Chapter 48

Summer arrives, months after Wren’s heartroot poisoning, with no culprit found. Adrienne summons Wren to provide security for a covert meeting in the wards, transported by Henley, and mentions a rendezvous with Jasper first. Gray withholds details, reinforcing Wren’s need-to-know status, and their relationship remains intimate but not fully consummated, complicated by Wren’s lingering feelings for Cross.

At a cleared bar in Ward C, Wren reunites with Xavier, now thriving in the Hollow and working with smuggler Jasper. Conversation turns to Cross’s silence. Jasper alludes to news Wren “should know,” prompting tension.

Pressed, Jasper claims Cross has “moved on.” When Wren rejects it, Jasper abruptly grips her neck and past-projects a memory into her mind: Jasper accidentally walking in on Cross with a woman at Haven. The undeniable vision devastates Wren. Adrienne cuts short the moment, ordering departure for the mission.

Wren sets up a sniper overwatch at a derelict rail station while Adrienne approaches to meet unknown counterparts. Wren clears the area and maintains sightlines, her instincts uneasy despite a quiet perimeter and three heat signatures inside. Adrienne signals the meeting is wrapping.

As Adrienne moves to exit, a fast-moving figure crosses the window. Wren catches a clear glimpse: Travis Redden. The revelation that Adrienne’s secret contact is Travis compounds Wren’s shaken trust, linking Authority operations with a known Company figure.