November 16th

The next week was miserable. Leo had guards patrolling the house around the clock and I wasn't allowed outside once. With the tightened security at the borders and constant sweeps of the territory, there had been no further attacks, but the pack members were still under curfew and every single soldier Leo had was working overtime.

"It's been three days since we last found a rogue on the territory," Leo said as we sat in his office one afternoon.

I had been so bored and lonely that I had become a permanent resident of the armchair in Leo's office. He was in the from dawn to midnight so joining him was my only chance of social interaction.

"That could mean you've caught them all?" I asked.

There had been a total of thirty-seven found, including those involved in the Oakenfall attack and Luca and I's encounter with a cliff.

"Or they're getting better at hiding," Leo replied.

"Have you found any one to execute from Raven's search of the communication devices?"

Leo gave me a side glare before shaking his head, "No and Elora's women all seem to be innocent too. We know nothing more than we did a week ago."

I took a bored breath and lolled my head to look out the window. Outside, the sun shone gloriously and not one cloud plagued the sky.

"Maybe we should go for a walk," I said, "Some fresh air might clear your head after being inside for a week."

"It's not safe for you," he replied, "And I need to figure this out."

I stood up and walked around the desk to him. As I ran my fingers through his hair, I kissed his cheek.

"Go without me," I said, "Either way, you need to get out of this damn office."

Taking a heavy breath, he leant back in his chair and pulled me in my waist.

"Fine, let's go. Just for an hour."

"It's getting cold," Leo said, rubbing my hands in his as we walked over the crunchy leaves of the forest floor, "We'll have snow soon."

I smiled, "Luca will be happy. He made me promise him not just a snowball fight, but a battle."

Leo rolled his eyes, "Luca is an overgrown child."

Just as we reached the shore of one of Astra's beautiful lakes, a rustle came from one of the bushes.

I jumped next to Leo as he spun around, holding my hand tight.

"It's probably just a bunny," I whispered.

"Sssh, Nelda," he said, slowly letting go of my hand, "Stay right here. Keep your back to the water."

Glued to my designated spot, I watched as he stalked over to the source of the noise.

Before I could process what was going on, Leo was tackling a man armed with a knife to the floor. Leo held his wrist in a bone crushing grip as he forced the knife to his throat.

"Who are you?" Leo growled, his voice rumbling through the forest.

But before the struggling man could reply, two more of them spawned from thin air.

To fight off the other two, Leo had to release the first. He scrambled on the floor, crawling toward a large rock.

My eyes widened.

Leo was busy wrestling with the other two. He kicked one back into a tree and held the other in a headlock, squeezing his throat as his face turned purple.

But the first man was now getting to his feet, the large rock in hand.

"Behind you, Leo!" I screamed as the man ran toward him, the rock high in the air.

Leo spun and seized his wrist, stopping him from smashing the rock against his skull. With the other man still under his arm gasping for breath, he glanced at me.

"Nelda, turn away," he ordered.

"But my back to the water-"

"Just turn around!" he shouted, "I don't want you to see what I am about to do."

I spun around and stared out at the tranquil water as I listened to the slashing of flesh, spouting of blood and helpless cries.

Sickened by the violence, my head grew light and my knees weak. I fell into a pair of arms. But they weren't Leo's. His skin was too callous and his scent too putrid.

The third man.

I tried to scream, but he slammed a dirty hand over my mouth. But a few seconds later, he dropped me onto the stony beach as he and Leo splashed into the lake. They wrestled in the shallows until Leo had him pinned to the ground, his head only just above the water.

"Who are you?" Leo growled, water dripping from his face.

"One of hundreds."

"Who sent you?"

The man said nothing, so Leo gripped his hair and forced his head under the water.

"Who sent you?" he hissed after finally let him gasp for air, "We can do this all day."

The man only gulped down oxygen, so Leo gripped his hair again.

"No, please," the man said just before going under again.

His desperate eyes met mine and he gave a small smile.

"Tell me who sent you," Leo asked once more.

"... The light."