Chapter 213: On the Way to War – Part 1

~ ELRETH ~

They'd closed ranks around her as they passed through that ravine, the guards holding shields overhead just in case snipers had been placed in the trees or on the cliffs above.

Just in case.

It was a phrase that, Elreth could see, had turned them inside out in the past week or two. And one that was coming between her and her mate now.

She sighed to herself.

Aaryn walked at her right, but slightly behind, his silence tense and pointed. Gar strode along at her left, his eyes vacant and distant, his face tense. This was weighing more heavily on him than he admitted.

Elreth had already assured him more than once that she understood why he'd tried to break Zev free. She hated it, but she understood. That's what had become clear to her in the past day—that those around her acted in the best interests of everyone, including her. And it was time she pulled up her big girl pants and did the same.