"According to the guy, the last time that he saw Mikael was when he attacked me the day I was traveling to visit you. I don't believe that I mentioned that he was there when Celia hit me. He was the one who Mikael attacked. Anyway, after that, he said their group separated. Everything had changed. According to him, it was all Mikael's fault, because what he had done to him was unforgivable. "Their plan was to torture me until I gave them information about your whereabouts, Kiera. Because of what Mikael did, I managed to escape. That was what he said. This information reached his group and they weren't happy, not in the slightest. Celia was the one who made everyone turn against him and as a result, he was shunned. Yes, I know how strange it sounds. He was their leader, after all. So how could he have been abandoned?""Wait," Kiera said, rubbing her temples. "You're telling me that Mikael was sent away from his group because he saved you from a horrible death? Is this what you're telli

The man's fist broke through the window. The sight of it frightened her and suddenly, she forgot how to breathe. Think. Act. Blood dripped onto her pants and spread like a disease. She had the axe in her hand but she didn't know how to use it anymore. He was trying to grab her face but she inched away so he wouldn't touch her. She only had a few seconds left to act and take control of the situation. When he retracted his hand and peered at her through the hole he made in the glass, he would recognize her. And then, all of hell would break loose.Kiera counted to three again in her head and prayed for courage, prayed unlike she had ever prayed before. The plea came from deep in her soul. She had to act or the moment of opportunity would be lost. Her palms were sweating. She could tell by the way the handle was slipping. “Come on,” she said as the man started retracting his hand, ignoring the way the glass was cutting his hand. The sight of blood was ghastly but she had to ignore it.

The hammering only stopped late in the night. Kiera felt physically drained. She couldn’t figure out where her energy went. It was Kane’s fault, of that she had no doubt about. He put her in a position where it was impossible for her to make a decision without having to live with deep regrets. On the one hand, she could choose to forget Mikael and stay with him Simone while he went out and cleaned the mess she started. On the other, she went in search of Mikael and lost Kane’s support forever. Simone understood. It was a relief but not the one Kiera would have liked. Simone would always take her son’s side. It wasn’t a question about whether or not she loved Kiera; Kiera did not doubt the love she had for her. But Kane was her blood. She would not choose the daughter she raised over the son she birthed. Kiera wasn’t delusional enough to think that she would have her full support. It was the reason why she didn’t tell him to stop downstairs. Kiera turned on her side with a groan.

If Kiera were being completely honest with herself, she thought that the hunt for Mikael would be a lot easier. And faster. She thought she would have found him on the first night that she, Kane, and Simone left their house. She was quite optimistic and would never forget that moment when everything felt like it was falling into place, and that things could be set right. Kane was getting involved instead of fighting her about it. She had Simone's full support. What could possibly go wrong?Kane took them to the place the man said Mikael was being kept, and to their absolute disappointment, the place was empty. It was a house downtown that he said the man swore had been inhabited by werewolves, but upon reaching there, they found no signs of anyone having lived there in recent times. There was dust everywhere. Kiera couldn't help but but feel disappointed. They left the place without saying anything to each other. There was nothing to say. Simone looked out the window and Kane stared

"I found another one," Kane said the second he walked through the door. He took off his jacket, and Kiera stood from the couch to meet him at the door. He hung the jacket and turned to her with his hands on his hips. "I might have found out something.""What?" she asked. "There's a clue about DarkWater," was his answer. "There's a pack mate who works at Bertmann & Co downtown. You know, the lawyer's office?""There's a werewolf lawyer?" she asked in wonder. "I don't know if he's a lawyer, but he works there. I'll stop by tomorrow right before the office closes and will follow him. Who knows, he might lead us straight to Hugo. It's highly likely that he lives with the pack.""Where did you get this information?" Kiera asked. "It didn't come cheap," he admitted. There is a wolf I know, one who's like Ma and me. He lives amongst humans peacefully, and chose not to interfere into their affairs. He's not a part of any pack, and as far as I know he never did. He told me about this werew