LOGINThe traitor was already inside the castle.I couldn't stop thinking about those words.Someone had watched me sleep.Someone knew my movements.Someone had been close enough to draw a map of my bedroom.And I had no idea who.Alexander noticed the change in me immediately.He always did."You haven't said a word."I stood beside the training hall window, staring into the darkness."I'm thinking.""That's dangerous."I turned.He was smiling.Barely.I narrowed my eyes."You're making jokes now?""I'm trying to keep you from worrying.""It's not working."He walked toward me."Good.""Good?""If you're worried, you're paying attention."I folded my arms."And if I'm terrified?""Then I'll stay beside you until you're not."My heart softened.I hated how easily he could do that.One sentence.One look.And suddenly the walls around my heart disappeared.But tonight wasn't about romance.It was about survival.I looked at him."You said you'd teach me.""I did.""When?""Now."I blinked.
The first thing I learned about war was that it had a sound.Not the clash of swords.Not the growls of wolves.Not the screams from the battlefield.It was the sound of silence afterward.The terrible silence that came when everyone waited to discover who had survived.I stood on the castle balcony with Alexander beside me, watching smoke rise from the northern wall.Moonfang had survived the first attack.Barely.The courtyard below was filled with wounded warriors. Healers moved between them, carrying supplies and calling out instructions.Some wolves had shifted back into human form.Others remained in their wolf forms, too exhausted to move.I couldn't stop thinking about the ones who hadn't made it back."How many?" I asked.Alexander didn't answer immediately."Forty-three."My heart sank."Dead?"He nodded.I closed my eyes.Forty-three people.Forty-three families.Forty-three lives ended because the Council wanted me.I looked at him."This has to stop.""It will.""How?"Hi
Lucien's voice disappeared.But his words remained.Do you really want to know what happened to Amelia's mother?I stood beside Alexander in the corridor, my heart pounding.For years, I had wondered why my mother disappeared.For years, I'd accepted the explanation that she had simply died.Now I wasn't sure I had ever known my own mother at all."Where is he?" Alexander asked.Marcus looked toward the eastern corridor."Below the castle."Alexander's eyes flashed gold."How did he get inside?""We don't know.""Then find out."Marcus nodded and hurried away.I grabbed Alexander's arm."Wait."He turned."You're not going after him alone."His expression softened."I won't.""I'm coming.""No.""Alexander.""You don't know what Lucien is capable of.""Neither do you.""I do.""Then tell me."He fell silent.I stepped closer."You're afraid of him."His jaw tightened."Yes."The admission shocked me."You've never said that before.""Because I didn't want you to know.""Why?""Because
I had spent years believing that the night I was attacked was nothing more than a childhood nightmare.A broken window.A loud crash.My mother's scream.My father's bloodied shirt.And a pair of golden eyes I could never quite remember clearly.Whenever I tried to recall it, the memories dissolved into fragments.But now I knew the truth.There had been wolves.There had been blood.And Alexander had been there.I stood in the library with my back against the window, staring at the black envelope Marcus had delivered.My mother's name wasn't written on it.There was only one sentence.You should have asked where your mother disappeared to.My fingers trembled."She was alive."Alexander stood across from me."I don't know.""You said the Council knows where she is.""They claim they do.""That's different.""Yes."I hated how calm he was."How can you stand there like this?""Because if I let myself think about every possibility, I won't be able to protect you.""You keep saying that
The forest was silent.Too silent.The Oracle's warning remained trapped inside my head.They will come to kill you.I stood behind Alexander, watching the trees.Every shadow looked alive.Every rustling leaf sounded like approaching footsteps.But Alexander didn't move.He simply stood there, listening.His entire body had become rigid."How many?" I whispered."Too many."My stomach tightened.The Oracle stepped toward us."You cannot stay here."Alexander looked at her."Where do we go?""Moonfang.""The Council knows the territory.""Then nowhere is safe."Alexander's jaw tightened."I'll protect her."The Oracle smiled sadly."I know."Then she looked at me."But protection alone will not save her."I frowned."Then what will?""Truth."The word struck me harder than it should have.Alexander looked away.I noticed."You know something."He didn't answer."Alexander.""Not here.""Where, then?""Back at the castle."I stared at him."You're keeping something from me."His eyes m
I woke up screaming.My hands were burning.Not metaphorically.Actually burning.I threw the blankets off and stared at my palms.Silver light pulsed beneath my skin.I scrambled backward until my back hit the headboard."What is happening?"The mark on my wrist glowed brighter.Then my bedroom door flew open.Alexander stood there.Barefoot.His hair was messy, his shirt half-buttoned, and his expression was pure panic."What happened?"I held up my hands."I don't know!"He crossed the room in seconds.The moment he touched my wrist, the burning stopped.The silver light disappeared.I stared at him."How did you do that?""I didn't.""Then what happened?"He looked at my wrist.His expression darkened."Your power responded to me."I swallowed."That's not normal.""No.""You're getting really good at saying that."He almost smiled.Then the door opened again.Elara rushed in."Is she all right?"Alexander nodded."For now."Elara examined my wrist.Her eyes widened."That's impos







