"We have already bestowed upon your territory and resources," Luca remarked. "What more are you looking for?"
"Assurances," Ronan said with a stern look. "That won't be thrown like pawns when this war ends."
"You won't be," I answered, advancing. But first we have to endure the fight. Should we not be standing together right now, we all lose.
Ronan looked at me for a long time, his face incomprehensible. At last he exclaimed, "You've got fire." But words only go so far.
The discussions resulted in a tense ceasefire, but the partnership was clearly fraying. I couldn't get rid of the sense that the rogues were engaged in a risky game—one that may cost us everything—as we departed the camp.
Kael replied, his tone dark, "They're testing us."
Luca shot back, "Let them." "We will demonstrate why this alliance is worth fighting for."
That evening, the mark on my wrist burned intensely as we made our way back to the pack house and the necklace flashed brightly.
