"How dare you?" I growled, stepping closer. "You are the leader of the warriors. We trusted you with her safety, and you failed."
Marcel stared at me with a brow cocked in consternation. "And you failed her as a mother. Blame us if you must, but you were not there either."
"You will be punished for your disrespect," I growled. "And this investigation is far from over."
Marcel lowered his eyes, but I could sense the words he wanted to hurl at me. He had crossed a line, and I wouldn’t let it go.
I spent the rest of the night in the woods, retracing Clara's final steps, searching for any clue that might explain how rogues had infiltrated our territory unnoticed. My heart ached as I walked and tears blurred my vision. It was hopeless. Nothing I found would bring her back.
But I would not rest until I had justice for Clara.
Even if it meant tearing down everything in my path.
I reached the other end of the pack's territory and still found nothing. And then I caught the scent. It was a trace of something I hadn’t expected, something that made my blood run cold.
Rachel's scent.
