Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Divided Loyalties

The heavy door to Aveline's quarters closed behind her, and she leaned against it, letting out a shaky breath. The meeting with Gabriel had left her mind spinning. His words, his cryptic warnings—they were impossible to ignore.

She walked through the small space, her thoughts bubbling into each other. Gabriel was alive. The truth she had yearned for was finally within reach, but it came tangled in riddles and half-truths. What did he mean about forces within their pack? Who could she trust?

Her eyes fell on the drawer where she had kept Gabriel's letter, and a different feeling went through her upon seeing the letter. She wanted to believe him, to hold onto the hope that the man she had loved was still on her side. But his unclearness troubled her.

The knock at her door startled her from her thoughts. She straightened, trying to arrange herself. When she opened the door, her father stood there, with an unreadable expression.