Chapter 1 – Georgia
The babbling creek flows steadily beside me as I make my way upstream,
scanning the rocks and pebbles lining the shore. According to my brother Jason,
this is where I should search for the source of the mysterious 'soulwink'
stones. They’re so wildly different from anything I've ever seen that they're
literal geologist crack. If I can figure out what they are and where they come
from, it could be the find of a century. But so far, besides finding some
fragments of the rainbow stone near the lake this creek drains into, I haven't
come across anything out of the ordinary.
My boots crunch on loose gravel as I walk along the water's edge. A fish
darts beneath the surface, catching a ray of sunlight on its silver scales.
It's peaceful up here among the rolling green foothills, a stark contrast to
the unrelenting chaos of the city where I spend most of my time between trips.
Crouching to sort through some loose rocks, I think back to what started
me on this quest. As a geologist for the US Geological Survey, I’m no stranger
to fieldwork. But when my brother showed me one of those rainbow-hued stones,
my mineralogical curiosity was piqued.
I haven't had a chance to get my hands on one to do a thorough analysis,
but from the photos Jason sent me, the stone displayed properties unlike any
known mineral. So I just had to come to Whisper Valley and hunt down the
source—even if my brother insists that the locals believe it has magical
qualities akin to a love potion. A scoff exits my throat as I flip a smooth
piece of obsidian over on my hand. As if a rock could really help you find your
soulmate.
Not that my brother believes in it either, but he loves a good gimmick
that could bring in some money. Jason runs a magazine, and one of his writers
was passing through the small mountain town of Whisper Valley and heard about
this 'soulwink theory'. Supposedly it was cooked up by the local librarian when
she noticed that certain people in the town fell in love the moment they met.
Eventually, it was found that these uncanny looking stones might be the reason
for it, and it was at that point that I got called in. My brother is salivating
over the idea and what discovering a new type of stone could mean for his
bottom line. He's thinking jewelry and keychains sold exclusively by the
magazine itself. He doesn't care if they're magic. Just that they're rare. That
man would never let the truth get in the way of a good story, and he intends to
capitalize to the max.
But me, I do care about the properties of these stones. My scientific
mind clashes with the romantic lore surrounding them—I could never believe in
love magic—but I can’t deny that I'm intrigued by what they are, and why we've
never seen them before. When I studied the images Jason sent through to me, I
couldn't find a single thing in the database that looked even remotely similar.
And that alone is enough to get me excited enough to drop everything and
hightail it out here.
Finding nothing out of the ordinary in the creek bed, I clean off my
hands in the clear, cool water and continue up the mountain, breathing in the
crisp air, enjoying the serenity. Getting away from the office to do fieldwork
is the best part of my job, but it's also a rare treat these days. Most of my
research is confined to the lab, analyzing samples and writing reports. Not
exactly glamorous, and not exactly conducive to dating, either. Short, chubby
redheads with a love of talking about rocks aren't exactly swipe right
material, if you get my drift.
Why, the last time I went on a date, I was so excited about getting the
credit for discovering a rare type of quartz in New Mexico that I chatted away
about it for so long my date literally fell asleep—snoring and all. It was
terrible! I was so offended that I tossed enough money on the table to cover my
entrée and the tip and walked out of there. It was humiliating. I'd rather be
single than sit through that again, so I deleted all my dating apps and quit
looking for love all together. And since I'm practically married to my work,
it's for the best, I guess.
As I climb higher up the mountain, my eyes trained on the creek bed for
glittering stones, I pause when I hear a rustling in the bushes nearby. My
heart rate quickens. I know there are wolves in this area, and though I have
animal deterrent spray in my bag—which I think is straight up, undiluted wolf
pee—I'm still not sure if I'll be able to defend myself if push comes to shove.
I'm all about being a single and independent woman these days, but...maybe I
shouldn't have hiked up here alone?
My cell rings, jarring me from my concerns. I give the tree line one
last scan before I fish it out of my pocket and frown when I see it's Jason. No
doubt checking up on me.
"Hey Jase, what's up?" I answer, still watching the trees for
any sign of movement.
"Not much. How's the research going?" His voice is tinny
through the patchy signal. "Found those magic rocks yet?"
I roll my eyes. "Besides a few shards around that lake, there
hasn't been much to see. Nothing big enough to examine, anyway. But I'm not
wasting a trip out here. I'll find something, and then we can get some
answers."
