Hmmmm," came the soft sound from the oak tree. Dawn fell on me at the thicket of the bush. The witch's hut was deep in the forest path. I pulled my hood up and walked faster, trying to keep my mind on what I needed to ask her. My boots crunched on dead leaves, each step echoing louder than it should. My uncertainties accompanied me in my journey. The wolf in the Palace, is he really my son? Where is my son? Halfway there, a movement blurred my vision for a while. A white wolf emerged from behind the trees. Not white, but pure white, with a black stripe down his back like a shadow drawn by careful fingers. The stripe was so precise, so deliberate, that my breath halted. I stood in shock still, regaining my breath from the shock. It was the boy. The one I'd saved. "Hey," I whispered, allowing my voice to warm up even though my chest was churning with turmoil. "How are you doing?" His ears leapt forward, watching but not frightened. Those light blue, almost silver eyes reg
“Noooo…,” Cassie screamed as she lunged forward.The field went berserk. Lucas's yell had sliced through the air like a blade, and then vanished into silence. The ritual circle glowed brightly, too brightly and then vanished. The light that was meant to burn brighter dimmed and died.Lucas gazed at his hands, blood oozing from the new cuts Jamie had made in them. Jamie's face was paler than bone. "What's going on?"The air itself lost its enchantment. The electric energy which had made all their skin tingle just a few seconds ago vanished entirely. Daisy's incantation stalled in mid-word, her voice breaking."This is not right." Daisy panicked as her eyes flew wide open. She gazed back at the dying circle, at Jamie's bleeding hands. "It's not your bloodline. The magic will not take."Jamie's head jerked up. "What do you mean, not my bloodline?"The words hung in the air like a pronouncement of death. The Greyer warriors with their hands around Jamie clamped down harder, but he wa
‘Uhhh,’ Lark groaned, barely more than a whisper. His eyelids fluttered like someone fighting to wake up, then shut again. His lips moved, but nothing came out. FrusThe healers didn’t waste time. Hands were everywhere, pressing leaves to his mouth, forcing some revolting-smelling sludge between his lips. His skin was pale and his fur was dried. He looked half-dead.Cassie hovered by his side, fingers clenched tight. “What is it?” Her voice filled with worry.“Poison,” Maeven said, frowning like she was chewing glass. “Not to kill him though. This one’s for the mind. Eats memories. Shreds you up from the inside, piece by piece.”Cassie felt her heart drop straight through the floor. “Will he—he’ll be okay, right?”“We caught most of it.” The healer said as she wiped her hands, looking tired. “He’ll make it. But he needs rest,”Cassie nodded, her hands shaking as she squeezed Lark’s. His skin was a little warmer. He didn’t look so much like a ghost anymore.The herbs worked faster
Jamie fought his way through the thick forest, the dry branches cracking under his boots. Blood ran down his shirt. His hands were filthy. He looked like a man who had been fighting his way through the forest for ages.That was the plan.He staggered upon the border of Greyer Pack lands, out of breath. His cloak was ripped. Mud smeared his face. Everything needed to look real.The guards noticed him."Alpha Jamie?" one of them called, approaching with a torch."I returned as fast as I could," Jamie gasped, rushing forward. "Any sign of Lucas?"The guard turned his head. "Not yet. But we keep trying."Jamie nodded.He walked in the direction of the middle hall, simulating a limp, but every step was calculated. Controlled.Maeven waited for him at the hallHer expression was one of worry. "My Alpha, the moon goddess, be praised for letting you return home in one piece." She exclaimed "Are you injured?" Maeven looked at the blood on his chest.Jamie shook his head. "Just thorn cuts.
“Ouch," Lucas screamed into consciousness.His wrists were in sharp pain, the rope burning against his skin. The stone pressed against his cheek, cold and damp, while water billowed like a clock would appear in the absence of light. Lucas tried to sit up, but his ankles were tightly tied, causing his legs to fire up. The ropes around him caused the problem to occur. "Mama?" His voice cracked, barely a whisper in the suffocating black.No one answered back.He had no sensation in his fingers, as if they were asleep. The rough fibers pinched deeper when he stretched them. Panic clawed at his chest. He closed his eyes and to feel the warmth inside him. But there was nothing there. There was a cold, empty space where his magic could be found. He couldn't use his powers.“Do not panic,” his wolf instructed “Think first, then act,” the feminine voice said. It was his mother's voice.As she had instructed, he forced himself to breathe at a slow pace. He breathed through his nose an
Mother!Cassie walked through the heavy iron gates of the Greyer Pack grounds after pretending not to have seen the letterLucas's voice echoed throughout the courtyard. Her kid raced toward her, his little legs carrying him as fast as they could. With every pace, his black hair leaped; his unusual eyes, which seemed to hold secrets no seven year old should have, shone with pure happiness at seeing her.She knelt down in perfect time to catch him as he flung himself into her arms. His embrace was comforting and well-known, yet she could feel his faint energy emanating from him—the power that never fully quieted. Lucas mumbled against her shoulder, his voice muted but full of feeling, "I missed you so much."“What trip took you? You were away for far too long.Softly smoothing down his unruly hair, Cassie responded “I had some business to take care of at the Red Claw. But now I'm back and that's all that counts,”Near the gate, Mark and Lark stood observing the reunion with faces co