She found him seated in the passenger seat of her truck, furious.

“Cole,” she said quietly once she got in. She reached out to squeeze his shoulder. “Baby, are you okay?”

“Not particularly,” he said through gritted teeth. “Come on, we’d better get up there. Most people have already headed out.”

Tali hesitated, nervous, before saying, “Hudson seems to think it’s...um, not a good idea for you to go up—”

He rounded on her, eyes golden again, “Do you think I give a damn what he thinks?”

Tali was slightly taken aback by the fury behind his words, and her eyes widened. “No. I don’t think that. But you care what I think, right? And if it’s not safe for you to go up there, Cole, then I think maybe it’s better if you—”

“Stay behind? Like that coward?” he snapped. “Well, I’m not going to. Not when there’s someone out there who could be hurt or worse, and I’m the only fucking person who knows the truth of what’s going on.”

“Do you really think it’s them? Caid and the others?” she asked quietly, putting her hand on his knee this time in the hopes that her touch might calm him a little.

“Yes. Absolutely, I do.” He was calmer as he said it, and full of conviction. “I would love for it not to be true. I’d love to be able to bury myself in that many layers of denial.” He cast a dark look toward the rec center where Hudson was lingering. “But I can’t. I know who they are. I lived with them for three full years before I left. It’s a small clan. I know who Caid is. He’s pure evil. The other two. The Betas. They’re not bright, but they’ve got it in them too. I’ve no doubt that now he’s fully grown and in his prime, they look to him more than they do Ronin. He and his brother killed a girl, Tali. One of our own, just because they could. I have no doubt they’d jump at any opportunity to kill a human. I’m sure these biologists aren’t the only ones either. There are others who’ve gone missing over the years, far enough apart and unrelated enough that no one would make the connections. But I know this is what’s happening. I’m not just going to sit here.”

Tali sighed, squeezing his leg. “Cole. You’re so brave. You’re so good. And I love you for that, so much. But you’ve been banished, right? And you killed this guy’s brother. He has at least two other bears who are in his corner. What can you do up there? What if they decide to attack you? How can you defend yourself against that?”

Cole sighed, shaking his head. “It’ll be okay, Tali. There are a hundred people heading up that way. They may be bold, and their hunger for it might be growing, but they’re not stupid. They wouldn’t want to draw the attention of Hunters. I have to go up though. My senses are better. I might pick up on something the rest of you don’t.”

“But Cole—”

“Enough, Tali!” he half-roared in frustration. “I’m not just going to sit down here with my head up my ass like that fucking coward Quinlan.”

Tali frowned. Hearing him use that word again, that hateful, scathing tone toward Hudson... it didn’t sit right with her. All she could think of was how he tried desperately to save her brother, how he did everything he could for Ella, and how his clear, soothing voice called out to her across a frozen lake. Hudson was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a coward.

“Cole,” she said softly. “He wanted me to tell you that he’s sorry. About Eyva. I could tell he had no idea, and that he meant it. And I just think...maybe there’s more to that story than either of us—”

“Tali, don’t,” he said sharply, cutting her off, his eyes flashing.

“Don’t what?”

“Try to defend him. I don’t want to hear it. Look, I know you’ve got stars in your eyes for him, but—”

“What?” she sputtered, face growing hot, pulse starting to race.

“He was your brother’s best friend, and he’s amazing with Ella, and you’ve got this rosy picture of him. Maybe he’s done good, and has good in him, and that’s great,” Cole said bitterly. “But it doesn’t change the fact that he chose to walk away from his duty, abandoning us to the mercy of a new leader none of us knew anything about. He made a choice, and a little girl is dead now. If he’d chosen differently, she wouldn’t be. No amount of sorries can ever change that. So please, save your breath. Just drive.”

Tali felt a lump form in her throat at his obvious anguish. “Okay,” she said quietly, learning over briefly to rest her head against his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I love you.”

“I love you too,” he said, though it seemed more like something said on autopilot than something he was truly feeling in the moment. When she sat upright again and looked at him, he was staring at the road ahead, and she knew he was lost in a storm of dark thoughts.

She turned on the ignition and pulled out onto the street.