Jason sighs. "Yeah, about that...you can head back. Turns out the
whole soulwink thing is bullshit."
I stop walking. "What? Since when?"
"Since Honey told me it's made up," he explains. "Those
stones she found are just plastic beads. No special love magic or
whatever."
My eyes narrow. That doesn't fit with the fragments I've seen so far.
They all had a curious crystalline structure I've never encountered before. I
tip my head back and squint up at the sky, trying to gauge how much daylight I
have left. "I don't think she's being totally honest with you about that.
There are traces of those rainbow stones here, so I'm not leaving until I get
to the bottom of this."
"If you say so. Just don't get lost in the mountains, OK? I would
feel somewhat responsible if my big sister were to perish."
"I'm an old hand at this, but sure, I'll be careful like
always," I promise before hanging up and tucking my cell back into my
pocket. Honey's change of heart feels odd. And it only makes me more determined
to get answers.
Letting out a sigh, I reposition the pack containing supplies and my
field kit on my back and continue upstream, keeping my eyes peeled. The shade
deepens as trees grow denser along the banks. A hawk cries out overhead. It
would be easy to lose my way out here, but as long as I stick by the creek bed,
I shouldn't stray too far.
As I navigate my way through narrow bends and gnarled tree roots, I'm no
closer to finding anything but a case of hangry-itis. My legs ache, and I
haven't eaten anything since breakfast. It's already afternoon! But I dare not
stop because that would mean getting stuck up here after dark, and I don't want
that. Sure, I should probably turn back now. But if I could just get one decent
sample to make my case, then I can write up a report to send to the office and
have them give me all the time and equipment I need.
I’m so focused on trudging forward that I nearly miss the colorful
shimmer in the water. "Holy shit," I whisper, pulling my pack from my
back as I crouch and reach for the small stone shard, extracting it from where
it's nestled among some gravel. "A soulwink stone." My heartbeat
quickens as I hold the smooth and iridescent quarter-sized sample in my hand.
"Made of plastic, my butt." The pebble sits cool and heavy in my
palm, and when I turn it, the surface glitters and reflects prisms of rainbow
light. "Amazing."
Pulling out my field kit, I select tools to analyze the shard: hand
lens, magnet, streak plate, hardness pick. The stone feels too heavy for its
size. Impossible to classify. Through the magnifying lens, the colors swirl
like liquid light. Applying tests elicits strange reactions unlike any known
mineral. The shard is impervious to scratching, magnetism, acids... And what's
even stranger, it seems to emanate an unnatural warmth now that the coolness
from the creek has left it. I'd expect it to only heat enough to match the
warmth of my hands, but it's almost hot, as if it's generating heat internally.
I’m stunned by the anomalies.
"This is no ordinary rock."
Sliding the bizarre sample into a specimen pouch, I continue searching
upstream, forgetting all about how tired and hungry I am as I find more and
more of these small stones glittering in the water.
"Surely this means I'm getting closer to the source."
Quickening my pace, I hit a point where the tree line becomes so thick
that I have to step into the stream to pass through. Water seeps in through a
crack in my well-worn boots, soaking my sock. But when the trees part ahead, I
stop and suck in a breath. I'm in a clearing in front of sheer rock face, and
at its base, a shallow pool of spring water glitters with what must be
hundreds, if not thousands of tiny rainbow stones. Behind it, in the rock face
is a narrow opening—a cave.
"My god," I whisper in awe, heart racing as I step toward the
cave's entrance and try to peer inside. "This must be the soulwink stones
origin." I do a little dance on the spot from my excitement. "I think
I found it!" Penrose Medal, here I come!
Chapter 2 - Ryan
The scent of pine needles and damp earth fills my nose as I gather
kindling in the woods near my cabin. It's a familiar smell, comforting in its
simplicity. Just a man foraging to stock his home. But I'm not just a man
anymore. Not since the attack that changed the course of my life many years
ago.
I still remember every detail of that day vividly, even though years
have passed. The bite of the beast's fangs in my shoulder, the slice of his
claws, shredding muscle and veins. The shock of seeing my own blood seep into
the forest floor. How I could only watch, paralyzed, as the hulking creature
staggered and collapsed beside me. Its fur receding, body turning to stone
until it shattered, leaving nothing but a pile of ash surrounding a
rainbow-colored stone where the beast had fallen.
