Chapter 84

Ronan's POV

The Warden refuge had been abandoned for years. The kitchen smelled of cold ash, and someone had hung a bundle of mountain herbs above the hearth so long ago that it crumbled when Grimm brushed past it. Two small sleeping rooms were separated by a thick stone wall. Alden had told me this place was meant to keep a patrol warm if the northern road closed. He hadn't told me why no pack link reached it.

I tested that first. I stood in the courtyard and called to Tamsin. No answer came. When I stepped back beneath the southern arch, I heard a faint burst of voices, then nothing. I felt relief at not having anyone else's private thoughts forced into mine. It lasted until I realized I was still listening for Mara.

I made a fire, heated water, and opened the door to the second sleeping room. Its bed was narrow but clean beneath a folded wool