When I open my eyes, the scent of sweet grass lingers in the air. It's almost completely dark, the only light source a flickering candle next to the stone bowl that's used for smudging. Squinting against the darkness, I try to make out the contours of the room. I have no clue where I am or whether I'm alone or not.

The latter is answered when a whisper breaks through the stillness. "What are we going to do, Bay? It's only a few more weeks to the summer solstice. I don't want to mate with Marco."

Even if I didn't recognize Savannah's voice, it doesn't take much to figure out that she's talking to her true mate. Bay has been in recovery since the fire that destroyed the lower settlement, so they must have stuck me into the healer's cabin with him.

"I don't know what to tell you, Savannah. You don't really have a choice." Desperation colors Bay's words. These two are suffering. Big time.

Savannah sobs. "I'm not sure if I can."

I clear my throat a couple of times to alert them that I'm awake. The curtain around my cot is pulled back. Savannah's fearful eyes turn flat out panicky when she recognizes me. "Oh my god, Raelyn. We didn't know you were here."

What medication is Bay on that he missed them bringing me in? "Don't worry. I won't say anything."

Her face relaxes a little, though she's unable to hide that she isn't fully convinced. As future Luna, she knows I'm required to report what I heard to the Alpha.

Bay's frame appears behind her. When the dim light grazes his face, I flinch back. His hair has been shaved off and deep scars cover the left side of his face all the way from the top of his head to the bottom of his neck. A slow smile unfurls from the corners of his lips before he hisses in pain.

I want to help them—badly—though all warning bells in my head go off, demanding that I mind my own business. Then my guilt prevails. It had been my idea to go into the burning house and at least his physical injuries are attributable to me. "If needs be, you two can make it on your own."

Savannah frowns. "Not sure what you mean?"

"You and Bay. If you truly want to be together, you'll be able to make it on your own."

Bay squints at me and slides his arm around Savannah's shoulders. "Are you suggesting we'd run away?"

I should've kept my mouth shut. "I'm not suggesting anything. All I know is that we might have war soon. If Kendrick Raynes and his pack take over our territory, plenty of families will flee and try to find a new home away from the pack. The threat of enslavement will see to that. Now, this might not be the right thing for you, but rogues that hunt together have by far a better chance of survival. Just an option to keep in mind if things truly turn for the worst."

Savannah looks torn. "I don't know if I could leave my family."

Ultimately, it's a decision only she can make. "Just keep in mind that it's hard to be with another wolf when your true mate is around." Dante and I are the prime example of that. If Lara hadn't been part of the pack, we might've had a chance, but even now, after her death, Dante's memories of her will drive a constant wedge between us.

Bay squeezes Savannah's shoulder. "You should go. If someone finds you here, there'll be trouble."

She gets on her tiptoes and brushes a kiss on his lips. "I'll try to come by tomorrow." The smile she offers me is thin. "Good night, Raelyn."

"Night, Savannah."

Bay's gaze stays on her until the door closes behind her. Then he turns to me. "Do you really think it could work?"