As I lay there broken and bleeding, I didn't understand what was
happening to me. But in time, the truth became clear. That was no ordinary wolf
in the woods that day. It was a shifter whose time in his human vessel had come
to an end. And in a final act of self-preservation, the wolf had chosen me as
the vessel for his spirit.
The first transformation was the worst. My screams echoed through the
night as bones cracked, muscles tore, flesh knit back together. I was reborn,
transformed into another being entirely—werewolf, shape shifter, supernatural
entity...
"Jackpot." Finding a long-fallen branch at the base of a tree,
I set my kindling sling on the forest floor and begin breaking the branch up
with my bare hands. This is probably one of the positive things about becoming
what I am, the increased strength means I can do a bunch of things I used to
need tools for. I can just imagine how much easier all those hiking and camping
trips my twin and I used to take would have been. But we don't go on those
anymore. Not now that I'm a wolf shifter.
There you go, yet another name to call me. But it doesn't really matter
what word you use for the thing I've become, from the day I was bitten, I just
wasn't me anymore. When I woke up the next day in that hospital, it was like my
identity was stripped away. I was no longer one half of a set of twins with
their entire future ahead of them. Hell, I wasn't even human anymore. I was
something else entirely, and my life would never be the same...
Making quick work of breaking up the branch, I finish piling them all
into the open sling then heft the rough fabric over my shoulder, making my way
back toward my cabin on the outskirts of the pack's compound. That's my home
now, and no doubt it would be for the rest of my natural life.
As much as this life was a painful gift I never asked for, when the
Whisper Valley pack took me in, they helped me adjust to my new hybrid
existence and accept the being I now was—even bond with it and understand that
this is where I belong. My twin brother Owen even put his career as a surgeon
on hold to stay up here and care for me and the rest of the pack as our doctor
on call. He could have bolted the other way, told everyone his twin died in
that attack and gone back to his human life—I wouldn't have blamed him for a
second if he did. But even after witnessing my first change and fearing for his
safety, he wouldn't walk away. And I'll forever be grateful for his sacrifice.
Even surrounded by my adoptive pack with my human twin close by, I still
feel a lingering sense of loneliness I can't overcome. It's an absence I've
felt since awakening after the attack—the missing presence of the one thing
that can make a shifter feel whole.
My mate.
We wolves mate for life, our spirits bonded forever once we accepted our
fated pairing. But the same tragedy that ended the life of my wolf's last
vessel also stole our mate from us. I only know that she made it here to the
Soulcave where she gave up her fight and left this world, leaving my wolf and I
forever alone and at the bottom of the pack hierarchy—a mate-mourning shifter
would never be respected the same way as a mated pair. I would never rise back
into a position of power...
"Got any extra kindling in that bundle for me?" my friend
Scarlett asks as I emerge from the woods at the edge of the pack compound and
find her sitting on my front step.
Pulling the heavy bundle off my shoulder, I lower it to the ground at my
feet. "How much do you need?"
She jumps up from her position and bounds over, full of energy.
"Whatever you can spare. I'm not really in the mood to go gather it myself
today."
I chuckle, shaking my head. "You're such a lazy wolf,
Scarlett."
She grins at me, her hazel eyes sparkling with mischief as she takes the
kindling from me.
"What can I say? I like to conserve my energy for
more...entertaining things," she replies with a wink.
"The Alpha still making his late-night visits?"
Scarlett rolls her eyes. "Yes. He's yet to grow tired of me, which
is a worry. I'm trying to keep things light and fun, though. I really don't
want to bond with him. You know how full on those alpha-types can be if you
reject them. He’d probably demote me all the way down to Soulcave duty with
you."
I nod, understanding the unspoken stress of being one of the Alpha's
chosen mates. She could reject him if her fated mate came along, but to do so
without one would seriously jeopardize her position in the pack. The Alpha will
not be embarrassed by a lesser wolf than him.
I give her a sympathetic smile. "Hang in there. Maybe your fated
mate will come along soon and put an end to all this."
She shrugs. "I don't know, man. Seeing the way losing yours affects
you... Maybe it's just easier to live my life alone." She lets out a
breath before her eyes turn mischievous again. "Besides, playing hide the
salami with the Alpha ain't so bad. I just don't wanna have pups with the
guy." She holds the bundle of kindling to her chest and turns on her heel.
"See ya 'round, loser."
