Chapter 22. The Oath and the Claw

June's POV

I didn't go to him.

I wanted to. Some small part of me, the part that was still nine years old and halfway up a tree, wanted to wade into that black water and put my arms around him.

The rest of me remembered Tobin's side under my hands. Ribs to hip.

So I stood on the bank with Ronan's whistle in my fist and let him cry.

It didn't last long. He scrubbed his face with a wet hand, and when he lowered it, the tears were gone.

"You came," he said.

"You carved my name into a gate."

"Didn't know any other way to reach you. You came alone?"

"You can smell for yourself."

He lifted his head. His nostrils flared.

Then something like a smile pulled at the unscarred side of his mouth.

"The mountain Alpha knows his valleys," he said. "Fine. Keep him in his cut."

I kept my face still.

"You can't sm