CHAPTER 81: TALE OF THE GREAT SAGE

I didn’t wait for Rion to answer. I couldn’t bear the thought of hearing whatever clever retort he had waiting.

I turned on my heel and left him there, the unfinished bandage lying limp on the table.

By the time I reached my room, my breath came in shallow bursts, each inhale ragged with leftover anger. My hands still trembled, though I clenched them into fists to stop the shake. I shut the door of my bedroom.

It took a long time before sleep claimed me, and even then, it was restless.

When morning came, the haze of fury had burned away, leaving me calmer, though not entirely settled. I sat on the edge of my bed, brushing my fingers through my long hair . The memory of my raised voice, the words I had hurled, replayed again and again.

Had I been too harsh?

Perhaps. My voice had cracked, my control had snapped. But should I feel guilty for it? No. I had spoken the truth.

Why should I apologize when he deserved to hear it? He could have come to Rayvehill’s aid when the war still raged, but he hadn’t. He had waited until the dust settled and then swooped in, all generosity and savior’s smile.

If his motives were pure, why hadn’t he acted when it would have mattered most?

No, I thought as I tied my hair back. He moved only when it served him. I shouldn’t feel guilty for pointing that out.

Still, a quiet thread of unease coiled through me. What if I had offended him too deeply?

Would he make things harder for me now? I reminded myself of the bargain we’d made, of the limits that bound him. He couldn’t harm me, not without consequence. That thought consoled me enough to push the worry away.

When I finally entered the dining hall, the long table stretched out before me, but only Raye sat there, sipping from a porcelain cup.

"They’re not back yet?" I asked as I took my seat.

Raye set her cup down and offered a small smile. "They returned last night but left early this morning. Went to the training house together."

I nodded. Perhaps that was for the best.

We began to eat in companionable silence until Raye leaned forward, her eyes alight with the kind of excitement that could only belong to her.

"Oh! I nearly forgot to tell you. I received the jewelry I ordered from Tyla’s yesterday."

"The jeweler everyone keeps talking about?" I asked, raising a brow.

"The one and only," Raye said, her voice bright. "Tyla is expensive, but she’s worth every coin. I’ve been waiting months for this set. Look." She tugged at the chain peeking from her collar and drew it out so I could see the delicate pendant resting against her skin. A thin, star-shaped gem shimmered faintly, catching the light.

"It’s beautiful," I admitted, leaning closer. "Very fine work."

She beamed, clearly pleased. "Tyla’s pieces always have this subtle... charm to them. Not magic, but something close. Every woman in Undercity wants to own at least one of her designs."

"I suppose you’ve just raised the bar even higher," I said dryly, though the smile tugging at her lips was contagious.

She laughed softly, and we fell back into our meal. The clink of utensils against plates filled the hall, but my thoughts refused to stay quiet. They circled back to last night, to Rion’s unreadable face, to the way my words had filled the air between us like knives.

I set down my fork and asked, as casually as I could, "Did something happen in the Sixth District? A fight, maybe?"

Raye looked up from her plate, her brows knitting together. "Not that I know of. Ares and Diaval came back late, but they didn’t mention anything like that." She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Why do you ask?"

I shrugged, though the tension in my shoulders betrayed me. "Just wondering if the Rayvehill people are settling in well... if they are not causing any trouble."

She reached for her cup again, considering. "The only news I’ve heard is that the construction of the houses is going well. The Rayvehill people seem grateful. They’ve already begun settling in. There’s no unrest that I’ve heard of."

Raye bit into her apple with a loud crunch, juice gleaming on her lower lip as she spoke. "But the Alpha left the Undercity a few days ago. He went to Dawn Isle alone, I heard from Ares. He’s really crazy."

My fork stilled above my plate. "Dawn Isle?"

She tilted her head at me. "You don’t know what it is?"

"I’ve heard of it," I said. "I’ve seen it marked on maps of the continent. Far east, past the reaches of any trade route. A secluded isle where the Great Sage lives."

The Dawn Isle was not a place one traveled to lightly. I’d grown up learning from school that it was a place with ancient wards, older than most packs, older than most records of history.

It was said the Great Sage himself had woven those barriers, and that he had lived long before even the oldest wolves alive now.

Some believed he had answers to most questions, knowledge carved from the marrow of the world itself. But reaching him was nearly impossible. Those who tried often never returned.

Only a rare few had managed to cross the wards and survive the trials within. And even then, meeting the Great Sage was never guaranteed.

That’s why he was treated as a legend because people no longer paid him any real attention, no longer believed it was possible to meet him. After all, no one had ever lived to tell the tale of meeting the Great Sage.

I set my fork down, fingers curling around the edge of the table. "Why would he go there if it’s so dangerous?"

At once, my question last night was answered. He hadn’t gotten into a fight in the Sixth District. Of course not. Who in their right mind would challenge the Alpha in his own territory?

Raye gave a little shrug, casual, though her words carried an edge of unease. "He tried before, a few times. Couldn’t break through the wards. It’s been a while since the last attempt. I don’t know what got into him this time."

Why would he risk it? What did he hope to find?

The answers to breaking the wards of Undersea Tower? How to awaken the Celestial Wolf?

Raye brightened suddenly, setting her apple core aside. "Oh! Diaval mentioned something last night. He said Rion ordered him to gather information about incidents where wolf shifters couldn’t shift. Cases where they had their wolves but, for some reason, couldn’t shift when they wanted to."

My breath caught. My lips parted, but no sound came out.

Did he... did he do it for me?