CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY SIX

Layla’s explanation of the loyalty spell contained in the stone makes a lot of sense. Jasper’s family dwindling down to a few scattered members, plus the fact that Orsina felt compelled to reach out to us wolves for help as soon as she found the stone - it all fits with what we’ve discovered.

I scroll through the translation of the poem Layla sent me, trying to make sense of the rest of it. It talks about love, and the two families becoming one. Is that just a metaphor, or is there something else there? The carving itself is strange and almost magical in its ability to look like a bear from one side, and a wolf from the other.

At the end of our phone call, Layla told me that she’s sure there is more to the stone, more to its magic and its meaning. She promised to keep researching, and asked me to take more close up photos of the carving next time I had it in my possession.

“I really want to come out there and see it for myself,” she told me. “Where are you in Montana, exactl