Chapter 12: The News That Reached Highmoor

Two months passed after the border negotiations were settled.

Life at Highmoor became busier as winter approached, and I found myself taking on more responsibilities within the peace program.

I had stopped counting the days until my service ended.

For the first time, three years no longer felt like a sentence.

They felt like an opportunity.

One morning, while I was reviewing relief reports, a royal messenger arrived from the capital.

He carried an urgent notice from the Royal Council.

Princess Helena read it first.

Her expression became unusually serious.

“There has been an incident at the northern border.”

I immediately looked up.

“What happened?”

“A convoy carrying medical supplies was attacked. Several guards were injured.”

My stomach tightened.

The northern border was the same region where Gavin had once worked.

Princess Helena continued reading.

“The Council is sending additional officials to investigate.”

I lowered my eyes to the report in front of me.

I didn’t want to think about Gavin.

But then Princess Helena said his name.

“Gavin Mercer has been assigned to lead the investigation.”

My hand froze over the document.

For a moment, the room became strangely quiet.

One of the volunteers glanced at me.

I simply nodded.

“I see.”

Princess Helena studied me carefully.

“You don’t have to be involved in the investigation.”

I shook my head.

“If the records from the previous border agreements are needed, I can help.”

She smiled faintly.

“I expected you to say that.”

Three days later, Gavin arrived at Highmoor again.

This time, he didn’t come looking for me.

He went directly to the council chamber to begin his investigation.

I only saw him when I delivered the historical border records.

He looked at me across the table.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

There was no awkward argument.

No pleading.

No mention of our past.

We simply worked.

For several hours, we compared old maps and reviewed supply routes.

At one point, Gavin noticed a discrepancy in a report.

“This route wasn’t listed in the original agreement.”

I leaned closer.

“Because it didn’t exist then. The road was built eight years ago.”

He looked at me with quiet surprise.

“You remember that?”

“I read the records.”

A faint smile crossed his face.

“You really have changed.”

I looked back at the documents.

“I had to.”

The investigation continued for another week.

Eventually, we discovered that the attack wasn’t random.

Someone had deliberately redirected the convoy into disputed territory.

The evidence pointed toward a small group trying to provoke another conflict between the Packs.

Princess Helena immediately ordered additional security around Highmoor.

That evening, I returned to my room and found another letter waiting on my desk.

This time, it wasn’t from Gavin.

It was from my grandmother.

She wrote that my family had been asking about me more frequently.

My mother wanted to know when I would return.

Evelyn had apparently begun working at a charity organization in the capital.

And then came the final line.

“Gavin’s family has asked whether your engagement might be restored when your service ends.”

I stared at the sentence for a long time.

Then I folded the letter.

Three years ago, that question would have made my heart race.

Now it only made me tired.

I walked to the window.

Snow had begun falling over Highmoor.

The world outside was quiet and white.

I whispered to myself, “I wonder who I’ll be when these three years are over.”

I already knew one thing.

I would not be the woman waiting for Gavin Mercer.