange sense of duty came over her in Khelt’s company. She imagined it was similar to how the others felt around him, but she couldn’t be sure whether it was due to the alpha’s natural presence or because of the role she had been given to serve him.

She had spent the last few days collecting berries and helping to prepare some of the food, yes, but those were small chores compared to the work of the hunters, the mothers, the craftspeople who made clothes and tools, or the seers who spent their time in Adel’s cave communing with th