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- Trey failed the guard trials.

- January - Marrissa starts working as a castle servant.

- Gannon meets Sia, and she rejects him. Sia moves to Ravana Pack after being kicked out of Vermillion Pack.

- February - Landeena anniversary. The Valkyrie Kingdom attacked. Claire was killed. Marrissa is on the run.

- May- Kyson created the Pack Oath for the Royal Guard.

-Sia is killed almost a year after Claire’s death.

- Marrissa Talbot was killed. Azalea and Abbie are placed in the orphanage.

- Also, the year after Claire’s murder, Gannon investigated rogue murders with Liam, and Vivienne followed him and tried to kill him out of vengeance for Sia. Liam buried her body near the river near the bridge.

- Trey rejoined guard trials and passed, becoming a Royal guard.

- Azalea Landeena is found and returned to the Valkyrie Kingdom.

I stare at the board, trying to piece it together before looking at Liam. “Crux, is that how you met Vivianne?” I ask him, and he nods.

“Yes, with my father as a kid. But I never spoke to her again until years later. I needed a location spell done,” he tells me.

“So Crux knew Sia?” I ask again.

“Yes, Crux had worked with Vivienne in the past, not long before Claire was killed. As far as I know, that is when I found out about her working with Crux; it could have been longer for all I know,” Liam tells me.

“And there is your link. I just don’t understand why Crux would work with Ester and how it is connected with the council besides Crux,” I tell him, and he seems to think for a second.

“Did Ester know Sia?” I ask, and Liam shrugs. “No idea.”

“But Ester knew Crux?”

“Everyone knows Crux. He has been on the council for centuries,” Liam states, and I sigh. Yeah, that was a dumb question. It still didn’t explain about the rogue murders or Claire. Clarice claps her hands loudly, drawing all the kid’s attention.

“Come on, we can play outside until lunch, but then we need to lock everything down. A storm is brewing, kiddos, so sunwhile you can,” Clarice tells them, and I smile, moving toward Tyson, who is sitting next to Tandi. I grab him, and we take the kids to the hill by the cemetery and stables. The kids instantly take off, yet Tyson wanders around, following Tandi and me. Liam takes off to play with the kids as they all roll down the hill, racing.

“Where is Damian?” I ask. She pushes some hair behind her ear before looking at me.

“Looking into Alpha Brock, he is trying to see what he can find out about Paige for me,” she says, and I press my lips in a line when Tyson tugs on my shirt, trying to get my attention.

“Du, Du,” he toots, pointing toward the stable.

“Yep, duck, duck,” I tell him, and he waves to it, still holding my shirt, which is fisted in his hand while he keeps squawking,

“Du, Du.”

“Gosh, he is an idiot,” Dustin laughs, pointing at Liam covered in grass, rolling down the hill, and knocking the kids over, who squeal, trying to jump over him as he rolls toward them.

“Dustin!” a voice calls out, making us look toward the castle. He wanders off to speak with Trey, and we turn our attention to the kids playing when Hunter starts fussing.

“I am going to go put him down to nap while Damian is still up there. I will be back,” she says. Yet as time passes, the sky begins darkening with the approaching storm, and Kyson still hasn’t returned.

“Du, Du,” Tyson yells, and I look down at him just as the wind picks up.

“Come on kids, inside. This storm is coming over faster than we thought,” Clarice calls out, and I move to help pick up the toys scattered along the ground with Tandi. Tyson refuses to go with Clarice or Dustin, yet he is in his jacket and beanie, sonice and warm, I let him follow as we pick up the junk the kids dragged out.

“Dustin, Liam, run these in,” I tell them, pointing to the huge plastic tubs. Tandi and I filled with balls and skipping ropes.