Finn sent a message on the morning they were preparing to return east.

Marina read it at the boundary stones while Silvain supervised the packing and Sera conducted a final departure audit of the Bloodfang camp.

The message was longer than Finn's usual communications. He had been developing the tendency to write more as his confidence in the Alpha role grew, the specific expansion of someone who had started by saying only what was necessary and was learning that sometimes what was necessary included context.

Three things.

First: the Silvermoon reconstruction was ahead of schedule. The twelve Shadowpaw workers Ragnar had sent had identified a foundation reinforcement technique that Cian...