Mag-log in“Mum, what is this?” I stared at my mother, disbelief and anger warring inside me. “This is the emergency you called me for?”She crossed her arms. “This is an emergency. You’re thirty years old, Njord. When are you going to marry?”“I’m not ready yet.”“When will you be ready?” Her voice rose. “You know we bad bloods have to marry young. You don’t know if you’ll die soon, if you’re caught by people like—”She stopped herself, but we both knew what she was going to say.“I will not be caught,” I said firmly.“You don’t know that!” She stepped closer, her eyes blazing. “Every day you’re out there—helping people escape, fighting against the slave trade, you’re risking your life. At least give us grandchildren before something happens to you.”“So that’s what this is about? Grandchildren?”“It’s about family!” she snapped. “About not throwing your life away on some foolish crusade that will get you killed.”I felt my jaw clench. “It’s not foolish. People need help.”“And what about what
My phone buzzed. Turner. I answered immediately.“I have a location for where he is,” Turner said without preamble. “But there’s one little thing about him. I don’t know if you know about it.”“What’s the problem?” I asked, sitting up straighter on my bed.“He’s a bad blood.”The words hit me like a sucker punch in the gut. “No shit?”“I’m sorry, Sabrina. It seems you didn’t know about that.”My mind reeled. Bad bloods. How could this be? My father despised them — hunted them whenever he could.And Njord was one of them.“No,” I said quietly. “I didn’t know.”“I can forward you his current location if you still need it,” Turner offered. “But Sabrina, you should think carefully about this. Bad bloods are dangerous. Whatever relationship you think you have with this man—”“Just send me the location,” I interrupted.“Sabrina—”“Send it. Please.”Turner sighed. “Alright. But be careful. If your father finds out you’re consorting with bad bloods, it won’t just be grounding anymore.”The lo
Aurora, it’s been a long time since we talked.My wolf. Eos. I’d almost forgotten what her voice sounded like.“Yeah, you ghosted me,” I thought back, surprised at how easy it was to slip into this mental conversation. “Where have you been?”“Ghosted?” Eos’s tone carried amusement. “All those combat moves you were busting out during fights, who do you think imprinted those into your muscle memory?”“Wolves can do that?” I asked.“You’re not just any wolf, Aurora. You’re descended from a direct line of the original shifters. You have their strength and experience in your body. It’s in your blood, in your bones. When you needed it most, I gave you access to what your ancestors skills.”The revelation stunned me. “Wow. That’s cool.”Eos’s presence felt warmer now**. “I’ve always been here, even when you couldn’t hear me. Waiting for you to be strong enough for me to speak to you again.”Before I could respond, the darkness shifted. Light filtered in, pulling me back toward consciousness.
Fenris left without another word, the door closing softly behind him.“That was unnecessary. What’s your problem with him? Isn’t he your brother?” I said to Arthur.He didn’t respond, just closed his eyes and leaned back against the couch cushions. I decided not to push further and instead called Sabrina.I got off the call with her a few minutes later, confirming she was safe. The relief I felt was short-lived, quickly replaced by the weight of the issues we were facing.“Arthur,” I said, moving to sit in the chair across from him. “We need to talk about what comes next.”He opened one eye. “Can it wait until I’m not bleeding internally?”“No.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “This safe house—it’s one of many in a network. We help slaves escape from their owners and get them to safety.”That got his attention. Both eyes opened now, focusing on me with difficulty.“A network?” he repeated.“Yeah. There are people all across Northern and Southern Europe doing this work
"I’m sorry I dragged you into this,” I said, my voice rough from the beating I’d taken.Aurora sat beside me on the cold concrete floor of the cell, her hand warm in mine despite the chill that permeated the dungeon. Her face was bruised, one eye swollen nearly shut.“I’m fine,” Aurora said softly. She squeezed my hand gently. “Between this journey and everything else, I know we’ve had a lot of problems, but we’ve grown closer to each other.”I couldn’t help but laugh, though it sent a spike of pain through my broken ribs. “You call this fine? We’re locked in a dungeon, beaten half to death, and Lars is probably deciding right now whether to kill us or make us fight again for his entertainment.”“We’re together,” she said simply. “That counts for something.”“I am making you this promise, Aurora: if we are able to escape this place, I will make sure to make Lars suffer for what he did, and I will serve his head on a plate to you.”“Shhh, let’s get out of here first,” Aurora said.“You
The door sealed shut with a thunderous clang, cutting me off from Njord and the others. For a moment, the noise of the complex seemed to fade into a distant hum.“Stand down, Sabrina,” my father said. He sounded very angry, but there was nothing he could do.Lars walked through the line of guards. “Put the gun down,” he said quietly. “Now.”Slowly, I lowered the pistol and set it on the ground.“Kick it away.”I did.Lars nodded to his guards. Two of them rushed forward, grabbing my arms and forcing them behind my back. Zip ties cut into my wrists as they secured my hands. Another guard picked up my discarded weapon.Lars approached until he stood directly in front of me. His facial features twisted with rage.“You ungrateful daughter,” he said. “After all I have done for you, you still find ways to be a nuisance in my life.”“I’m sorry, Father,” I said, trying to douse the flame.“Sorry.” He laughed. “You’re sorry. You helped them escape. You betrayed me, your own father, for what?”







