CHAPTER 2

I don't think I opened the window.

For a moment, I'm scared to death.

Then a rush of cold night air comes into my room, smelling strongly of pine, dirt, and something wild.

My heart beats fast against my ribs.

The three ghosts make their way down.

They're really big. It was bigger than any picture of a wolf I've ever seen. Silver and dark blend together like live shadows as moonlight flows over thick fur and strong bodies.

They both raise their heads again.

Those dull gray eyes.

Kael.

My legs are weak, so I fall back from the window. It's too loud and fast for me to breathe. This isn't real. That's not how wolves look at people. Wolves aren't... aware.

aware of me.

Someone knocked on my door.

Not easy. "Selene."

Kael's voice.

It's very cold outside. I start to ask, "How did you—" but the door opens before I can finish.

Kael quickly walks in and locks the door. He looks like a person again, but he's not calm. It looks like he ran all the way here because his chest is moving back and forth.

He tells her, "You saw."

There is no doubt.

"I—" My voice gets rough. "I saw wolves."

He closes his eyes for a short time. "You saw us."

There is someone else in the room.

On the wall by the door, Thorne stands with his arms crossed. It's hard to read his face. Raven is quietly watching me from behind like I might break or blow up.

She says in a low voice, "You broke the rules."

I say, "I didn't know they were real," and my voice gets rougher from fear. "You didn't say anything to me."

Thorne lets out a sigh. "We told you enough." "No," I reply. "You didn't."

It looks like the room is too small. As the moonlight falls on the floor, it hits my bare feet and makes a strange sound.

I'm warm all over.

Not heat.

Power.

Draven's eyes get close together. "Do you feel that?"

I look at my hands.

They're bright.

A soft silver light, like fog, wraps around my fingers. The glow stays after I gasp and pull them back.

Kael swears to himself.

Thorne says in a low voice, "That's not possible. What's wrong with me?" I say in a low voice.

The house moves.

That's enough, just a little.

Draven moves forward. "Your blood is waking up." "What?"

It's tight but not painful when Kael holds my shoulders. I want you to pay attention, Selene. You're not just a person.

I ask, "Then what am I?" as the light spreads up my arms. My heart beats in time with the moon outside.

A loud, sharp howl cuts through the night, getting closer than before. No one can answer.

Draven looks through the window. "Darius."

Kael's face turns red. "He knows." "What does he know?" I ask him.

At that point, the ground beneath my feet begins to glow.

And I understand something very scary—

The howl wasn't a call to the dogs.

It was calling me.