Chapter 23

STELLA

Stella snuck back to the Starry Sky compound in the middle of the day, this time avoiding any other warwolves.

The school was in session when she reached the dirt pavilion between buildings, and several little kids inside the main building noticed her, trying to wave her over so she would come to play. Warwolves didn’t usually play with littles—they were too rough—but now that she was a den mother they lived in hope, and the children were always desperate to be distracted from school. She waved and made faces through the glass at them, but walked over to Maddox’s building nonetheless.

The front door was open, and she could hear the sounds of a heated conversation taking place inside, several rooms back. She recognized several of the voices from the pack’s council, and the familiar sound of Maddox hitting his cane against the wooden floor.

“We told you not to let her back.”

“She was in the outside world too long, Maddox. We can’t trust her.” “Oh, come on!” Stella heard Anika protesting loudly over the men.

“You don’t even know where she is now!” another familiar elder’s voice went on.

Stella shrank back, listening to them all talk about her, until she heard the thump of Maddox’s cane, right before he shouted at them. “Enough! I won’t hear of it. She’s Starry Sky, through and through.”

“Just because she’s Anika’s girl doesn’t mean—” one of them began, and Stella couldn’t stand it anymore.

She strode into the meeting chambers that were opposite Maddox’s bedroom, finding him there in a chair outfitted with cushions and surrounded by the council members of the pack.

“I got it,” she announced, holding the rolled-up paper out in front of her. Maddox’s eyes lit on her and her alone. “I knew you would.”

She walked up through the parting council members, for the desk Maddox sat behind. She handed the scrolled map over and watched Maddox unfurl it to consider its contents. The way the rest of the council crowded around him, she knew that they’d had no idea what it was she’d be bringing back, too.

Maddox traced wizened fingers over the markings on the paper where she couldn't see, then peered over it at her. “You did the exact right thing,” he said. “And the entire pack is indebted to you.” He gave a steely look at all the other werewolves congregated inside, and she could feel their eyes on her in turn.

She was glad Maddox was pleased, but as for them—she either wanted to hide from them or stab out their eyes.

“I would do anything for Starry Sky,” she said, stepping back from the table, looking around, and daring the men and women who’d just been shouting against her to meet her gaze. “Now and forever.”

Anika gave her a smug nod of satisfaction, while many of the councilmembers present grumbled.

“I’ll let you get back to whatever it was you were discussing before your arrival,” she said flatly. “It sounded heated.”

She stepped back to turn, but Maddox said “Wait!” and started coughing. Anika gently patted his back, while the council looked helplessly on.

“There’s more, Stella,” he said when his fit was through. “This was just the first piece of it.”

Stella moved to stand at attention in front of him. “For the pack,” she said crisply, like the warwolves did.

Maddox looked around the room at the rest of them. “Get out. Go on.” He waved his hands in their direction. “Even you, Anika. This part’s just for her alone.”

Stella stood even straighter, looking forward, waiting for everyone else to depart, and when they had Maddox said, “Go close the door.”

Stella did as she was told, and then returned to find Maddox slouched over the paper, staring at it with rheumy eyes. “I never thought I’d see this again,” he whispered, then looked up. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” She hadn’t let her leader down, at least. “Although if I’m honest—I had to enlist the Wind Racer’s help this morning to go get it.”

“Oh?” Maddox asked, one of his eyebrows arching a rainbow of wrinkles up his forehead.

“It was a difficult extraction.” She blew air through her lips, shook her head, then confessed. “Maddox, he paid seventeen million dollars for that.” Maddox’s eyes went wide.

“No expectation of repayment,” she said quickly. “I told him we couldn’t, no way, and he has billions of dollars besides—but still.”

Maddox rocked back in his chair and steepled his fingers. “I think I want to meet this Wind Racer.”

Stella blinked and looked around. “Here?” At their home base? Because they couldn’t very well transport Maddox anywhere else, weak as he was, and on the cusp of transition.

“He is a man of character, is he not?” Maddox asked her, his eyes boring into hers.

She thought back to when she’d been in the car with Zach, and all the tattoos of loss he had on his chest. “Yes,” she whispered.

“Then bring him to me. As soon as you can.” He pointed his finger at the map. “This is just the beginning, Stella. I have one more mission for you.”

Maddox… wanted to see Zach. It still felt unreal, but she snapped too. “I’ll get him here. Immediately.”

STELLA PULLED out her phone and stared at it on her way back to the dorms, ignoring other wolves she passed along the way and the children at the back of the main hall again, who were trying to get her attention by plastering their faces against the glass to look like little pigs with upturned noses.

She found the old text Zach had sent her, the one she’d ignored: When can I see you again, Little Star?

And type, in response, Now.

He didn’t immediately text her back. Was he playing hard to get? Annoyed with how hot and cold she was? Or simply away from his phone?

My pack leader wants to meet you, she sent, so he wouldn’t get the wrong idea. I told him how much you helped this morning.

And then she was worried that if he did come, he’d feel endangered, surrounded by an entire enemy wolfpack, after all. I promise you safe passage.