“Go, pack!” Nev bumped Ren’s fist.
“I think you are right.” Pascal stroked his chin. “We often find les ours alone. Rarely do they seek out one another’s company.”
“Let’s hope the Keepers have other screwups for us to exploit down the road,” Mason said. “Right, Cal?”
I nodded, but my mind had drifted. I’d been watching Pascal closely. Watching the way he was watching Ren. That assessing gaze carried a fierce admiration in it. When Ren spoke, Pascal listened. I didn’t know whether to be surprised or not. Winning people over was one of Ren’s strongest attributes. He was a natural leader and had so much charisma you could drown in it. A painful twinge caught my chest, stealing my breath for an instant. Gazing at Ren, I saw the alpha mate who would have been mine, and in seeing him, I glimpsed what our future might have looked like. What a great leader he would have made for the Haldis pack, the strength we would have shared as alphas. Had I ripped that away from him? Or could our pack come together again—was our future lingering, waiting to be reclaimed? The sharp pinching in my chest was overtaken by the pounding of my heart. As if he sensed my stare, Ren’s eyes met mine and I couldn’t look away, couldn’t breathe.
It was Anika’s voice that finally broke the spell. I turned to see her standing beside Shay.
“The Scion!” She took Shay’s hand, lifting it high. Shay raised the sword in his other hand. It flashed, sparks of lightning alive in the blade. My racing pulse went cold as I listened to the Searchers’ roaring approval for their new champion.
Did he belong to them now? Was I a fool to think it possible that the Scion could be the mate of a Guardian?
I glanced back at Ren, wondering what he thought of Shay’s rapid ascension.
But Ren wasn’t looking at Shay or the sword. His eyes were still on me. I held his gaze, waiting, wondering what he was thinking, feeling. Suddenly he gave me that half-cocked smile and my knees caved a bit. Then he shifted.
Still watching me with dark eyes, the charcoal gray wolf lifted his head and howled. The sound filled the room, joyful, exhilarating. My heart leapt—this howl was the opposite of the last I’d heard from Ren. The night I left him in the woods. The night I ran beside Shay, abandoning my union with Ren. That night he’d howled and I’d thought the grief in that sound would tear me in two. In this moment, in this howl there was no hint of grief or doubt. There was only an alpha, reveling in his triumph.
Instinct took over and I shifted, raising my own muzzle to match his cry. Our voices united, singing out victory. Nev and Mason joined us. Sabine hesitated, watching. She didn’t change, though her eyes gleamed at the sound of our chorus.
Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of Shay. He continued to hold the sword aloft, but the lightning in its blade carried a charge of fury. A roiling storm cloud ready to explode. Like Sabine, he hadn’t shifted but had gone very still. His gaze moved between me and Ren, his eyes narrowing.
As I shifted back, a wave of exhaustion slammed into me, leeching strength from my limbs. The adrenaline from our mission had run out. Shay was coming toward me, and without looking, I knew Ren was already shifting to stand beside me. Two alphas once again jockeying for position. Both wanting me. Each hating the other. I couldn’t take it.
Before either of them could speak or reach for me, I whipped around and dashed from the room. The burden of keeping the peace between them had rubbed my nerves raw. Today I’d witnessed my two would-be mates staking out their places in this strange new world we’d found. Ren would still be an alpha even among his former enemies. He would lead and they would follow. Shay was the Scion, who the Searchers had spent their lives, and shed their blood, seeking. They both knew where they belonged and what they wanted. I’d escaped the life laid out for me by the Keepers, but even here I was trapped, unable to choose my own fate.
I ran through the halls, feet pounding on the marble floor, wishing I was in wolf form so I could run faster, but I thought there were enough Searchers not used to having Guardians roaming their halls that wouldn’t appreciate a white wolf running full speed through the Academy. I ran as fast as I could on two feet instead of four, needing to find the two people I trusted the most and hoping they might have some answers for me.
I followed their scent until I discovered them in a hidden corner of the courtyard. Tess was kneeling in the soil, up to her elbows in dirt. Ansel crouched beside her. I didn’t see Bryn until I was almost on top of them.
“Hey, Calla!” She grinned as she swung down from the branch of the apple tree she’d been lounging in.
“You auditioning for the role of Cheshire cat?” I asked, returning her embrace.
“Cat?” She wrinkled her nose. “Ugh! Never.”
“Good to know you still have standards.”
“So you’re here,” she said, stepping back to look me up and down. “Looking healthy. I take it that means the mission was a success.”
I nodded. “No casualties on either end.”
“None?” Tess looked up at us. “That’s impressive.”
“Bears are no match for wolves.”
Bryn snorted, placing her hands on her hips. “Of course they aren’t. Any of us would take a bear without breaking a nail.”
I grinned at her.
“And Shay?” Tess asked. “He has the sword.”
“Yes.” I wished I wouldn’t shiver when I thought about it. “He’s got it. We’re halfway to a fully operational Scion.”
Tess’s face was solemn. She nodded and then turned back to her planting. Ansel scrambled to his feet, brushing dirt from his hands. He still managed to smudge dark soil across his forehead when he pushed his hair back.
“Hey, sis.” He leaned forward, giving me a quick hug before shoving his hands back in his pockets and looking away.
“Hi, An.” A lump formed in my throat immediately. “What are you up to?”
I tried to keep my tone easy, knowing he wouldn’t take sappiness as anything but pity. And pity was the last thing he needed.
“Learning about herbs,” he said, pointing at a basket. Plants boasting diverse shapes of leaves in myriad shades of green were carefully sorted and tied into bunches, filling the woven containers.
“Herbs?”
“For the Elixirs,” he replied. When I frowned, he continued, “Those are the healers who work in Eydis Sanctuary.”
