POV: Ashina
The coded letter reached Vera's contact in four days.
The response came back in six, which was faster than any of them had expected and which Vera said, when she read it, meant one of two things. Either her contact had found a path to the Ironmoor Alpha quickly and easily, or the path had already been waiting because someone on the inside had been looking for exactly this kind of contact.
The letter was written in the same coded language they had used, personal correspondence between two former packmates catching up on ordinary life, and what it said beneath the ordinary surface was this: the Ironmoor Alpha was aware of his situation. He had been aware for approximately six weeks, which meant his capacity for independent thought was not as compromised as they had feared. He was looking for a way to communicate safely with outside parties. Vera's contact had told him that a way had arrived.
