a Lan

d coffee, and deadlines that chased me like wolves. Now they were wolves. And

l there, tucked under my pillow like a secret I could not un-know. I stared at the ceiling. Cold ligh

l fragile. I

ept. Elias looked like he never needed to. My mother was not in sight. Good. I did no

. Just looked at me. Studied me,

's changed

's changed,

d blood vault. Protected by oath and in

I said. "Fast and quiet

mile. "She's finally s

. No guards. No priestesses. Just us and th

hed into the stone shimmered as we passed. Elias pressed his palm to the altar and muttered a phrase that turned

ped in

were lined

hu

anything I

d no

t, but with memory. Like the walls remembered ever

eet tall, made of something blacker than shadow,

ers what the

coat and sliced a line across his palm. Pressed it to the

d next. Sa

ped fo

and pulsed like it

The pain was sha

or shi

it op

nd silver, packed floor to ceiling with scrolls, tabl

nce, watching. Elias drifted

to the

Alone. Untouched. Covere

r warmed

d the fi

away wit

the s

cracked

nal layer, a scroll unfur

e was

blo

ched. Written i

d, but I did no

inborn. Flame-blooded. Inhe

dn't b

denly beside

not po

does i

dn't

nic

ust born from prophecy.

ger rising wasn't sharp. It w

u k

We suspected. But this..

'fractured

at kept the peace between wolf, priestess, and shadowkind. T

to come hunting," I said.

try," Dom

gan to glow.

me appeared

le

symbol I c

s whispered.

m the pedestal and sh

done

e wer

turned, anothe

e we u

wered to som

in ash. Wearing armor made of light an

hu

wo

ward. No sound

rk of the Hollow

are

ead. "The one y

wled low in

re you

aid. "To witness the ret

t real," E

ed. "Then why a

ed itself into ash in my pocket,

re point

l shatter. One will

he wa

ed. The light

the scroll now glowed beneath my s

e archives

zzed with motion. News

to plan. We did not

e gate was

ene sto

s not

es. Wolves with eyes like fire. A chil

ed forward. "

ou are late. She

"You do not get to claim me. You

"You always did thi

. "Because I did not

hind her rai

ound c

the estate hissed

e one night. By moonrise tomorrow

he van

ound s

had lied, protected, and follo

ant

ic no

s sm

etter star

te went silent. Not

the roots, the Firs

red one word

ste