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“Don’t tell me he couldn’t when he very obviously did.” Aiden’s voice was quiet, but filled with an anger that lashed as sharply as any whip. “He killed her, and then he ran.”

No, I wanted to repeat, not possible. Not if he loved her as fiercely as Aiden had implied.

But then, who was I to say the pain of watching his wife fade away hadn’t somehow made him lose his mind?

“Where did you find her? Within pack grounds?”

“No. We might have been able to stop him if it had happened there.”

I frowned. “Does that mean you had some warning?”

“Kate left us a note.” Just for an instant, I saw the glimmer of tears. “She said she’d had enough of the pain, that if she was going to die anyway, she’d do it her own way, on her own terms. She said that Gabe had agreed to help her—that in doing this, she would be free and forever a part of the reservation.”

Which was an odd statement to make. While ghosts certainly did exist, they were usually souls who had either died violently and unexpectedly, or those who—for whatever reason—refused to move on. His sister didn’t seem to fit either description. “Where did you find her?”

“In the St. Erth forests, which is Marin territory.”

“Why didn’t they question her presence there? Didn’t you say they—like the O’Connors—are rather restrictive about who can and can’t enter their grounds?”

“When it comes to humans, yes, but it’s not unusual for wolves to pass through the outskirts of each other’s territories, and in this case, Gabe was accompanied by my sister. By the time they realized something was wrong, it was too late.”

I think we need to see that place, Belle commented. If Anna is right, if Gabe is here, then he’s most likely to be in the area where her soul resides.

Except that’s impossible. The Marins would have found him by now.

Normally, yes, but if he’s somehow managed to tap into the wild magic, then perhaps he’s using it to hide his presence. Ask Aiden if he’ll show you the area, she said. See what he says.

I hesitated, and then said, “Would it be possible for us to go there?”

He blinked and his gaze hardened. “Why?”

“Because if Gabe is still alive and here on the reservation, as Anna suggested, then he’ll be in the place where his heart died.”

“I don’t believe for an instant he could avoid discovery for such a long period of time,” Aiden all but growled. “But I won’t say no to the chance of being proven wrong. Not if it results in this bastard being brought to justice.”

He drained his coffee then thrust to his feet. “Let’s go.”

“What, now?” I said, caught by surprise.

“Have you got anything else you need to be doing right now?”

“Well no, but—”

“Then come. It’ll only take an hour, and I’d rather sort it all out now than let it fester.” He spun around and left.

Belle met me halfway to the door and handed me the ever-reliable backpack. Its weight told me she’d added a few extra additions to last night’s contents.

“Thanks.”

“Just be careful. There’s something about this whole situation that isn’t sitting right with me.”

I frowned. “It’s usually me who’s afflicted with that sort of stuff, not you.”

She rubbed her arms, her expression uneasy. “In all honesty, it’s probably nothing more than a belated echo of the uneasiness you were feeling last night, but still—”

I squeezed her upper arm lightly. “I’ll be fine.”

She nodded. “Go, before our ranger changes his mind.”

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