Chapter 208: Fortress
"What’s wrong?" Kade asked.
Ava’s gaze wasn’t even on him. It was locked on somewhere across the room. "There’s someone we left out of our list," she murmured, almost to herself. "Someone we haven’t considered since he disappeared."
Kade furrowed his brow. "Who?"
Her eyes snapped back to his. "Every Alpha will always be an alpha. Every wizard will always be a wizard."
"Alaric." Kade breathed. For a moment, he just stared, trying to wrap his mind around it. Then he shook his head slowly. "Alaric is still in the North. Alpha Dennis has been searching for him for months."
"But has he been found?" Ava shot back, sitting up straighter. "Think about it, Kade. No one in the North, in their right mind, would hide Alaric, everyone wants his head. So if he’s not in hiding up there, where is he?"
Kade’s face paled. "Fuck." He scrubbed a hand down his face, pacing now. "That makes sense. Damn it. He could be here... hiding in plain sight. And if he is, he’s not doing it alone. I have to tell the Alpha. He’ll want to double security immediately..."
"No," Ava said firmly, holding up her hand.
Kade blinked at her. "No?"
"Don’t tell Lucas... yet," she repeated. There was a quiet intensity in her voice, one that made Kade hesitate.
"Why not?" he asked, warily.