The Crescent meeting had taken an awfully long time. I had been sitting in a waiting room for so long. The moonlight shimmered on the window railing when I lost track of time and dozed off.

“Zoe?” I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Yes?” I purred.

“Wake up.”

Lifting my gaze, I saw Maggie’s grim face and stoic poise. I sprang up, adjusting myself.

“You may enter now.” She gestured at the wood-brown door in front of me.

“Thank you.” I forced out a smile, but she wasn’t having it. I proceeded into the office nonetheless, ignoring her as she slammed the door after me.

“My girl!” Courtney’s brimming smile was the first thing that greeted me. Her warm aura was all I needed to forget the hours of waiting. She sat at the end of a long mahogany table, legs crossed.

“Good evening,” I hollered.

“Evening to you too, my love. Please, sit.”

I obliged.

“So, I found you asleep in the anteroom and didn’t want to wake you.”

“Apologies, Courtney, I—I didn’t mean to.”

“No need for apologies. I know the meeting dragged on for too long. It was quite the drama, as the elders weren’t agreeing to keeping lone wolves around. However, I have some good news.”

I straightened, eager.

“You see, they eventually accepted the Grand Alpha’s proposal. You girls will be absorbed into our school system and kept here in the villa for a while. At least until the letters from clans that need you arrive.”

“—Need us? I—I don’t understand.”

“You will be absorbed into other packs.”

I breathed out. “At least that’s something we can live with. Thank you so much, Courtney.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I hope you know by absorption into the pack, I mean you have to find a mate there?”

I swallowed hard. “But—I am not even eighteen yet.”

“Good point. That is why we have all decided to keep you and your sister until after the full moon ceremony next month. It’s high time we found out what you are truly made of. Exciting, isn’t it?”

I shrugged.

Her eyes narrowed. “There is something different about you though. I can sense your aura. It’s… strangely different. Otherworldly, even. You must be hiding a lot of knowledge, secrets, and hurt.”

I scoffed. “Courtney, please…”

“Don’t try to lie to me, Zoe. I am your Luna—the only person who is keeping you alive this moment. The least you can do is tell me the truth.”

Swallowing against a lump in my throat, I pondered on it for a bit while her eyes stripped me bare.

“I just don’t know where to begin, or how to tell you this.”

“Try.”

“Okay. The thing is… I have this gift. Like, I might know a thing or two about the future.”

She blinked, then leaned in. “A wolf that sees visions?”

“Perhaps.”

“That is sacrilege, you know?”

My heart stalled. “Sacrilege is a strong word.”

“Yes, exactly! Witchcraft.”

“But I have no powers, no magic.”

“Hush!” She glanced around quickly, then whispered. “No one else must know this, else you are dead. Understood?”

I nodded, puzzled. “Why do you care so much about me?”

“Because I have been you. I might have some… abilities as well.”

I exhaled in relief.

“The moon goddess tricks us all. Especially the most powerful of us. In my case, I might say I have heightened senses. I can notice and sense things others cannot. I call it sharper instincts to stay alive, but—”

“I understand.”

A short pause passed.

“I might know a thing or two about your future—”

“Don’t—” She cut in.

Tears betrayed me. They flooded my eyes. In truth, knowing what would happen to her was killing me. Courtney was such a nice soul.

“Was it that bad?” she asked.

I nodded, wiping tears off my cheeks. Silence descended like a cloud for a minute.

“How long do I have?” Her eyes grew watery.

I opened my mouth to speak, to tell her how to prevent it, but she stopped me again.

“No, don’t tell me,” she said.

“Why?”

“It will mess up the timeline. The moon goddess is tricky. However, you must learn that no one must mess with the timeline or even try to change the future. It never ends well, Zoe.”

Grabbing her hands, which were on the table, I kissed them, sobbing bitterly while she remained stiff and silent for a while.

“It was horrible, wasn’t it?” she intoned.

I raised my face to gaze at her but said nothing. Her countenance had turned red.

“Then I must prepare.” She forced out a smile. “I just worry about what might happen to Gabriel when I am not around anymore—if he thrives, or runs mad from those manipulative wolves around him.”

I opened my mouth to speak again, but no words came out. Only whimpers and sobs.

“Don’t tell me, Zoe. But please take care of him for me. And my son, okay?” She interlocked my fingers with hers, staring deep into my eyes. “Promise me.”

“I can’t—” I cried.

Tears finally dropped from her eyes, but she quickly wiped them off with her sleeve, then looked away, composing herself. “I understand. In the end, I have lived for over three centuries, you know. Wolves stop growing old at twenty-five years—a blessing indeed, an existence full of youth, vigor, and accomplishments. It has been the best life, Zoe. So, I will surrender myself to the will of nature; a small price to pay for such a long life.”

Her voice shifted into a whisper. “You should too, young wolf.”

I focused on anything but her. “I’m not sure I can. I am not as strong as you. I haven’t lived a century.”

She leaned forward, studying me for a bit. “Heed my warnings, Zoe. Don’t do anything foolish.”

“The timeline is different for different people, Courtney. For me it’s a painful loop. Torture…” I wept, finally locking eyes with Courtney.

Her eyes narrowed, then released. “Now I see.”

She sat back. “We must all do what we must for the continuity of life. Not for selfish purposes.”

No reply from me.

She heaved. “In any case, gird your loins, girl, for I have a task for you.”

I wiped my tears away, sitting up straight. “Anything for you, Courtney.”

“My son schools in the area that is closest to the hunters’ raids. We fear that the academy will soon be ravaged by Bloodhound, but cannot move the school out of that territory for political reasons. This is why you must go there.”

She paused.

“Protect my son, Zoe. Be my eyes and ears.”

“Of course. I will try my best.”

“We have intel that Bloodhound is a shapeshifter. So, I need you to be careful. Only someone with… abilities, like you and me, may be suited for this task.”

My eyes narrowed. “What exactly do you want me to do, Courtney? Be a spy, guard, or what?”

“Find me Bloodhound, Zoe. That’s it. My instincts tell me he is in that school. My instincts are never wrong.”

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “And what happens when I find him?”

“You know what.” She winked.

She wanted me to kill him.

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