VIOLET
The kitchen was too quiet.
Too still.
Usually, the pack house hummed with life—guards coming and going, footsteps in the hall, someone always barking orders or laughing in the distance.
But this morning?
Nothing.
Something was off.
I glanced around, wiping my hands on a towel after helping Inara stack the fresh bread. "Where is everyone?"
Inara didn't answer right away.
She poured tea into a cup, pretending to focus on the steam like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.
"Inara," I said again, sharper this time. "Where the hell is everyone?"
She sighed. "They're out."
"Out where?" I pressed, brows furrowing.
"On a hunt."
That shouldn't have made my stomach twist. But it did.
My chest tightened. "What kind of hunt?"
She finally looked at me. "Rogues."
The word hit me like a slap. "Rogues?"
"Zain left before dawn. Took Cian, Rhys, a few others."
He left.
Without saying a damn word.
Not after everything that happened.
