Chapter 2: The White Shadow

Lia gritted her teeth as she dragged the wounded wolf through the underbrush, the sharp rocks and thorny vines tearing at her skin. Every step she took, her wrist-mark burned like a brand, but she refused to stop. Her mind raced with thoughts of betrayal, of danger. But the wolf’s blood-soaked body was a silent plea, and despite every instinct screaming at her to leave him behind, she could not. Not when his life was hanging by a thread, and not when something deep within her had already recognized the fragile connection between them.

The cave was a small, dark hollow nestled deep in the forest, hidden from prying eyes. She had lived there for years, taking solace in the isolation, away from both humans and wolves. The scent of earth and stone greeted her as she hoisted the injured wolf onto a flat rock near the cave’s entrance. She could feel the weight of the decision pressing on her chest. **What was she doing?**

Her gaze lingered on his silver-scarred eye. A noble wolf, no doubt. Her heart skipped a beat as she noticed the fine details of his form. There was something familiar about him, despite his unconscious state. Something that called to her, even through the haze of fear and uncertainty.

She set to work quickly, her hands moving with practiced speed. She knew the forest’s herbs like the back of her hand—what healed, what soothed, what could save a life. But this? This was no ordinary injury. This was the wound of a warrior, a pureblood warrior. She carefully cut away the matted fur to reveal the gash running deep across his side, the blood still fresh and thick.

He stirred as she pressed a cloth to the wound, his eyes fluttering open. At first, he blinked, dazed. His gaze swept over her, confusion clouding his features before it hardened into something else.

“Who…” His voice was raspy, strained. “What have you done?”

Lia’s breath hitched. **He’s awake.**

“I saved your life,” she replied coolly, though her heart hammered in her chest. She didn’t need his thanks, nor did she want it. The last thing she needed was to be seen as weak by someone like him.

His lips curled into a grimace as he tried to sit up, but the pain stopped him. His left hand clutched at the rock beneath him, his breath shallow as he forced himself to remain still. His eyes, golden like hers, scanned the cave, assessing his surroundings.

“Where am I?” he asked, his voice tight with barely contained pain.

“Somewhere safe,” Lia answered, a hint of annoyance creeping into her tone. “You’re in my cave.”

He raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical, but made no further comment. Instead, he turned his gaze to her more intently, as if trying to discern her identity. “Who are you?”

Lia stared back at him, the same curiosity reflected in his eyes. **A noble wolf, here, in my cave?** Her own eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Lia Soren.”

The name had the effect she had hoped for—his body stiffened, his gaze sharpening.

“Greyskin,” he spat, the word laced with disgust.

Lia’s jaw clenched, but she said nothing. She had long grown used to the insult, though it still stung. She had always been the outcast—the half-blood, the cursed. But hearing it from him, from a noble wolf, felt like a cold slap. Still, she didn’t react. She had learned long ago to hide her emotions beneath a mask of indifference.

“You’re lucky I haven’t killed you,” Lia said, her voice cold. “I should’ve let the humans finish what they started.”

Cassian, the noble wolf, studied her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. “You should’ve,” he murmured. “But something tells me you won’t.”

He was right. Something inside her—something she couldn’t ignore—had stopped her. A part of her recognized him, and for reasons she couldn’t explain, it hadn’t felt like a betrayal to save him.

“Why are you in my forest?” Lia asked, her voice sharp. “You’re far from home, pureblood.”

His gaze flickered to the satchel lying beside him. He reached for it with slow, deliberate movements. “I came for the Heart of the Greykin.”

Lia’s eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. The **Heart**. The mythic artifact that had haunted her people’s legends for centuries. It was said to have the power to break the curse of the Greyskin—though no one truly knew where it was.

“The Heart?” she repeated, her voice low. “What does it have to do with me?”

Cassian gave her a calculating look. His gaze dropped to her wrist, where her Greykin mark glowed faintly beneath her sleeve. “Everything,” he said softly, almost as if to himself. “You’re the key.”

Lia recoiled, instinctively pulling away from him. The last thing she wanted was to be tied to another noble wolf’s schemes. The Heart of the Greykin? That was a dream, a fantasy. It couldn’t be real.

But something about his words struck a chord deep inside her. The Heart of the Greykin had been nothing more than a whispered story among the old ones. A relic of power, a thing of legend. But what if it was real? What if it was the key to her people’s salvation?

Before she could speak, he slumped back against the rock, his energy spent. His voice was barely above a whisper.

“We need to find it,” he said. “Before they do.”