10

The dark canopy above us zooms past as Giulia sprints through the thick trees. Worry and dread keep me from relaxing while we travel through the forest, making it impossible for me to stop staring at the trees. I want to trust the lycans, and I honestly do trust them, but the thirsty ones have made a lasting impression on me. The trees are no longer a symbol of freedom for me. They are a sign of danger.

After a few minutes of tense silence filled with the sound of running feet, we reach daylight again, and I sigh in relief. The lycans around me shift into their smaller selves, and Giulia places me on my feet.

"The ruins are over the hill. Wait until you see. Our home here used to belong to a king. We each have our own room. The place is so big," Giulia says excitedly, and I look toward the bare hill curiously.

"So it's a huge place," I ask, and she nods as we begin to walk forward at my pace.

"The King called it a castle," one of the other Lycans says, and I look toward him.

"A c