Cora felt like she was on the back of the horse again, nodding off underneath the moonlight after her conversation with Mina. Gods she was looking forward to whatever bed awaited her back in the cliff face, versus this frigid canoe. She daydreamed about her bed adorned with fluffy, feathered pillows. Perhaps even a thick fur blanket. She was to mate the Alpha, so wouldn't that grant her some luxury?

And for the first time since leaving Kamas, she yearned for this fantastical luxury without guilt. Would it hurt to enjoy the fantasy? If she and Theran didn't get along, at least her life, and even Ben's, could be fluffed with fluffy blankets and full of cakes. I wonder if they have strawberries here. Mom used to make the best strawberry cake.

The river of the fjord had been calm for a time, walls of rock narrowing on either side like black sheets of nothing closing in on them. Then the cliffs opened up to more calm waters, but the cliffs also lessened in size to reveal what must have been an ocean. The moon was still in the sky, although it was no longer shrouded by mountains.

In the distance, Cora saw the orange glow of fire, taking in deeper breaths of the cold air as the flames were so bright that she guessed them to be braziers. A long beach stretched out into the water, and along the cliffside were three stories of stairs that led to a giant cave entrance. It reminded her of a tree house, with the house high up and removed from the ground, but this was a cave instead of a home built into a tree.

The canoes beached on the sand, and Cora couldn't get out fast enough. Although the sand was even colder here, and she felt entirely under-dressed with near immediate shivering.

Hilda came over nearly right away. With a shaking jaw herself, Hilda said, "I spoke with Oleva, and they have clothes for you inside. You poor thing. I didn't think to bring anything warmer. I am not used to the ocean."

"I just want to get this done with. I am tired."

Hilda gave a reassuring squeeze of the arm. "I think we have our first bout of good news here. These Seers are quite like me in their skill, just fueled from different sources. I genuinely think you will be safer here."

"And Ben?"

"Establish yourself, and no one will touch him. The sooner you change, the better in that regard as well."

Cora nodded, feeling like all of this might actually be worth it. She was so relieved to hear Hilda show confidence that she nearly melted into the sand. "Alright. Are we doing that today? Am I changing?"

"No, but I think they will give you a serum that opens up your veins to allow for the change. That has to sit in your system for a few weeks before it happens."

Cora was too tired to question Hilda's judgement and just blindly followed the witch as they neared the stony stairs. They walked up the cold path, the air smelling of salt and stone. The sound of waves lapping at stone walls echoed in the distance, and in the darkness of night, Cora found it more terrifying than interesting.

The ascent to the caves was nerve-wracking, as Cora had never climbed up something so tall before. She even stopped at the second story, looking out at the sheer drop next to her, the sands awaiting her below. She froze, panting in the cool, salty air as she stared ahead. Hilda was a few steps above and turned around.

"Cora are you alright?"

Cora could hardly speak. Her mind was fogged with exhaustion and now frozen in fear from the drop. Ludovic, who was behind her, touched her arm. She nearly jumped, but he gripped her tighter as if to keep her in place. He spoke to her and Mina—who was behind him—translated, "He wants to know if you're okay to move on your own or if you need to be carried?"

That woke Cora up. "No, I can do it."

She turned around and Ludovic let go of her, and she did feel better with him behind her. Surely he'd catch her before she fell.

When they reached the entrance of the caves, she couldn't hurry in fast enough. It helped that they were beautiful and fascinating, carved out like the way the Alpha's home was. Cora shivered, unable to stop at this point. Even Ludovic and Mina looked cold, following Cora with the blue hue of night silhouetting them at the entrance.

Before Cora was something she had never seen before—the walls had pillars carved into them, the floor was flat, braziers illuminated everything, and there were giant openings for windows that were carved out of the exterior stone walls. It was cold, yet warm, and the ceilings were tall. The room was large, and nearly two dozen Seers stood inside, the red of their robes a stark contrast of the dark stone.

A Seer stepped forward, her skin as dark as night and her hair as white as the moon. With an accent, she said, "Come in, there are fires to huddle around."

Ludovic addressed the Seer in his native tongue and Cora neared Mina, who smelled like some kind of citrus up close. Cora asked, "What is he saying?"

Mina looked back and forth, as if not sure if she should answer, and finally leaned into Cora and said, "He is wondering why this couldn't wait until morning."

The Seer replied as Hilda followed Oleva to a brazier. Mina said, "She has seen Steigen in the smoke" –her tone sharpened—"Already on their way."

Cora glanced at Ludovic, whose eyes were hardened and terrifying, but she found a comfort knowing that he was to protect her. He was taller than any of the seers, something about the furrow of his brows revealing a danger that any sane person wouldn't challenge.

Ludovic spoke once more, and Mina translated, "He is asking if Theran should be here, to be a part of this...the Seer is saying no, that if Theran left you in Ludovic's care, then that is his problem. Although when you officially turn next full moon, Theran will be required to be present then."

"Well, why isn't he here? This doesn't feel minor to me," Cora said.

The Seers spoke among each other in Dånesh, with Ludovic joining in.