Tough call. It won't be easy, that much is clear. "Running away might be your only chance at happiness."

~~~~

Over the next two days, I don't see Savannah again and Bay doesn't mention our conversation. The Luna comes to check on us every couple of hours, bringing me herbal teas to regain my strength and supplying stronger medicine for Bay's pain. The only other person in the cabin with us is Lara's sister, Phebe, who lays lifelessly in her cot, still in a coma. Though I'm exhausted for the most part, the minutes of the day stretch like molasses. I beg the Luna to discharge me when the boredom threatens to drive me insane.

"You cannot participate in any more mourning ceremonies for Lara," she says as she takes my temperature. "For a second, we even thought we lost you to the spirit world."

In hindsight, that out-of-body experience was scary. "What exactly did happen?"

"Hailey said you were on the ground, spasming. It sometimes happens when your soul joins with that of your mate in mourning, but I've never seen it this bad before."

"It was almost as if I was in Lara's body. I could feel the flames and I think my soul left my body when hers crossed over to the spirit world."

She lowers the thermometer. "Well, your fever is down, but I would like to keep you in the healer's cabin for another day, so you can rest."

I grimace. "Please, Luna, I'm dying of boredom."

"All right then. Dante is with the death watchers, but I will ask Jos if he can take you for a stroll by the lake. But take it easy. No running or playing too roughly."

I cross my heart with my fingers. "Scouts honor." She is just about to get up when I remember I wanted to ask her a question. "Luna, did Jos ever tell you about a cabin in the woods where he goes when he needs some alone time?"

Her forehead wrinkles. "I believe he mentioned something a while back, though truthfully, I'm not sure. When my mate and I go for a run, he takes me on the other path around the lake. If there's a cabin, I've never seen it."

I should ask Dante. Maybe he knows. It's so odd that Jos claims he can't remember the cabin at all.

"Have you heard anything else about the court case?"

"The experts will be here on Friday. My mate told me that you and Jos are supposed to be posing as a couple. I hope you'll be able to manage."

That's three more days to get my energy back. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. This is too important for the pack."

She smiles. "You're turning more Luna every day."

"Thank you."

For a second, her gaze rests on the blanket that is pulled up to my chest. "There's something I meant to ask you. Did you use anything special on your arm? Something human perhaps?"

I frown. "No, not at all. Why are you asking?"

"Because your injury is gone."

I reach for the spot where the bandage used to cover my burn. The skin is as smooth as it was before I ran into the fire. Since the wound hadn't hurt in days, I didn't even notice. "It probably healed from the ointment you prepared."

"Yeah, maybe."

I remember the odd boy we encountered in the woods. He had touched my arm and it had hurt like hell. Could he have had something to do with it?

A groan breaks through the silence. Lara's sister Phoebe stirs in her bed, causing Harla to rise to her feet. She rushes over to Phoebe's bed. I'm right behind her.

The girl has her eyes open, though her gaze is unfocused. Trying to sit up, she whimpers.

"Easy, pup." Harla pushes her back into the pillow.

"Mom? Where's my mom?" Phoebe's voice is raspy and laced with panic.

"It's going to be alright, Phoebe."

The girl twitches in her bed. Wide-eyed, she stares at the Luna. "What happened to them?"

"You need to rest, pup."

"No! I want to know what happened to my family!"

I rub her shoulder. Though she will find out eventually that her parents and Lara are dead, this is not the time to tell her. Not after she just woke up from a coma. "You need to listen to the Luna."

She tears away as if my hand were burning hot. "Don't touch me. You've brought nothing but misery to my sister."

That's one way of looking at it. That Lara caused me just as much pain is something her young mind couldn't possibly grasp.

"Just try to rest, pup." When Phoebe tries to get up, the Luna forces her to stay in the bed. "Raelyn, could you call my mate, please."

"Of course, Luna."

Harla begins to whisper to Phoebe under her breath and a sudden feeling of intrusion settles in. Whatever she's telling the pup isn't meant for my ears. I spin on my heel and walk out of the healer's cabin. The warm sun covers the narrow pathway that leads to the packhouse in a golden light. The sweet scent of flowers hangs in the air and laughter from the vegetable garden is carried by the wind. It's just as it was the morning before the fire. As if time stood still, though the terrible things that happened to the pack since then can never be erased.

I walk slowly down the path, but by the time I reach the packhouse, I'm exhausted and dizzy. Maybe I should have taken the Luna up on her offer and stay in the cabin one more day. The warm air is almost suffocating. I push open the side door to the kitchen and freeze on the threshold by the wrought-up discussion drifting from the Alpha's study.

"I'm sure she was one of Cedar Raynes's scouts. She had the markings of the Northern Light pack." Lance's words are filled with anguish; he sounds as if he's about to lose it.

In contrast, the Alpha's voice is calm. "It was only one female. Not even the Northern Light pack allows their soldiers to roam around on their own. Probably a rogue with similar markings."

