24. August

24

August

I shouldn’t have acted the way I did yesterday, ordering Elisabed around and telling her she couldn’t leave the house. I felt like a controlling prick, and deservedly so.

I knew it had caused something to change between us. She hadn’t said anything, but I could see it in her eyes.

I did have good intentions—I was only trying to protect her and keep her safe—but I wasn’t going about it the right way. By being too controlling, I was hurting her feelings and disrespecting her. I didn’t know how to strike the right balance.

I was also worried about the thought of Elisabed’s sister being here. I couldn’t shake the suspicion that the girl might be a spy. Or worse, that she had been sent to lure Elisabed away, to pull her from the safety of our territory and into Raol’s reach. If that was true, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down for a second.

I’d spent the entire night prowling the settlement, my senses on high alert, trying to catch wind of any movement, any whispers of her sister. I knew it was a long shot—Raol wouldn’t just send his people in like that, not without some level of caution—but I wasn’t taking any chances. The town was big enough to make picking up any clear traces hard. I kept my distance, blending into the shadows, staying out of sight, hoping for some kind of lead.

But nothing happened. There was no sign of her sister.

By morning, I was already too worn out to be fully functional, but the urgency was still there, the anxiety gnawing at me. When I met up with Marshall and Finn for our usual debrief, I was already running on fumes, not giving myself time to rest or to breathe.

The first thing I noticed, however, was the unmistakable scent of Elisabed all over Finn. It hit me like a punch in the gut, and my eyes narrowed before I could stop myself.

I didn’t know why it bothered me so much. It wasn’t like Finn was doing anything wrong—hell, he was following the plan, as we all had. But it irritated me more than it should. I wasn’t jealous, I was upset at myself. I hadn’t been the one by her side last night, had I? I’d let my fears and stupid anger drive me away from her.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d squandered something precious. The bonding process—this whole fucking thing—was delicate. Every moment with her counted. And now I’d lost a day, time that could’ve been used to solidify our bond. I hadn’t even realized how much it had been eating at me until I saw Finn standing there, too relaxed, too at ease with her scent on him.

He wasn’t the one who had returned to our empty room. He didn’t have to fight his panic to search for her. He wasn’t the one who saw her moments before a potential attack. If I had been a few minutes late, what could’ve happened? I pushed down a growing sense of inadequacy and reminded myself that I wouldn't let anyone get hurt because of my stupidity again.

“Morning,” Marshall greeted me, his voice as low as usual. He was always the one who kept his cool and never let emotions get in the way. But I could see it in his eyes—the same weariness I felt, the same tension in his shoulders.

“Morning,” I muttered, trying to shake off the bad mood that had settled over me like a dark cloud. But it didn’t go away. The anger, the frustration—they were all still there. And if I wasn’t careful, they were going to spill out.

“Anything new?” Finn asked, his voice casual as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. He didn’t even bother to hide the cocky smirk on his face, the one that drove me insane. I’d always known he was good at pushing buttons, but right now, it felt like he was doing it on purpose, like he knew what I was thinking and was enjoying it.

My jaw tightened. “There are rumors about a spy from the Carlisle pack being in the settlement. No confirmation yet, but it’s enough to keep me on edge.”

Marshall’s expression darkened. “A spy? Fuck. Raol’s getting cocky.”

“I’ve been looking all night but couldn’t find anything,” I said, and Marshall raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve known since last night and haven’t told us?”

“I was in a hurry,” I said. “And there’s something else, too. I think Elisabed’s sister might be here.”

Marshall’s brows furrowed. “Her sister?”

“Yeah,” I said, gritting my teeth. “I know it sounds insane, but I’ve been putting the pieces together. She’s too close. Her scent’s in the air. I don’t know if she’s trying to find Elisabed or working for Raol, but I’m not taking any chances.”

Elisabed sounded so sure that she saw her, but she was in a delicate state and needed to rest. When I returned to the area, I confirmed the lingering foreign scent myself.

Finn seemed to take a beat before he responded. “So, we have a spy and a potential threat from the inside? That’s just fantastic.” His sarcasm stung, but I didn’t have time to argue with him.

Marshall crossed his arms. “If she’s here, we’ll find her. We’ll deal with it. But we can’t let her pull Elisabed away. Not now. Not when things are this fragile.”

“Exactly,” I muttered, my mind already spinning with possibilities. “I’ll keep searching for both the spy and the sister. If I’m right, we can’t afford to wait.”

Finn raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment, his expression unreadable. Instead, he pushed off the wall and walked toward the door.

“Alright, but don’t isolate yourself, August. You might be right, but you can’t do everything alone,” he said, his voice a little more serious than I’d expected.

I didn’t respond. I just turned and walked away, feeling the weight of their stares at my back. My mind was too focused on the task at hand to care about anything else. The spy, the sister—those were the only things that mattered. And I wouldn’t stop until I had answers.

I couldn’t afford to fail. Not when so much was riding on this.

I couldn’t afford to lose her, too.

But before I left, I felt Finn’s presence move behind me, his steps heavy and deliberate. He was so close, and I didn’t have time to react when his rough voice met my ear.

“If you ever make her cry again,” Finn’s voice was low, barely above a growl, “I’ll rip your fucking throat out.”

The words hit me like a punch to the chest—cold, sharp, and unforgiving. My heart dropped, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe. I knew Finn was protective—hell, all of us were—but something in his tone was different this time, something raw. Something that tore through me, sending a shockwave of guilt through every inch of my body.

I hadn’t even known. I hadn’t even realized I’d made her cry.

“Get in line, Finn,” I murmured, my voice hoarse as I turned to face him. My own anger had evaporated, replaced with something worse—the undeniable guilt of knowing that I’d hurt her, that I’d pushed her away when she needed my support.

I was failing to do right by Elisabed, and I didn’t know how to fix it.