na

ng the gilded cage of the Blackwater pack behind me. I stared out the window, watching the familiar forests and hills of Ant

he next supply town," Celeste said,

the capital wasn't just about filing a petition with the Alpha King. It was about activati

t halt. The horses whinnied in protest, th

short sword in her hand before the dust

across the road. A young woman lay pinned beneath one of the heavy wooden wheels, her leg bent at

distance, a small, useless circle of gawking onlookers.

rowed. "Sie

olished obsidian wood and inlaid with intricate silver filigree. It was ostentatious, clearly belonging to someo

, the woman's leg is broken, a compound fracture. The woun

sitation, I said, "Bri

ith worry. "Miss, your identity... if you reve

cut her off, my tone lea

e carriage. With Celeste and Sienna flanking me, I walked towa

e with a practiced eye. "You," I said, pointing to Sienna and tw

an authority that brooked no a

polished steel instruments. With swift, precise movements, I cleaned the wound, applied a poultice to stem the b

d, and the mother's pained

containing a shimmering liquid and helped the woman drink it. The ef

y feet, ready to depart a

nce, through the dusty air and the dimming light, I felt it. A palpable wave of power, an an

ked back to my carriage, climbed inside, and ordered

nne

chronic ache of silver poisoning that had become my constant companion.

eer out at the commotion ahead. A farmer's cart had overturned, spilling it

ident," Garrick said from beside me, his v

ender, almost fragile-looking, yet she moved with an unnerving calm amidst the chaos. Silver-haired.

d of the bystanders, her voice carrying an authority that made them scra

as she produced a small vial. "Your Highn

f the Silver Moon Mountains, inaccessible and exceedingly rare. I knew this because I had once tried to

Omega possess suc

oman." I murmured

I watched her rise. And then, as i

e, I felt the sharpness of that gaze-not hostile, but wary. Assessm

ntroduce ourselves, Your Highness? A h

in my veins. I had a name to find. A woman who carried rare mountain he

a woman to

ahead, Garrick. Do remember to be