"He's that kind of Alpha. He will be present for the important things, but not the minor ones, such as this. While it feels major to you, it's a minor ritual to prepare you for the real one. Theran also knows that you're here at Vision's Caves, as we sent one of our own to tell him before departure. If he hasn't followed by now, then he doesn't intend to. I think he wants you to settle in for a day or two before meeting you alone, anyway."

"That's right. He is hands off," Cora said with disappointment. She still wasn't convinced on that behavior. It wasn't as bad as locking her away, but it was also more carefree than she preferred. Can I even have preferences here? Is that my fault for hoping for more?

A Seer interrupted, the same one with dark skin and bone white hair, addressing Cora. "We apologize if our Alpha disappoints."

Cora forgot they could hear far away. Cora's lips parted as she bowed her head. "I am so sorry. I did not mean offense."

Ludovic addressed Mina, and she translated for him.

The Seer said, "Even if you end up mating with Theran, you are allowed to criticize him. In fact, it's encouraged. A good Omega keeps her Alpha in check. He has a lot to learn."

Cora looked up at the Seer as Mina translated for Ludovic once more. The woman's white dreadlocks reached her waist that were lined with streaks of black. She had the most peculiar, bright blue eyes as well, now that she faced Cora. The Seer smiled, revealing clean teeth and a gap in the front. "You can call me Rasha. It is a pleasure to meet an Omni."

Unknowing how to respond, as Cora truly didn't meet a lot of important people, she settled with, "Thank you."

Rasha moved closer, slowly smelling the air around Cora. The older Seer had wrinkles under her eyes and slightly puffy cheeks, but the rest of her aged well. If anything, Cora noticed most of the Seers were similar in appearance. Rasha smelled of spices and mud. Her piercing blue eyes connected with Cora's, a seriousness about the Seer. "You will have a lot to learn. Manners, our ways of life, and how to be one of us. Politics of the pack aside, we will do what we can for you. It would be a crime to treat a gift of the goddess in any other way."

"Gift of the goddess..."Cora muttered, swallowing thickly.

"We believe Dagma has given us the Rubies. Your kind. It definitely wasn't Svarog." Rasha turned around an addressed Ludovic.

When Mina neared Cora once more, Cora asked, "Who is Svaorg?"

"Our other god. We have two—"

Rasha tapped a golden gong, and in the caves it echoed with ease. Everyone paid attention, two seers throwing logs of wood into a vast fireplace that burned in the center of the room, casting a dramatic lighting and strips of moving shadows.

"Tonight we are visited by an Omni"—Rasha nodded towards Cora, and many eyes followed—"And for this, I will speak in the human tongue to honor her. As many of us have seen in the smoke, starting the process of her changing is of great importance. We weren't going to do this until tomorrow, but Oleva sensed we should look into Cora's shadows as soon as possible.

"Before that, we need to give her the dråvischt sona, or the changing serum. It will not change you, Cora Gabris, but rather open up your veins to accept la dravischt—the change. That will be given at the next full moon; three weeks from now. Turning into one of us is a complicated process, one that would kill you if we did so without proper preparation."

Cora would do it if she had to. For Ben. Hell, for her future, now. She felt helpless here as a human.

One of the Seers brought a ceramic jar to Oleva, who walked it over to Cora. Ludovic sat on a smoothed boulder near Cora, watching carefully. She was happy he was there, along with Mina. They were both lycans of the pack, not connected to any of this magic. If this seemed normal to them, then surely Cora could go through with this.

Handing the jar to Cora, Oleva bowed her head. Cora breathed heavier, not used to such gestures. She didn't know if she should do something in return, and when Oelva backed away, Cora settled on silence. She even glanced at Hilda, who nodded approvingly.

She brought the serum to her nose, and it was opaque yet moved about with what looked like slight translucence. It smelled like an herb she had never been exposed to and like some kind of metal. It was completely unappealing, and Rasha said, "Drink quickly."

Cora downed it and nearly threw up, the liquid thick and slithering down the back of her throat. Then she felt hot. Very hot. Her eyes seemed to burn, and the Seers all widened their eyes.

She looked around the room, desperate for a reaction that would tell her what was happening.

Hilda took a step near her and quietly said, "Your irises are red. It's working."

It was a week past the full moon, so the eye color only made sense if her body was embracing what it was born to become. It could only be red on a full moon. Or so that's as her life had been.

Her veins felt like they were on fire and she looked down to see they were glowing red as well, a few gasps echoing in the caves. Cora glanced around, terrified. Mina watched with a fascinated horror, and Ludovic raked his gaze over her very slowly, an expression of awe not fitting the stoic lycan. He looked to Rasha and spoke quickly in Dånesh, standing up himself, his muscled body moving with finesse, as if ready to act.

Without any warning, the flames closest to Cora in the burning pit before her—about twenty steps away—turned black. The Seers yelled in Dånesh.

And then one of them screamed, and Ludovic lunged forward to grab Cora's arm to pull her away from the flames, his gaze locked to the entrance.

Cora glanced over her shoulder to see at the entrance of the cave was a shadow figure with glowing red eyes.