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Silas looked back at me, his gaze unreadable and not like his usual sarcastic self. “I won’t tell her, but she’ll ask where you’ve been. What do you want me to say? That you came back and⁠—”

“Tell me what?” Hazel said, holding some medical supplies.

“Nothing,” I growled, stepping beside her. “You’re forbidden from entering in the prison.”

“I need to treat the prisoners,” she said.

“Do it some other time.”

Silas grabbed her elbow harshly, to which she shot him a scowl and ripped herself out of his hold.

“Besides, where have you been?” she asked.

“Looking for Ember.”

She paused for a moment, her expression softening. “You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“She returned home last night.”

“She what? How the fuck would I know that?”

“You left with Cade. I thought you would’ve …” Her lips curled into a small smile. “Wait, were you really out all night, looking for Ember?” A giggle left her mouth, and I suppressed my eye roll because I could feel it coming. “Oh my Goddess! You’re in love!”

“I don’t fucking love her,” I growled. “And I wasn’t out all night, looking for her. I stopped at Harold’s halfway through the night and picked up some cute little thing to take home, so you can get that out of your head.”

Hazel smirked at me. “No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I fucking did.”

“You don’t smell like the bar or like another girl. You were looking for her because⁠—”

“Can you shut the fuck up?” I snarled, storming into the woods.

If I had to hear another word from her mouth about me liking Ember—or worse, me mating Ember—I thought my head would fucking implode from the stupidity. She had known from the beginning that I wouldn’t let it happen, and I had kept my word for this long.

I’d keep it for longer. I’d keep it forever.

“I have something to take care of,” I growled.

“Gonna go see Ember?” she hummed.

The silver chain clacked in my grasp. “No.”

Once I reached the edge of my property, I dropped the silver collar, shifted into my wolf, and grabbed it back into my mouth. It burned my gums, but it’d be easier this way. I was already hurt, and capturing one of the Braveclaw leaders had nearly taken me out.

Silver would make everything easier from here on out.

My gaze lingered in the direction of Ember’s place, but I continued walking toward Braveclaw. I should have confirmed that Ember was home, but I didn’t want to see her right now. I didn’t trust my wolf with her, especially not around Cade.

A haze drifted through the woods, and I slowed to a complete stop, scanning the forest.

One moment passed, then another. Then, suddenly, a branch snapped behind me. I looked over my shoulder, my gums nearly bleeding now, and spotted red eyes. My entire body tensed, and I locked on to him as he moved closer, completely oblivious to me being here.

In complete silence, I stalked through the woods toward him. I didn’t care if this fucker wasn’t the guy I had seen in the woods before or if it wasn’t the same guy Hazel had told me saved Ember all those nights ago.

But he had red eyes, and if I captured him, then that other asshole would come for him. And while I might never get a chance to mate with Ember, I’d fucking rip him to shreds for taking her.