“I think you are right.” Pascal stroked his chin. “We often find les ours alone. Rarely do they seek out one another’s company.”
“Let’s hope the Keepers have other screwups for us to exploit down the road,” Mason said. “Right, Cal?”
I nodded, but my mind had drifted. I’d been watching Pascal closely. Watching the way he was watching Ren. That assessing gaze carried a fierce admiration in it. When Ren spoke, Pascal listened. I didn’t know whether to be surprised or not. Winning people over was one of Ren’s strongest attributes. He was a natural leader and had so much charisma you could drown in it. A painful twinge caught my chest, stealing my breath for an instant. Gazing at Ren, I saw the alpha mate who would have been mine, and in seeing him, I glimpsed what our future might have looked like. What a great leader he would have made for the Haldis pack, the strength we would have shared as alphas. Had I ripped that away from him? Or could our pack come together again—was our future lingering, waiting to be reclaimed? The sharp pinching in my chest was overtaken by the pounding of my heart. As if he sensed my stare, Ren’s eyes met mine and I couldn’t look away, couldn’t breathe.
It was Anika’s voice that finally broke the spell. I turned to see her standing beside Shay.
“The Scion!” She took Shay’s hand, lifting it high. Shay raised the sword in his other hand. It flashed, sparks of lightning alive in the blade. My racing pulse went cold as I listened to the Searchers’ roaring approval for their new champion.
Did he belong to them now? Was I a fool to think it possible that the Scion could be the mate of a Guardian?
I glanced back at Ren, wondering what he thought of Shay’s rapid ascension.
But Ren wasn’t looking at Shay or the sword. His eyes were still on me. I held his gaze, waiting, wondering what he was thinking, feeling. Suddenly he gave me that half-cocked smile and my knees caved a bit. Then he shifted.
Still watching me with dark eyes, the charcoal gray wolf lifted his head and howled. The sound filled the room, joyful, exhilarating. My heart leapt—this howl was the opposite of the last I’d heard from Ren. The night I left him in the woods. The night I ran beside Shay, abandoning my union with Ren. That night he’d howled and I’d thought the grief in that sound would tear me in two. In this moment, in this howl there was no hint of grief or doubt. There was only an alpha, reveling in his triumph.
Instinct took over and I shifted, raising my own muzzle to match his cry. Our voices united, singing out victory. Nev and Mason joined us. Sabine hesitated, watching. She didn’t change, though her eyes gleamed at the sound of our chorus.
Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of Shay. He continued to hold the sword aloft, but the lightning in its blade carried a charge of fury. A roiling storm cloud ready to explode. Like Sabine, he hadn’t shifted but had gone very still. His gaze moved between me and Ren, his eyes narrowing.
As I shifted back, a wave of exhaustion slammed into me, leeching strength from my limbs. The adrenaline from our mission had run out. Shay was coming toward me, and without looking, I knew Ren was already shifting to stand beside me. Two alphas once again jockeying for position. Both wanting me. Each hating the other. I couldn’t take it.
Before either of them could speak or reach for me, I whipped around and dashed from the room. The burden of keeping the peace between them had rubbed my nerves raw. Today I’d witnessed my two would-be mates staking out their places in this strange new world we’d found. Ren would still be an alpha even among his former enemies. He would lead and they would follow. Shay was the Scion, who the Searchers had spent their lives, and shed their blood, seeking. They both knew where they belonged and what they wanted. I’d escaped the life laid out for me by the Keepers, but even here I was trapped, unable to choose my own fate.
I ran through the halls, feet pounding on the marble floor, wishing I was in wolf form so I could run faster, but I thought there were enough Searchers not used to having Guardians roaming their halls that wouldn’t appreciate a white wolf running full speed through the Academy. I ran as fast as I could on two feet instead of four, needing to find the two people I trusted the most and hoping they might have some answers for me.
I followed their scent until I discovered them in a hidden corner of the courtyard. Tess was kneeling in the soil, up to her elbows in dirt. Ansel crouched beside her. I didn’t see Bryn until I was almost on top of them.
“Hey, Calla!” She grinned as she swung down from the branch of the apple tree she’d been lounging in.
“You auditioning for the role of Cheshire cat?” I asked, returning her embrace.
“Cat?” She wrinkled her nose. “Ugh! Never.”
“Good to know you still have standards.”
“So you’re here,” she said, stepping back to look me up and down. “Looking healthy. I take it that means the mission was a success.”
I nodded. “No casualties on either end.”
“None?” Tess looked up at us. “That’s impressive.”
“Bears are no match for wolves.”
Bryn snorted, placing her hands on her hips. “Of course they aren’t. Any of us would take a bear without breaking a nail.”
I grinned at her.
“And Shay?” Tess asked. “He has the sword.”
“Yes.” I wished I wouldn’t shiver when I thought about it. “He’s got it. We’re halfway to a fully operational Scion.”
Tess’s face was solemn. She nodded and then turned back to her planting. Ansel scrambled to his feet, brushing dirt from his hands. He still managed to smudge dark soil across his forehead when he pushed his hair back.
“Hey, sis.” He leaned forward, giving me a quick hug before shoving his hands back in his pockets and looking away.
“Hi, An.” A lump formed in my throat immediately. “What are you up to?”
I tried to keep my tone easy, knowing he wouldn’t take sappiness as anything but pity. And pity was the last thing he needed.
“Learning about herbs,” he said, pointing at a basket. Plants boasting diverse shapes of leaves in myriad shades of green were carefully sorted and tied into bunches, filling the woven containers.
“Herbs?”
“For the Elixirs,” he replied. When I frowned, he continued, “Those are the healers who work in Eydis Sanctuary.”
