Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 171 - Chapitre 178

The last eastern access group came back before dark.I watched them cross through the gate.Nobody was running.That felt important.The older wolf from yesterday walked near the middle of the group with his two children beside him. The younger one carried a wooden box against his chest. His sister had a bag slung over one shoulder that looked far too large for her.Ronan came through last.I looked at him.“Well?”He glanced behind him.“Everyone came back.”“That sounded almost positive.”“Don’t get used to it.”I smiled.The older wolf stopped when he reached me.“Thank you.”I immediately wanted to tell him we had only managed one day.Instead I looked at the children.“Did you get what you needed?”His son lifted the wooden box.“My things.”His father looked down at him.“You own three things.”“I needed all of them.”His sister rolled her eyes.The man looked back at me.“We checked the house. Secured the windows. Took some clothes.”“Anything wrong?”“Nothing new.”Not safe.N

Ezra’s POVThe three-day review of the eastern access was supposed to take twenty minutes.It did not.Ronan stood beside the smaller council table with a fresh patrol map spread in front of him.“The lower road is clear. The first two residential rows are clear. The workshops are usable during daylight. I’m still not opening the far eastern strip overnight.”Aurora looked at the map.“Why?”“Tree cover is too dense behind the last six houses. We found two damaged boundary markers yesterday and one trail I don’t like.”“Victor?”“No.”She looked up.“You’re sure?”“No.”Aurora nodded once.“Then we treat it as a security problem until we know what it is.”I should have been looking at the map.Instead, I was watching her.There had been a time when Aurora would have softened that answer. Added something. Asked whether everyone agreed.She did none of it.Ronan tapped the cleared section.“These households can go back.”Vivian slid another sheet across the table.“Seventeen of the twen

For a few seconds, I could only sit there.Then I looked at Ezra.“What made you look at this?”“Mum.”Maren raised an eyebrow. “That is not entirely accurate.”Ezra ignored her.“After the meeting today, I asked what was left.”My stomach tightened.“Left?”“For you.”I stared at him.“I asked what was left before formal recognition.”

Ezra’s POVAurora shut my office door behind her.“Vivian disappeared into the archives.”I put down the report in my hand.“Did she find anything?”“No.”She crossed the room.“Which is apparently making her angrier.”“That sounds like Vivian.”“She found an older reference system that leads to another reference system that was reorganised under Victor.”“Of course it was.”“Exactly.”Aurora stopped beside my desk.“She wants to do it herself.”“And you hate that.”“I don’t hate it.”I waited.She sighed.“I hate that I can’t help.”There it was.I reached for her hand.She gave it to me.“You are helping.”“By doing nothing?”“By not deciding what she needs before she does.”Aurora gave me a look.“That is an irritating answer.”“I know.”“I liked you better before you became sensible.”“That never happened.”Her mouth moved.Almost a smile.I pulled her closer until she stood between my knees.For a moment, she rested one hand on my shoulder.Then she looked at the papers covering