Chapter 62 Chapter 62
Zane
The camp had settled back into an uneasy normalcy. Rowan, Kaius, Rasmus, and Dan moved about their tasks, which included checking weapons and supplies.
But the tension lingered. Everyone had seen what I had done and understood the message.
We were being hunted. And I would protect them at any cost.
“It’s almost time for dinner,” I said, glancing at the sky. The sun had fully set now, leaving us in that purple-gray twilight that preceded true darkness. “Get the fire built up. Everyone eats together tonight.”
Rowan hesitated. “What about the Luna?”
What about her indeed.
She’d been hiding in that tent since the execution. Probably still processing what she had witnessed.
“Send Dan to get her,” I said. “Tell her everyone is eating together.”
Rowan nodded and moved off to follow orders.
I stood there for a moment longer, staring at the tent where Tiana was hiding.
Dan returned a few minutes later, alone.
“She’s coming, Alpha. She requested for a few minutes.”
I grunted in acknowledgment.
The campfire burned bright now, casting dancing shadows across the clearing. My team had arranged themselves in a loose circle around it, passing around dried meat and flatbread.
Kaius sat with Rasmus and Dan, the three of them engaged in some discussion about patrol routes. Rowan checked supplies near the tent line.
Everything looked normal.
Except for the space beside me where my mate should have been sitting.
Movement caught my eye and Tiana emerged from the tent, moving slowly and carefully on her injured ankle. She’d wrapped it with extra bandages, I noticed. And she was using an improvised walking stick.
Smart.
She made her way to the fire, accepting the food Rowan offered her with a quiet thanks. Then settled onto a log as far from me as the circle would allow.
I watched her from the corner of my eye, pretending not to notice the way she kept her gaze down and the way her hands trembled slightly as she ate.
She was afraid of me now.
The realization sat in my stomach.
“Uncle,” Kaius said, pulling my attention away. “About tomorrow’s patrol route—”
“We’ll discuss it after dinner,” I said curtly.
The conversation around the fire continued, but I barely heard it. All my focus stayed on Tiana, observing the way she avoided looking in my direction.
After dinner, the camp settled into its evening/night routine.
Dan and Rasmus took first watch. Rowan sat at a corner alone, his independence, a similar trait I believed I shared with my gamma. And Kaius was arguing with Dan about something.
“I’m telling you, the eastern route is more efficient,” Dan insisted. “We can cover more ground in less time.”
“More ground means less thorough coverage,” Kaius countered. “We would be moving too fast to spot signs of intrusion.”
“Then we do two passes?”
“No. No. Two passes would waste time we don’t have.”
I watched my nephew who I was older than with four years, remembering the days we had arguments like this too while trying to read the maps during training.
I shook my head as if to shake off the memories, focusing on the argument in front of me.
I had heard many of them. Many times, I had listened to my wolves debate patrol strategies during missions or preparations ahead of it.
Usually, I would step in and make the final call, ending the debate with Alpha authority.
But tonight, I just listened. Maybe because I needed the noise to drain out the silence in my head.
“What about a split route?” Rowan suggested. “Half the group goes east, half goes north, we cover both efficiently.”
“That leaves us vulnerable if we encounter hostiles,” Rasmus pointed out. “Smaller groups are easier targets.”
“Not if we time the routes to keep us within signaling distance of each other.”
“That’s actually not a bad idea.”
Tiana’s voice cut through the debate, surprising me.
Every other person present turned to look at her.
She sat on a log near the fire, the walking stick resting against her knee. Her face was still pale, but her mouth moved with a tiny bit of excitement.
“If you stagger the departure times,” she continued, “the eastern group leaves first, establishing position. Then the northern group follows, maintaining parallel distance. You cover more ground without splitting so far apart that you can’t signal for backup if needed.”
Silence fell across the fire, then I noticed Dan blink. “That could actually work.”
“It would require precise timing,” Kaius said slowly. “But yes. The coverage would be significantly better than either single route option.”
“And if we use the horn signals at quarter marks,” Tiana added, “each group would know the other’s position throughout the patrol. If one group doesn’t signal on time, the other can divert to investigate.”
Rasmus nodded slowly. “Efficient and safe. I like it.”
I stared at her, some mask of concern spreading in my face.
She had just solved a tactical problem that had stumped four experienced warriors. Not just that, she had done it calmly and logically, without any of the posturing or ego that usually accompanied such debates.
She had done it like a True Luna.
“We’ll use that approach tomorrow,” I said, my voice moving across the fire. “Luna Tiana’s plan. Kaius, you’ll lead the eastern route. Dan takes north. Report back by midday.”
“Yes, Alpha,” they chorused.