3

Suzy and I stood frozen, as if we'd been petrified in place, our gazes locked on each other.

Neither of us dared to move, and the silence between us only made the pounding of my heart feel louder and louder until another knock came, this time harder and more impatient than the first.

“Open up!” a gruff male voice shouted from the other side. “The Ravers have come for you.”

Suzy stared at me for a moment longer before reluctantly turning toward the door. I followed close behind, chewing nervously on my lip as I tried to make sense of what was happening.

Who the heck were the Ravers, anyway?

And why did just hearing their name make my skin crawl?

I watched as Suzy reached for the latch with trembling fingers, hesitating for a moment before slowly pulling it free and easing the door open.

Two rather large men stood on the other side, both dressed in white tunics tucked into black trousers and heavy black leather boots. The taller of the two had black hair and piercing blue eyes, while the other had sandy-colored hair and brown eyes.

At first glance, they didn't look like anything special.

Then I noticed the swords strapped to their belts.

Yeah.

Definitely not a good sign.

The black-haired man reached inside his tunic and pulled out a rolled parchment, untying the thin cord around it before unfolding the document in front of him.

“Suzy Wells,” he read, his voice formal and emotionless, “you have been summoned by the Alpha to aid in bringing the future Luna back to health. However, as requested by Catherine Wells, we will be taking her in your place.”

The sandy-haired man shifted his attention toward me, his eyes traveling slowly over me from head to toe before his nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Are you Catherine Wells?”

For a moment, I wanted to shrink away from his stare.

I wanted to tell these men they'd gotten the wrong girl, that I wasn't really Catherine Wells at all, but some poor, miserable soul who had somehow been sucked into her body.

But then I glanced at Suzy.

Her hands were shaking at her sides, and although she was clearly trying to hide it, there was no mistaking the fear in her eyes.

I didn't know these men. I didn't know what the Alpha wanted with Catherine, and I certainly didn't know what the Ravers were capable of, but I knew one thing.

I wasn't about to stand there and watch them take a frightened child away.

Especially when I was the one who could go in her place.

I swallowed hard and looked back at the two men.

“Yes,” I found myself saying. “I am Catherine Wells.”

The sandy-haired man's expression didn't change.

“Good. Grab your things. We leave in five minutes.”

There was no room for argument in his tone, and judging by the way his hand rested near the sword at his hip, I doubted he expected any.

He turned and headed toward the large carriage waiting outside the small house.

Suzy immediately turned toward me, her lips trembling.

“Are you sure you wanna go, sis?” she asked softly.

I wasn't.

I really wasn't.

Every part of me wanted to run in the opposite direction, but after seeing the fear on Suzy's face, I couldn't bring myself to change my mind.

So I lied.

“Yes.”

Suzy watched me for a moment, as if she could somehow see through the answer I'd given her, before finally giving a slow nod and making her way toward the back of the house.

She reached up and took down one of the black cloaks hanging there, then handed it to me before bending down to grab a large bag from the floor.

“I packed all the essentials you might need,” she said, her voice hitching slightly. “Here.”

I slowly took the bag, surprised by how heavy it felt in my hands.

Before I could even thank her, she threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly.

“Please stay safe, Catherine.”

I stood there, frozen in her embrace.

I'd never had siblings. I was an only child, but I'd always wanted a sister, someone I could talk to late at night when I was lonely, someone I could go out with whenever I wanted, someone I could cause trouble with when life got boring.

Who knew I'd actually get one?

Even if this was probably the last time I'd ever see her.

“Enough!”

A gruff voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I turned my head and saw the same sandy-haired man glaring at us as though our goodbye was nothing more than an inconvenience.

“We're leaving. Come,” he barked.

Then, in a much lower voice, he muttered, “Damn witches.”

Witches?

That was a little harsh.

I turned back to Suzy and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

“Don't worry, Suzy. Everything is going to be okay.”

At least, I hoped it would be.

I pulled away from her before I could change my mind and stepped outside.

For a brief moment, I wanted to stop and take everything in, the fresh air filling my lungs, the warmth of the sunlight against my skin, the familiar chirping of birds, and the dense forest stretching beyond the small house.

But I barely had time to take a breath before a large hand closed around my arm and hauled me forward.

“Let's go.”

I stumbled after him, trying to pull my arm free.

“Hey, get off me! I can walk on my own, you jerk!”

The sandy-haired man merely tightened his grip.

“Quiet.”

I glared at him, but he didn't even bother looking at me as he dragged me toward the carriage and shoved me inside.

“Mika, you ride in the back in case she tries anything,” the black-haired man ordered.

Mika climbed in after me with an irritated scoff.

“Of course, Kain. Of course I have to sit with her.”

Kain ignored him and moved toward the front of the carriage, where the horses waited patiently. He reached out and patted one of them before glancing back at Mika.

“Remember, this is for our future Luna.”

Mika rolled his eyes.

“For our future Luna. Right.”

He climbed into the seat across from me and settled in with a scowl firmly planted on his face.

I stared at him for a moment before finally turning toward the window, watching as the little house and the figure of Suzy standing outside slowly disappeared behind us.

Somehow, I knew I'd never see that place again.