I chuckle as Scarlett walks away, shaking my head at her antics as I
pick up what's left of my kindling and take it inside my cabin. Scarlett's
comments about my lost mate still ring in my ears.
Before she let go, my wolf and his mate were two of the pack's most
trusted soldiers. Together, they led missions that were crucial to the survival
of all shifter kind. But without her, it's like all those skills honed over
many lifetimes are worth nothing to those who owe their very existence to their
work.
Ever since my wolf returned with me as his new vessel, he's been
relegated to guard duty. I'm not even guarding the pack itself. No. I'm
guarding the Soulcave—a stationery piece of rock and the final resting place
for shifters who decide to let go. It's where my mate's remains are, too. And
the only responsibility I have is watching over a crack in the wall to keep its
existence safe from humans.
Humans rarely come up here, so I'm essentially sitting around twiddling
my thumbs all day. I hate it.
"Let it go, man," I say to myself, shaking my head to try to
flick away the thoughts. I try not to dwell on things too much, because it's
not productive. But sometimes, like right now, it's hard to ignore the gnawing
ache in my chest. It's like the pack Elders are trying to punish me for losing
my mate by forcing me to stay close to her heartstone. And while I know that
makes no sense—I shouldn't be able to feel anything now that she's gone.
But sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like I can reach out and still feel
her on the wind.
The few pack mates who'll speak to me think I'm crazy, that I'm
succumbing to the madness. But I swear my mind is as sharp as it always was. I
can still sense her spirit lingering in the woods nearby—in the cave. And I know
what I scented that night when I was patrolling the forest surrounding the
Soulcave.
I recognized it immediately, a sweet, intoxicating aroma that made my
wolf stir inside me and say our mate's true name, Luna. It
started a flurry of me searching the forest, the cave and beyond for some kind
of sign of her. But no matter where I went, I couldn't catch hold of anything
concrete. It's like our mate was here, and at the same time, not.
It's as if she didn't fully leave this realm the way the Elders claim
she did. But I can't find a way to prove it, so I look like a bond-starved wolf
instead. Needless to say, I keep that shit to myself these days. And unlike the
guardians of the Soulcave before me, who never entered the sacred space, I
enter it daily. Just for a chance to be near her…
Finishing with the kindling, I'm missing Luna more than ever. I never
got to meet her in human form, but my bond with my wolf has me connected to her
in every way that he was. I get up and head outside, close my eyes and inhaling
slowly, seeking her familiar scent on the wind like I have so many times
before. But there's nothing, only—
Wait.
I freeze, nostrils flaring. There's something new on the breeze. An
unexpected scent, both strange yet comfortingly familiar. I jump down from my
porch and sprint through the woods faster than any human could, tracking the
mysterious aroma. It leads straight to my brother's cabin. Shit.
Chapter 3 - Ryan
Owen opens the door
before I even knock. "Fuck!" He jumps back, balling his fists at his
sides, his heart rate skyrocketing from the surprise of finding me here.
Confusion takes over his bearded face before he calms. "Ryan, what are you
doing here?"
I look past him
inside, scenting the air. There's no doubt now. "I came to ask you the
same thing," I respond, my voice little more than a rasp since the wolf
attack did damage to my larynx that even supernatural healing couldn't undo.
Owen's eyes narrow and
his jaw tics as he looks up at me, my imposing figure casting a shadow at his
feet. As twins, we were once identical—same golden-brown hair, piercing blue
eyes. But ever since my change, my hair has darkened, my eyes lightened, and my
size increased. But on top of that, the wolf scarred me. Jagged lines mar my
face and shoulder as a permanent reminder that Owen and I are no longer the
same.
"I'm guessing
that means you know I had a houseguest last night," Owen says, looking
rather pleased with himself.
I lean forward, making
a show of sniffing the air before I recoil, my lip curling. He broke the
rules. "I can smell her stench all over you."
"Stench? She's
amazing, plus I showered, but thanks," Owen retorts with an eye roll and a
laugh.
I don't join in.
"Don't brush the seriousness of this off, Owen. Guests are forbidden for a
reason. You know what's at stake."
"I know exactly
what's at stake." Owen pulls at the leather cord around his neck, pulling
a rainbow stone from beneath his shirt. When the light hits it, a shimmer of
pinks, yellows and blues bounce off it like glass. "She gave me this."
