LOGINTalia’s POVMy wolf woke me up before dawn. All I could hear were Nolan's soft snores and the occasional creak of the house. I groaned, wishing I could sleep longer. ‘Seriously? It’s barely morning.’‘Camilla’s here. She said to wake you,’ my wolf replied.That woke me up fast. ‘How do you know that? Did she talk to you?’‘Sort of. I can feel what she wants. She’s getting impatient,’ my wolf said.Nolan kept sleeping, his arm draped over my waist. His face was peaceful, free from worry. I didn’t want to wake him. Goodbyes with Nolan always lasted too long.I kissed his forehead gently and slipped out from under his arm. I dressed quickly and tiptoed to the door.Just like my wolf said, Camilla was waiting outside with a candle. The flickering light made her seem older than she did in daylight.“I am sorry for the hour,” she said. “I know it is a cruel way to start. But dawn is when the mind is quietest, and a quiet mind is what you need. For the rest of the week, we will start at this
Talia’s POVNolan’s face said it all before he could even open his mouth. The concern was plain. It was the same as whenever he sensed trouble and knew he couldn’t protect me from it.“I have to master this,” I told him. “Right now, I am using the Moonfire without realizing it, and every time I become feverish. I can’t fight Morgana if this power is only moments away from putting me into another coma. Then, I become a liability. Camilla can help me with that. My power is the whole reason we have the alliance. Let her help me, help us.”Nolan reached out and laid the back of his hand against my forehead, and his frown deepened at the heat coming off me.“You’re burning up right now,” he said, and Camilla snapped her fingers. Dalila begrudgingly offered me a cup of tea, and I took it from her.“This will take care of the fever,” she said quickly before heading back to her position at the window.“See, this is exactly what I am talking about. They know how to help me. I need to do this,
Nolan’s POVWe’d been calling Talia’s name for what felt like an hour, but the woods swallowed every sound. Marco cupped his hands and shouted into the mist, again and again, getting nothing back each time. Della paced a few steps away, jaw tight as she scanned the trees.“Where are you, Talia?” Della screamed, but once again she received no response.I fought off images of the trap Talia had fallen into. Every time I pictured it, I felt myself unraveling. I should have grabbed her. The ground gave way with her just ahead, and when I lunged, my hand closed on empty air. If I’d moved a heartbeat sooner, I could have saved her.‘She’s alive,’ my wolf said, the same thing he had been saying since it happened. ‘I’d feel it if she weren’t. The bond is thin in here, but I know she’s alive.’I was beginning to lose faith, and then I heard her. “Nolan!”The sound came from ahead, through the trees, faint but definitely hers.“Talia,” I called back, beginning to move towards the sound of her v
Talia’s POV“I came to ask you for help against Morgana,” I responded quickly. The older witch’s eyes widened in surprise.“Do not speak her name!” the witch on the left hissed, “Do you want to bring her here?”“Stop being suspicious, sister. She wouldn’t be here,” the witch on the right scolded.“How do you know that name?” the middle witch asked.“She’s helped plan attacks against me, my loved ones, and my people. Now she’s working with the Rogue King. Together, they want to destroy the werewolf world and put him on the throne, and she’s making it happen. If she wins against us, she won’t stop with wolves. We have a better chance against her if we work together than if we fight alone,” I explained.The witch on the left let out a scoff. “Together? You must think we’re fools. The last time we trusted your kind, it nearly cost us everything. That won’t happen again.”“I am telling you the truth. I have no reason to harm any of you,” I countered.“We should hear the she-wolf out,” the
Talia’s POV'What happened? I thought you were getting us somewhere safe,' I said. ‘I’m sorry. I felt magic in the other direction. I thought I was leading us away from it, but I walked us right into another trap. I'm sorry,' my wolf apologized.'It’s not your fault. It was a bait and switch,' I sighed. 'The trap was meant to be confusing.' 'Should we wait for them to find us?' my wolf suggested. 'No, let’s just figure out how to get out of here. Nolan is probably worried,' I said.By now, Nolan would have realized that I was missing and would be recklessly searching the forest for me. Marco and Della would try to calm him down but they would probably fall into a trap if they weren't already in one. The best way to keep everyone safe was to get out myself.I moved forward into the darkness, feeling around for a wall or edge, but found nothing. The floor was flat and seemed to go on forever. My feet started to ache, but I kept moving. I couldn’t stay here.Then, ahead of me, someon
Talia’s POVWalden met us at the gate as the car was being loaded.“You have been home for only two days,” he said. “I started to think you might unpack.”“I know. I’m sorry. This must be hard on you,” I said. Walden had been taking care of Bloodmoon alone for a long time. He really deserved a break.“I’m teasing, mostly.” He stepped back and let the warriors finish with the last of the bags. “Go on. Just come back in one piece, both of you. The pack would rather have you slow than not at all.”“We will. Hold the borders. We won’t be gone any longer than we have to be,” Nolan stated.Marco drove. Nolan sat up front with him, and Della and I climbed into the back. The gate disappeared behind us, then Bloodmoon, and the road opened up to the west.About an hour into the drive, Della turned to me and smiled.“Well,” she said. “Someone had a good night.”“What?”She tapped her neck. “The hickies on your neck.”I blushed and reached for my neck before I was able to stop myself, and Della’s







