LOGINTalia’s POV"Good to see you too," I said, walking over and hugging Camilla."You traveled all night," Camilla said, eyeing us. "You haven’t eaten or slept. I know why you’re here, but it can wait until after breakfast.""We came because there’s no time," Nolan said."There’s always time for breakfast,” Camilla said as she turned and headed up the path. "Come on."Nolan frowned, about to protest, but I squeezed his hand. He looked at me.“Just relax, Nolan," I said quietly. "Camilla invited us because she had a way to help us. You know she isn’t the type to mince words. Having breakfast won’t hurt.""I don’t want to sit and eat,” Nolan argued.“Do you want to insult her? If you insult her, then she may not help us,” I countered.“She would forgive you and we have an alliance. It would be in her best interest to help us,” Nolan said.“Don’t be like that, Nolan. You can force your way with her or the coven,” I said. I knew Nolan was trying to look firm, but he was trying not to let fea
Nolan’s POV"I’m not sure yet," Talia said. "Leslie called Camilla last night when you were away. Camilla didn’t make any promises. She was careful. She didn’t say she could help, but she didn’t say she couldn’t either."“So what did she say?”"She told us to come as soon as we could, and said she’d do everything she could. Leslie said it twice.""That’s a good sign," I said.“You think so?”"Talia, that’s actually really good." I turned to face her. "Camilla is old. She’s older than anyone can remember. If she didn’t know about this, she would’ve said so. She’s never sugarcoated anything for anyone. She would’ve just told you there was nothing she could do."“But she didn’t.”"She said to come now. That means she knows what’s going on." I realized I was talking faster than I meant to. "No one tells you to hurry over if they have no idea what’s happening."“She still wouldn’t promise anything.”"Of course she wouldn’t. That’s how I know she means it." I took her hand. "If Camilla had
Nolan’s POVI left the hospital before I said something I’d regret.I didn’t tell anyone I was leaving. I slipped out the side door, past the gardens, and as soon as I was clear of the buildings, I started running.‘She lied to us,’ my wolf snarled. ‘For two weeks, she looked right at us every morning and lied.’‘I know,' I said. I thought about how many times she looked conflicted in the past two weeks. I knew something was wrong, but I never questioned it. She played me like a fool.‘We slept next to her every night for two weeks, thinking Leslie could save her because she let us believe it.’‘Yeah. I know. You don’t have to keep telling me. I was right there with you.’At the edge of the trees, I shifted and let my wolf take control. I couldn’t handle being human another minute. Being human meant thinking, and thinking meant remembering that hospital room.He ran full speed, not caring about branches scratching us or the thick brush in our path. Even the stream’s steep bank didn’t
Talia’s POV“Talia, tell me what is going on,” Nolan demanded.I opened my mouth, ready to say it was fine, but Leslie cut in before I could. "The herbs just slow things down in the beginning," she admitted, fidgeting nervously. "They don’t actually fix anything. Eventually, they’ll stop helping."Nolan’s face furrowed, and he looked between all of us, staring at us in disbelief. "So you’ve all been lying to me? Is that why you kept saying she’d be okay?"‘I told you we should have told him,’ my wolf scolded. ‘Explain it to him now!’I reached for his arm, needing to close the space between us. "Nolan, I just wanted to protect you. I didn’t want you to lose hope."He pulled away from me, his face hardening. "Were you protecting me, or just avoiding telling me the truth? Why didn’t you just tell me? Why make me think there was hope?"His anger faded. He just looked hurt. His shoulders slumped, and all the fight left him. "You should have told me, Talia.”"I’m sorry," I said quietly. "I
Talia’s POVI jolted awake, screaming.White light made it hard to see. I flailed around until hands gripped my shoulder, holding me in place. "Talia, look at me. Focus on me. You’re okay.”Nolan’s voice brought me back. My hands and body kept shaking, filled with restless energy I couldn’t control. Finally, Nolan’s face came into focus above me. “Nolan?”"There you are. It’s okay. You’re safe,” Nolan said as he cupped my face.I tried to sit up, but my arms felt weak and heavy. Nolan helped me sit up.Solon stood at the end of the bed, looking concerned. “Thank the Goddess you’re awake,” he said. “You scared us, Talia.”Leslie was to the right of me, checking my pulse. "The dosage was too much. It was a gamble I shouldn't have taken. I'm sorry, Talia.""What happened?" I croaked as my throat burned."You started screaming a couple of hours after you fell asleep; you started yelling like something was hurting you,” Nolan explained. “You were so hot to the touch, and I couldn’t wake
Talia’s POV“We’ll double your dose tonight,” Leslie said. “Just for tonight, take twice as much as usual, both times, and get to bed early.”“Is that safe? For them, I mean.”“It’s safer than the alternative. The herbs help slow down what the babies take from you. If they’re going to take more tonight, the tonic has to be stronger too. It’s the best we can do with the time we have.”That night, I drank the double dose, just like Leslie said. It tasted even worse than usual. Nolan sat on my bed and watched me finish the second cup, trying not to laugh.“Don’t even start,” I warned him.“What? I didn’t say anything.”“You were about to. I can see it all over your face.”“I wish I could show you what you look like. Your face is priceless,” Nolan said as he took the cup from me and offered me ice cream. “Like a kid forced to eat vegetables.”“It tastes like swamp water. Like Leslie boiled something dead in a swamp,” I said. I ate the ice cream, glad for the sweetness that finally covered






