Page 162 of Poet & Protector

Twenty-Seven

The forest outside Vail

October 31

The Union of Renier Laroche and Calla Tor

NEV

The howls continued until at last a few voices faltered, the sound began to ebb, then it faded altogether.

Calla should have been here by now.

Something was wrong. Mason and Ansel were tense as they exchanged worried looks. I snagged Mason’s gaze and saw the fear in his eyes. But along with fear, there was certainty.

There would be no union tonight.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement by the altar. Calla’s absence had prompted the Keepers to action. Efron and Logan strode toward Emile, while Lumine approached Stephen and Naomi. Though Efron and Lumine didn’t appear panicked, they were visibly agitated. I would have found it morbidly entertaining if not for the fact that all hell was going to break loose at any moment. There was no way it wouldn’t. This ceremony was the pinnacle of decades of Keepers’ careful planning. The fallout from its failure would be swift and brutal.

I watched Logan, trying to gauge his reaction to this unfolding disaster, but he kept his features carefully expressionless. Smart. Also, irritating. I would have enjoyed seeing him panic.

When the Keepers abandoned their formal roles for the ceremony it spurred all the Guardians into action. The elder wolves bunched into smaller groups, Nightshades and Banes putting even more distance between their packs. Old patterns asserted themselves in the face of trouble, and despite all our recent time spent together, we younger wolves behaved the same way, splitting off into our former pack groups on instinct.

Mason and Ansel moved away from me and Dax, while at the same time Sabine and Cosette left their ceremonial positions and came to join us. Bryn and Fey kept close to one another as they gravitated toward the other Nightshades.

But while the Nightshades remained wolves, my packmates and I shifted to human form to discuss our predicament.

Sabine moved close to me, her voice was tight. “Nev?”

I looked at her, but didn’t speak.

“Oh god,” she said, reading my expression. “What the hell did she do?”

“I have no idea,” I said. “But she’s not here and she’s not going to be here.”

“No way.” Dax scoffed. “She’s not standing Ren up.”

“Pretty sure she is,” I replied. Tension rippled through me.

Cosette sidled up to Sabine. “What’s going to happen now?”

Sabine took Cosette’s hand. “It will be okay. Don’t worry.”

She met my eyes. Neither of us thought it would be okay.

Dax was swearing up a storm under his breath.

I glanced at Mason again. He and the other young wolves were huddled together, close to the Nightshade elders, no doubt confused about what was happening and worried about their alpha. Wherever Calla was, her packmates knew nothing about it. That I was sure of.

Dax stiffened suddenly. I turned and saw why. Ren had abandoned his post beside the altar and was walking toward us in human form. His expression was eerily similar to Logan’s, flat and unreadable.

“Hey, man.” Dax met Ren and clamped a strong hand on the alpha’s shoulder.

Sabine released Cosette’s hand and took a step toward Ren. “Are you⁠—”

Ren cut her a sharp look and she went quiet.

Damn.