Emma's Pov

　　"Do you want me to take you home, at least?" Daniel offers kindly. I ponder for a few seconds, where will I go now? Moonshadow pack, no way!

　　Would Alpha Matthew accept me back? Is he looking for me? Or because of the fight, did he kick me out of his house?

　　Accalia is also uneasy with so many questions. Daniel's blue eyes look at me expectantly, perhaps hoping that I'll change my mind about visiting him at Direwolf.

　　"I'll accept a bit of the ride, but not to Moonshadow pack," I inform with a gentle smile on my lips. Daniel's blue eyes gain an intriguing sparkle that momentarily makes me lose track of things.

　　"Wherever you want, princess," Daniel retorts humorously. We both get up from the bench and make our way through the now sparser tables.

　　The wind on top of the hill is quite chilly, and I shiver a bit because of it. I cross my arms around my body until we reach the parked motorcycle. Daniel notices my condition and tucks a strand of his own golden hair behind his ear, a bit sheepishly. "Sorry, princess, I should have brought a jacket, shouldn't I?"

　　I offer him a welcoming smile and shake my head casually. "Don't worry about it. Neither of us planned to spend the rest of the afternoon until early evening here chatting, right?"

　　"Well, true. But from now on, I'll be more attentive. I'm sure we'll meet again, princess," Daniel declares again, his words so firm that I wonder if he's also a prophet, like Charlotte.

　　"If we meet again, I'd like my jacket back," I reply with a laugh, and Daniel does the same. He sits on the motorcycle, and I follow his movements, settling in better behind him.

　　"Where do you want to go now, princess?" Daniel asks, and I take a few seconds to respond. My heart races with what I have to face from now on.

　　I might not even have a place to spend the night. The idea of going to the Direwolf pack starts to become more appealing because of my fear.

　　"Take me to the Border between Moonshadow pack and Night Howlers pack, please," I respond determinedly. I need to confront my fears, and continue my search for Ava's true killer.

　　"You can hug me to stay warm. The wind will only get worse until we reach the border," Daniel replies playfully.

　　But he was right, the wind cuts between us as Daniel navigates through the moving cars, my short hair flying back, I force myself to huddle against Daniel's warm back as he drives. It doesn't take long for him to reach the forest's entrance, where the border between the two packs lies.

　　There's no moon in the sky, so my lupine vision to see the night will be necessary. As soon as Daniel parks by the side of the road, my heart becomes anxious about what is about to happen.

　　"Are you sure you'll be safe?" Daniel asks, his concern visible, and I offer a smile to reassure him. I'm not sure of that, but still, I can't hide, running away from my fate.

　　"Yes, it's okay. Don't worry about it. I loved the hours we spent together, it was very enjoyable. Thank you again for saving my life," I announce sincerely, my eyes mesmerized by Daniel's features in the dim light.

　　"My pack will always have its doors open to welcome you if you need, princess," Daniel declares excitedly, with a beautiful smile on his lips.

　　"Thank you, Daniel," I thank him and place a delicate kiss on his cheek. My heart skips a beat as I feel Daniel's hand land on my waist as I approach. It's a calm, gentle touch, but it sends shivers down my entire body.

　　I step away from Daniel and his motorcycle calmly, turning my body towards the forest. There's a small trail formed from being a well-used passage. The headlight of Daniel's motorcycle illuminates my path a bit, but after being almost five meters into the forest, I only hear the sound of the engine starting again and Daniel driving away.

　　The dim lighting envelops me in the forest. The sounds of nocturnal animals become more pronounced around me. I force myself to take deep breaths and cautiously advance through the trees.

　　Accalia, my wolf, is more alert within me. Her lupine senses guide me through the path. I feel her presence advising me to avoid Moonshadow Pack territory, to avoid the risk of running into Michael and his warriors.

　　Because of this, I divert my path in the forest. Taking a longer but safer route to Night Howlers Pack. Accalia tells me where to go, which trees to skirt around.

　　"You know, you've always been a good wolf to me, Accalia," I murmur as I jump over a thick tree root. "It hasn't been easy for either of us, but you've been helping me, even if I can't see it right away."

　　Accalia stirs inside me. "You're a great human, Emma," Accalia howls the words in my mind, and I smile.

　　I know how much effort it takes from my wolf, Accalia, to formulate these words even within my mind. Many wolves and their humans can communicate like this, but it takes many years of practice. It's like teaching a child to speak, with a wolf, it's similar.

　　"Where do you think we would be if we hadn't run away from Moonshadow Pack to kill each other?" I suddenly ask after several minutes of silence.

　　My wolf doesn't answer right away. I know it's difficult for her to formulate a coherent sentence and convey it to me; I feel her thinking within me, searching for the best answer. I'm so distracted by the sensations Accalia is transmitting between us that I end up tripping over a stone and falling to the ground. "Damn it! Shit!" I curse irritably, a pain in my heel starting to emerge.

　　I sit on the ground and look around, trying to locate where I am. "Accalia..." I murmur my wolf's name with some apprehension. "Are we..." the sentence dies on my lips, and Accalia confirms the truth within me. We're in the same place where I saw Ava earlier and then she disappeared suddenly.

　　Accalia stirs so much inside me that I become agitated in my human body. "Accalia, what's wrong?" I ask worriedly, looking around us for what stirred my wolf.

　　"Spark. Ava," Accalia pronounces the words with a growl in my mind. I furrow my brow at that, not quite understanding what she meant. Until Accalia becomes firmer within me, enhancing my lupine vision, and I see, a few meters from where I fell, a chain of shining gold. Ava's necklace. With hurried steps, I pick up the golden necklace from the ground. It's a necklace with a large pendant with intricate patterns and detailed ornaments that carry magical photographs. The wizards who create necklaces like this are beautiful.

　　"In Ava's necklace, the stored photographs were of her family," I comment more to myself than to Accalia. However, when I open the locket to see Ava's photograph with Michael and her parents moving like a small hologram, I am surprised with a totally different photograph. An older woman, in her

　　 fifties probably, smiling and dancing in the photograph.

　　"Who are you?" I question in the middle of the forest, staring at the woman in the photograph.