Chapter 3

Some time passed with no sound at all from outside, and my father asked one of the guards, "Has Neve come back?"

The guard shook his head. "We walked the whole way around the castle. There wasn't a trace of her anywhere."

He paused a moment. "She's just being stubborn. Put some food downstairs on the ground floor. Set it out for Neve."

I drifted down in front of my father and looked at him.

His eyes were red. The lines between his brows were packed tight together, and there was a lot of white now in hair that used to be black.

I said softly, "Dad, I'm dead. Will you look at me?"

I reached for his broad hand, but mine passed straight through it. I grabbed without thinking and caught nothing.

I stayed where I was, watching him pace outside Aurora's room.

After a long while he went downstairs, saw the food untouched, and asked the guards, who told him I still had not come back.

He looked toward the doors with grief all through his face and said quietly, "Neve, still not back? Once your sister is gone tomorrow... your mother and I will make it up to you, I swear it."

I looked at how worn down he was, and my voice caught as I said, "Dad, Mom, I wanted so badly for you to love me a little more. But now... now it can never happen."

My father went back up to the corridor outside Aurora's room. My mother came out of it and looked at him with red eyes.

She buried her face in his chest and sobbed, "Aurora only has half a day left."

She lifted her head again and asked, "What about Neve? Is she back?"

He shook his head and sighed. "No. I don't know what she's sulking about, but she won't show her face."

My mother watched the wind howling past the window and let out a deep breath.

She spoke almost to herself, "Neve, I know you feel wronged, but your sister has one day of life left."

My father pulled her in tight.

"Once Aurora is gone I'll announce that Neve inherits my place. She'll be the new Alpha of the pack, with power over everything. That should go some way toward what we owe her."

My mother nodded. "All these years we gave everything to Aurora and left Neve out in the cold. Once Aurora is gone we can finally spend real time with her."

I looked at my mother. Her face was wet all over, and the tears dropped one by one to the floor.

I put out a hand to wipe them away, but it stopped beside her cheek.

"Dad, I don't want to be Alpha. I only wanted you to care about me a little more, but now there's no way left to make that happen."

Her crying eased. She looked out the window and said impatiently, "Neve still isn't back. Her sister dies at dawn and she doesn't have the sense to come home. She doesn't care about her sister at all."

The sky dimmed. Outside the snow was still coming down in thick flakes.

A knock sounded at the door.

My mother hurried over and pulled it open. "Neve, do you have any idea how selfish you're being? At least you know how to come ho... Rosalind?"

She helped my grandmother in through the doorway.

My grandmother leaned on her cane, saw how worked up my mother was, and asked, "What is it? What has Neve done?"

"Nothing, it's nothing. You came, Rosalind. Is it Aurora you're here for?" my mother said awkwardly.

My grandmother's voice came out hoarse. "Tomorrow is Aurora's last day. I came to sit with her, to be of some use."

As she spoke she drew a crimson jade pendant out of her clothes. "Where is Aurora? Take this to her. It's a charm I begged off a witch. I'm hoping it carries her safely through tomorrow."

"Aurora is doing all right for now. She's resting in her room."

"Let her rest, then. Where's Neve? Why haven't I seen her?" My grandmother looked around the room and frowned.