My eyes flash with
anger and my wolf bristles. How the hell did he get a piece of
heartstone? "No." I reach for it.
"Yes." Owen
dodges my grasp, covering the stone with his hand protectively. "Don’t
touch it. It brought her to me. So, by all your rules, that means she’s mine.
Now, if you’ll excuse me while I go find her to bring her back and live a
happily ever—"
"You let her
leave!" I interrupt his fantasy.
"Ryan." Owen
keeps calm, both of his hands held out, appealing to me. "I get that
you're worried about what Honey's presence might mean for us and for Whisper
Valley's best-kept secret. But I assure you, I have this under control. No one
is going to find out about the heartstones. Just…go back to your little
hidey-hole or den, or whatever it is you like to call it, and leave me to do my
job.”
I scowl. "I live
in a cabin just like you, smartass." But his teasing makes my mouth tilt
slightly with amusement.
"Ah, look at
that. The man can still smile," Owen teases, stepping around me. “You
should try it more often, brother. It does wonders for the complexion.”
"You're an
ass," I growl.
“So you keep saying.
Which reminds me, I should pick up a thesaurus for you the next time I’m in
town. Round out your ability to sling insults a little bit.”
I turn to follow him,
ignoring his jibe. "What about the other one?"
Owen stops halfway
between his cabin and his truck. "What are you talking about?"
“That girl of
yours—the one you claim is fated to be yours—she wasn’t alone.”
His brow furrows,
confused. “Yes, she—”
"Another scent
drew me here, Owen."
“What?" Owen's
mouth opens then closes, and I know without further question that this is news
to him. "But she was alone…”
"Shit," I
growl under my breath, turning on my heel and taking off into the forest again,
knowing that if Owen doesn’t know, then this is where the two scents separate,
and I'm in the wrong place. Fuck! What was I saying about no humans ever
coming up here?
Sprinting back up the
mountain, I follow the second, unfamiliar scent back toward the compound. Back
toward the cave I've sworn to keep hidden. I had ONE job!
Barely out of breath,
I come to a stop where the scent trail ends—right at the mouth of the cave. My
heart pounds as that faint scent of Luna calls to me. So close, yet so far
away. Where are you? My longing is quickly interrupted when I hear a
soft intake of breath from inside the cave. A woman's awe-filled voice lets out
a gasped, "They're everywhere."
A growl emanates from
my throat. This cave belongs to my kind. I don't care who this woman thinks she
is, or why she's here. My instincts are screaming at me to destroy her and take
back what's mine. I can't let her leave with those stones.
Stripping my shirt and
jeans, I allow my wolf to surge forward. The change is swift, bones
re-aligning, claws sprouting, until I'm the backseat driver to a wolf that
stands taller than any man, fur bristling along his powerful body.
Back when I was first
bitten, first coming to terms with this new version of me, my shifts were a
painful battle between human and beast. It felt like dying, a torturous event
that was thrust upon me unwillingly at the height of the full moon. But as time
wore on and I bonded with my wolf, we've become two sides of the same coin, our
acceptance of each other making the shift a smooth, almost effortless process
that happens at will.
My wolf takes off into
the darkness, his keen senses guiding us through. The woman's scent mingles
with Luna's and grows stronger until we see her, illuminated by the sunlight
emanating from the small opening in the cave's roof. I pause. She's beautiful,
dark auburn hair cascading down her back, wide green eyes filled with wonder as
she stares at the stones scattered around her before lifting one up to the
light, the rainbow colors held within the stone glowing in response. To humans,
these stones are a rare find, yet highly sought after because they're rumored
to attract their soulmate. And while that may be true, to shifters, these
stones contain fragments of our ancestors’ past, shifters who've been laid to
rest. They're not to be disturbed, and they must be protected at all costs.
As I watch her
studying the stone, I growl low in my throat, my wolf itching to attack. This
woman has no idea what she's gotten herself into, but it's too late for her to
turn back now. She's seen too much.
Pack law is clear: she
needs to die.
But as I stalk
forward, she turns on a gasp, those wide eyes meeting mine and locking in
place. There's a moment of recognition, a spark of something that ignites
within me. It's like the wolf and I are both struck by lightning, a sudden
understanding that this woman is somehow meant for us. My wolf speaks in my
mind, But how? She's human...
I don't know, I
respond.