"I know what I saw, Nigel."

The Alpha sighs. "Okay, I'll have the fighters comb the area."

"You need to call the troop back from Raelyn's old pack. If there is war, we need every available wolf to fight off those bastards."

"You know I can't do that. I gave them my word."

"Your word won't mean anything if your own pack is demolished."

"Okay, I'll think about it."

Footsteps shuffle in the hallway; someone is coming. Probably Lance. If he catches me snooping, I'll be in big trouble.

My hard knock against the doorframe is hopefully enough to camouflage that I've been standing here all along. "Hello."

Just in time. Lance appears on the threshold to the kitchen. His smile is thin. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you." When his drilling eyes cut into me, I can't hold his gaze. "Phoebe Fisher woke up and Luna Harla asked me to tell the Alpha."

"Very well." He turns around. "Nigel, the female pup woke up. Do you want me to handle it?"

"No, I'll do it." The Alpha walks out of the study and smiles at me. "Oh, good, you are back to health. The expert visit was moved up to tomorrow and they'll be here in the morning. You think you will be able to manage or should I find another female."

Showing this type of weakness will set me back with the pack by months. I have to keep pushing for acceptance if I want to make it here. "I'll manage."

"Good. Jos will bring you up to speed."

On cue, Jos pokes his head around the door of the bathroom. "I heard my name."

"Why don't you and Raelyn discuss how to handle the expert visit tomorrow?"

"Sure thing, Dad."

Instead of going for a run, we stay in our skins and walk down to the lake. The boathouse lies deserted in the sun. Though it brings back bad memories of the time I caught Dante there with Lara, I don't want to bring it up when Jos settles on the boat dock. You don't talk bad about the dead, especially those that haven't been fully mourned yet. No matter what Lara did with Dante, her actions will no longer have consequences. She is the victim who paid with her life.

Jos stares out on the water. I twitch uncomfortably on the plank of the dock; it's as if an invisible wall has formed between us through that encounter with the boy in the woods. Being around Jos is just awkward now and his closeness is jarring. My bond mark itches on top of that, a tell-sign that Dante is close.

When Jos turns his head, his smile is hesitant. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay."

"You gave us quite the scare."

I grimace, not sure what he expects me to say. The pressing silence reaches a new level of unease. I internally weep. Jos has been the only wolf I've trusted, the only one who hasn't judged and who has understood my deepest fears and desires. We had shared an amazing night together the day before my mating. Now he acts as if none of this ever happened. In a way, he's nothing more than a stranger. The Jos I knew is gone. What happened to him in those woods?

"Not sure if you heard, but tomorrow is the expert visit," he carries on.

"Yes, the Alpha told me."

"I found a few pups to take with us."

"That's good."

He turns his head back to the lake. I stab the water surface with the tip of my shoe, watching how the circular ripples drift into nothing. Again and again, over and over. It's all I can do to keep from screaming. I want to wake up from this nightmare.

My mate bond burns as Dante's wolf comes running out of the woods. Stretching back into his skins, he snaps his teeth in utter fury at the air around him. His glare is torching. Someone or something megally pissed him off.

"Phebe Fisher woke up. She told my dad that she and her family were run off the road by another truck when they tried to get to the fence to let the fire brigade in. The occupants were villagers from Longthorne Ridge."

Jos rises to his feet. "Is she absolutely sure?"

"Yes. They were some teenagers she recognized from the market the other day."

"What are you going to do?" I ask.

"My dad wants us to stay put until the court case is resolved, but I say let's get those fuckers."

Jos nods. "I'm in."

"Guys, you can't just go against the Alpha's orders. And what if Phoebe was mistaken? Or you get caught?"

"Stay out of this, Raelyn." Dante snarls at me and his teeth descend. His heart burns with hate; he will take revenge, even if it will cost him his life.

"Was Phoebe even at the market?" I don't remember seeing her there.

"Her dad used to do light carpentry work in town and took her with him that day."

"Still—"

A loud growl cuts me off. "I said, stay out of this, female." Dante's teeth snap at my throat in warning, the sharp ends of his canines grazing my skin. A slight burn proceeds the thick blood that runs along my neck.

Out of the corners of my eyes, I gaze at Jos. In the past he would have helped me. Now he doesn't move, his face twisted in a way that leaves no doubt that he agrees with his brother.

I step back with raised hands. "Hey, you guys do what you want."

A satisfied snarl is Dante's answer before he licks the wound on my neck shut. It disgusts me, even if my wolf rumbles in lust. He and Jos shift and disappear in the woods with a few long leaps. I grin after them. This is my chance to score some more brownie points with the Alpha and get Dante into trouble at the same time. Payback is a bitch, and my mate is about to find out that two can play this game.

~~~~

© Sally Mason 2018

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