“What?"

I blurted out.

Luca

appeared behind me, his movements so stealthy that I didn't notice him, until

he spoke. “Try again, Mother."

She

glanced at him. “My spell cannot be wrong. But I will nevertheless."

She

began again, twirling her hands as a blue glowing light formed again. Her

concentration was unbreakable, and her lips moving as she muttered inaudible

words. After what felt like ages, she stopped, the glow disappearing into thin

air.

“What

did you see?" I asked hurriedly.

“It's

the same thing." She held my eyes. "The Aurora's seal is in Alpha

Thane's territory.”

Wow!

“That's

strange. Don't they know that the seal is there?" Luca asked.

His

mother shook her head. “I'm guessing they don't. It was hidden very well, I can

tell. She must have given it to a very trusted person, because it wasn't

me." Something flashed in her voice, but I was too engulfed in my thoughts

to fathom what it was.

“We

have to get the ring before they figure it out!" Della said.

I

turned to her, feeling the heat of her stare, and Luca's on me. No way!

“I am

not going back there." I snapped.

Della

spoke up immediately, like she was waiting for me to refuse. “Mira, we don't

have much choice. You've lived there for years, you know your way around the

pack more than anybody else here. You're our only chance of getting that

ring."

“No…

" I began, but she cut me short..

“Mira,

do you have any idea what will happen if that ring lands in the wrong hands? We

are running out of time…”

It was

my turn to cut her short. "Well, do you have any idea what I am going

through right now? Do you even care? I was exiled, banished like a common

criminal, all my years of hard work and search for knowledge tossed away, and

now I'm here, with responsibilities I never planned for. And yet, you expect me

to go back there.”

“Mira,

we…”

"I

won't go back. You can find another way to get the jewelry, but my decision is

final.”

I

stormed away from the clearing immediately afterwards, my boots crunching

against dry leaves and twigs, every step fueled by frustration. My breath came

in sharp bursts, my chest tight with a mixture of anger, fear, and something I

couldn’t name.

Go back to Thane’s territory? The very place

that tore me apart? No. Absolutely not.

I

didn’t realize I was trembling until I reached a clearing by a small stream. My

hands were clenched into fists so tight my nails bit into my palms. I forced

myself to take a deep breath, the cool air doing little to settle the storm

inside me.

The

memory of that council chamber flashed in my mind—Thane’s silence, Alexa’s smug

smirk, the way they stripped me of my identity in front of everyone. I squeezed

my eyes shut, but it only made the memories sharper.

The betrayal. The humiliation. The heartbreak.

I

leaned against a tree, its bark rough against my skin, grounding me for just a

moment.

“Stubborn,

aren’t you?”

I

jumped, spinning around to find Luca standing at the edge of the clearing,

hands in his pockets, watching me. His expression wasn’t mocking like I

expected—it was calm, curious, even a little concerned.

“What

do you want?” My voice was hoarse from the emotions clogging my throat.

“To

make sure you don’t disappear into the woods and get eaten by something.” He

took a few casual steps closer. “Though, you could probably handle it.”

I let

out a bitter laugh. “Don’t be so sure.”

Silence

stretched between us, broken only by the faint gurgling of the stream and the

rustling of the wind through the trees. Luca didn’t push, didn’t demand

answers. He just stood there, steady, present.

It was

oddly comforting.

“Why

does she want me to go back there?” I asked, my voice cracking despite my best

effort to sound strong.

Luca

tilted his head slightly. “Because you’re the only one who can. That place

broke you, true—but you know it better than anyone. If the ring’s there, you’ll

find it.”

“I

can’t.” My voice was barely a whisper. “I… I can’t go back.”

Luca

didn’t argue right away. He just walked over and leaned against the same tree,

his shoulder brushing mine lightly. “Tell me why.”

I bit

my lip hard, trying to hold it all in. But for some reason, standing here with

him, in this quiet pocket of the world, it didn’t feel so impossible to let it

out.

I

turned to face him, arms folded tightly across my chest like armor. “Thane

rejected me,” I said bluntly. “He was my mate, my fated mate, and he denied

it—denied me—in front of the entire council. Like I was nothing. He called me

obsessed.”

Luca’s

jaw tightened, but he didn’t interrupt.

“And

Alexa,” I spat the name like poison. “She made sure I was banished. She

convinced the council I was dangerous, that I’d stolen something sacred. They

all turned on me. All the wolves I’d spent my life protecting, studying for…

they cast me out like a criminal.”

Luca’s

gaze was steady, but his hands curled into fists at his sides. “They’re fools,”

he said quietly. “All of them.”

My

throat thickened with emotion. “You don’t even know me.”

He

shook his head. “Don’t have to. I’ve seen enough. You didn’t break when they

threw you out. You’re still standing. That’s all I need to know.”

His

words slipped under my skin, warming something cold inside me. I didn’t know

how to respond, so I didn’t.

Instead,

I took a shaky breath and changed the subject. “I haven’t shifted in days,” I

admitted. “Since they did… whatever they did to me.”

Luca

raised an eyebrow. “Let me see her, then.”

“What?”

“Your

wolf,” he said simply. “Let me see her.”

I

hesitated. My wolf had been silent for so long, cut off by whatever dark spell

had wrapped around me back at the pack. But Della and Cara had worked to break

that barrier, and I could feel her now—faint, but present.

“Okay.”

I stepped back a few paces, closing my eyes. I reached inside myself, feeling

for the familiar spark that was my other half. She stirred hesitantly, as

though waking from a long sleep.

The

shift came slower than usual, my body protesting at first, but then the change

flowed over me—bones realigning, muscles reshaping. When I opened my eyes

again, the world was sharper, brighter, more alive.

I

stood on all fours, my dark silver fur shimmering faintly under the moonlight.

Luca

grinned, stepping back to shift himself. His wolf was sleek and dark, larger

than mine but not by much.

I

gasped slightly. “You're a wolf too?"

“Yes."

His voice echoed in my head. “Father was one, mother is a sorceress."

He

gave a playful wag of his tail, then took off into the trees.

For

the first time in what felt like forever, I ran—really ran. The wind tore past

my face, my paws hitting the earth in a rhythm that felt like freedom. Luca

kept pace beside me, occasionally bumping my side, encouraging me to run

faster, push harder.

I had

almost forgotten how good this felt.

But

then Luca skidded to a sudden halt, his ears pricked forward, his body tense.

I

followed his gaze, my heart racing for an entirely different reason. Through

the trees, two figures moved—wolves, but not from Thane’s pack. Their scents

were wrong—metallic, tainted with something unnatural.

We

shifted immediately. I ducked low, shifting behind a fallen log, Luca following

suit.

The

strange wolves were talking, their voices low but clear enough in the

stillness.

“She

has to be close,” one said.

“Alpha

wants the book,” the other growled. “He says the girl stole it—the librarian.”

My

stomach clenched. They were looking for

me.