The Tarot Says She's Already Dead

She caught the shift in my expression and pressed one hand against the mattress, pushing herself upright.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to the pup?"

The cadence of her voice, the habit of kneading the hem of the blanket, it was all identical to Felicity, exactly as I remembered.

Alaric, who had been standing to one side, saw my silence and crossed the room in a few strides.

This Lycan king who commanded the winds and the rain was now breathing in uneven bursts.

"Tell me what the divination showed. Whatever it is, say it plainly. The Crescent Moon Pack can bear any burden."

His two pups flanked him on either side, their eyes taut with apprehension. Ethan's fists were clenched, the rims of his eyes going red.

"Nova, if my sister's star chart carries a dark curse, I'll bear it in her place."

During the contest for the Lycna throne, Alaric was betrayed by a hidden hand, struck down by wolfsbane, and left clinging to the edge of life.

It was I who erected the star array at the altar and spent my own life force to forcibly summon his sleeping wolf soul back.

Later, when enemy bounty hunters abducted Ethan, it was I who wielded my craft to draw the forest mist, leaving those men utterly lost within it until they turned on one another.

Within the Crescent Moon Pack, my words carry the weight of the Moon Goddess's will.

I raised my arm and pointed at the woman on the bed.

"She is not Felicity."

Silence fell over the entire room.

Alaric stood frozen, his gaze following my finger to his mate, disbelief written across his face.

"It’s impossible. Our mate bond is still intact, and the mind link is fine too. If she were a fake, why can't I sense it?"

The woman on the bed visibly startled, then managed a weary smile.

"Nova, have you been living in the forest so long you can't even recognize me anymore?"

"If you're angry that I haven't visited you these past few years, scold me all you like, but please don't make this kind of joke in front of the pups."

I had no interest in listening to her.

"I'll ask one last time. Where did you hide Felicity's body?"

At that moment the door burst open. Alaric's younger sister Coralie stormed in with several warriors at her back.

"Nova, have you lost your mind?"

"Do you think you can come in here and say whatever you please just because of what you did for us back then?"

"Felicity just gave half her life to bring a pureblooded pup into this world for the Crescent Moon Pack, and you come to her hospital room to curse her with death?"

I didn't spare Coralie a glance. My eyes stayed fixed on the woman's face.

"Felicity has a coin-sized burn scar on her right shoulder blade, all the way through. She got it shielding Alaric when he was escaping a trap laced with silver powder."

"Do you dare take off your clothes right now and let me check?"

Coralie erupted with fury, jabbing a finger at me.

"Are you out of your mind? Felicity is the Luna. Why should she strip in front of all these people just so you can humiliate her?"

But Alaric had already turned, his eyes going cold.

"Coralie. Enough. Let her check."

Coralie stamped her foot in outrage but did not dare defy Alaric.

The woman sighed deeply, looking utterly aggrieved, and undid her clothing.

The fabric fell away. On her right shoulder blade was a jagged, vicious scar.

The location, the shape, the depth. All of it identical.

A chill seeped into the depths of my eyes.

My divinations have never been wrong. The star dice had shattered, death had poured from every piece, and Felicity's wolf soul was already gone.

The woman refastened her buttons, a glimmer of tears rising in her eyes.

"Nova, I know you worry about me. You're afraid I've been suffering here in the Crescent Moon Pack. But I truly am well. Alaric spoils me beyond reason. Ethan and Lucius are both wonderful sons."

I tightened my grip on the tarot cards and let out a cold laugh.

"Since the flesh is intact, let us ask the Moon Goddess herself."

I hurled the tarot cards into the air. They trembled with an eerie resonance as they spun.

Then they fell.

Every card landed with unmistakable clarity.

I watched her in silence.

"I have already found Felicity's remains."

"She is dead."