Carol continued to chat with Maja, but this time, they ditched voice messages for good old-fashioned typing.

What a relief that Maja didn't bring up the Miller family, Carol thought. She had no idea how she'd explain that mess.

Maja had taken Beck's words to heart: if they needed help, she was there, but if they chose silence, there was little anyone could

do. They were adults; they knew the weight of their choices.

After responding to Carol's last message, Maja leaned back to rest. The room was cozy, the temperature just right, and Coco was

wagging its tail furiously nearby.

It had been ages since Maja had seen Coco, and she longed to pet her, but Beck was overly cautious, not letting any pets get too

close.

So, to keep Beck from worrying, Maja kept her distance from both Coco and Rocky, the aloof Siamese cat who seemed to look down

on everyone with a sort of detached disdain.

Coco had long accepted Rocky as the alpha, fawning over him shamelessly.

Maja sat by the window, a cashmere throw rug beneath her, hugging a pillow. A sudden drop in temperature had brought a flurry of

snowflakes outside. She was tired of asking for updates on lan, knowing disappointment was the likely outcome.

With just a month until Christmas, she buried her face into the pillow and let out a soft sigh.

Meanwhile, at the Windhelm border, Abner sat in a chair, gunfire echoing around him. This shipment had proved trickier than

expected.

crossing him? That was

them out," he

load his gun when the boat lurched violently beneath

Boom! Boom!

quickly disintegrated, and Abner plunged into the

up, his

pressing down on his shoulders. "Took us ages to stop the bleeding. Don't

away and, bracing against the wall, he staggered

"Where am I?"

clinging to

"My dad

of fish - this was no city, no town,

massaged his temple. "My

You had nothing on you but those

in clothes drying on a rack,

and comfortable.

own men, it seemed. A bomb planted, no less. They probably

the boy cautioned. "My dad called Queena to treat you. She's

back from

felt the weakness in

was sun-kissed, clearly no stranger to outdoor life, but his eyes

for my sis Queena, you'd be dead," he said, supporting Abner.

Abner sat back down, the

the bandages again, the boy

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