"Don't eat
me!" the woman shrieks, dropping the stone on the floor and quickly
pulling something from her side and pointing it at us.
Squirt! Squirt! She mists us with something that reeks to
high heaven.
"Get away!"
My wolf inhales and
shakes his head with a sneeze. I think I recognize that scent. Is that...
urine?
My wolf snarls.
Maybe that stuff works
on regular-sized predators, but all that's going to do to a shifter is piss it
off. I almost can't watch as my wolf paces closer.
"Oh god. Why
isn't this shit working?" she cries, tossing the bottle of animal piss at
us as she scrambles backward, the rocky cave floor causing her to lose her
footing and fall hard. "Ow!"
I instantly smell
blood, and my wolf loses his mind. We're on her in an instant, snarling and
snapping, jaws inches from her throat. But then there's that spark again,
making me pull back, keeping me from giving my wolf full control. Wait.
She's staring up at
us, fear and confusion etched on her face. I can't read her thoughts, but I can
sense her energy, a pulsating force that calls out to me. My wolf is still on
edge, but I can feel him relaxing, pulling back in confusion along with me. His
thoughts fill with his lost mate as I try to work out what this is, and if this
woman has somehow cast a spell on us. Something about this encounter
seems...different to any other human I've chased away before.
The woman whimpers and
trembles as my wolf bows his head and sniffs his way down her body, searching
for answers. When he reaches her leg, he nudges her calf with his nose, finding
where she's injured, impaled on a jagged piece of stone. There's a brief moment
where the wolf and I realize we need to shift back into human form to help her,
but before we even act on that, my wolf—the cheeky bastard he is at
times—flicks out his tongue and tastes her blood. So fucking sweet.
She lets out a scream.
Most of the time, due
to our bond, my wolf and I are one. We move as one, think as one, speak as one.
But there are always those moments where we're clearly two different beings,
and this is one of them.
What'd you go and do
that for?
My wolf doesn't
answer. He simply licks his chops as the girl scrambles backward to get away,
tearing her flesh in the process as the impaled stone slices free, causing her
to scream even harder. And for the bloodlust in my wolf to grow even stronger.
Now look what you've
done. If you even try to eat her, I'm gonna be pissed.
All I hear is a slight
chuckle in my mind. He doesn't seem to care if he pisses me off. But that's not
the standout here. Things get kinda crazy when that stone dislodges from her
leg. It cracks open like an egg, releasing tendrils of light that sparkle and
climb out of it like a glittery mist. I've never seen anything like it, and
from the dumbfounded silence coming from my wolf, I doubt he has either.
"Oh my god. What
the hell is that?!" the woman shrieks, grabbing at her leg as the light
curves toward her and disappears directly into her wound.
I shift in an instant,
leaping forward and crouching beside her—yes, I'm naked right now—pushing my
hands onto the wound. The light inside her so bright that it's hard to look at.
But I can feel it, a warm energy that hums against my palms. I'm not sure what's
happening, if this is some kind of magic or if it's just my wolf and I losing
our minds and seeing things, but we both know one thing for sure.
We have to get this
woman out of here, fast.
Quickly pulling on my
clothes, I scoop her up in my arms, her weight nothing to my supernatural
strength as she clings to me, her skin burning up as she murmurs nonsensically.
My wolf watches from inside me, silent and cautious, as I carry her out of the
cave. The air outside is cool and crisp, and I can hear the rustling of leaves
in the distance. I need to find a safe place for her to rest and to assess the
wound. But I can't keep her here.
Owen's.
As I carry her, I feel
her body trembling. She's going into shock. I try to soothe her as best as I
can. "It's OK," I murmur, my lips brushing against the top of her
head. "You're safe now. You're going to be OK." Whatever is happening
right now, I know I need to protect this woman at all costs.
Going as fast as I can
without hurting her, I make my way through the forest to my twin brother's
house. I can smell the metallic tang of blood and the faint scent of fear, but
I'm honestly not sure if the fear is mine or hers. Because for the first time
since he entered my body, my wolf is sitting in the back of my mind silent.
He's never silent.
But then, just as I'm
about to knock on Owen's door, my wolf speaks up.
That light, he starts, his low voice reverberating
through my mind. It's her.
"What do you
mean?" I gasp, my heart kicking up a notch and my step faltering.
"Are you...are you saying—"
Yes. It's her. The
light. This woman. It's Luna.
Our mate has returned.
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