"We need to go back, Khal. Something's happened."
Before his basilisk can turn, I leap off and shift midair. My paws hit the soft soil, and I take off running.
The world around me turns into a blur. Every fiber of my being burns from exertion as I fly over the earth. Each step feels charged, propelling me forward like a white comet streaking toward its destination.
All I can think is that my mate needs me.
The weight of their discovery feels like a fallen tree resting over his heart.
I blow past Diaval, and he whips around to watch me. He's moving in slow motion to my eyes. Torben turns slowly just in time to catch me as I leap into his arms.
I shift as his arms band around me, and we fall to the ground, rolling for several moments before coming to a stop against a tree.
"Little wolf, are you okay?" He searches me even though he took the brunt of the impact.
"I'm fine, Tor. I was worried about you, so I got back here as fast as my paws could carry me." I smile down at him, proud of myself and how fast I moved.
"Do you realize how much ground you covered and how fast you were moving?" Diaval offers me a hand to help me stand.
"No?" I look around and see the disturbed ground from the path I took.
"Feray, you moved as fast as a car driving at about sixty miles an hour. It took you less than five minutes to get from where Khal took you to back here." Diaval strokes his chin. "The bondworked as navigation. Guiding you back in an instant when you let your instincts take over." He looks around the forest, then back at me. "All I saw was a white blur. You barely disturbed the soil under your feet."
"Torben's upset. I had to come back." I look over at my bear mate as he rubs the back of his neck, looking away.
"As much as I was against the idea, you need to see what we found." Diaval leads the way back toward the remains of the house.
Torben pulls me against his side and tucks me under his arm. The heat radiating from his body soaks into me, and I slowly relax.
"What we're about to show you will change everything." He presses his lips to the crown of my head and lingers there.
I brace myself. I know it's going to be really bad by the way he's acting.
Diaval stepsup what's left of the staircase leading into the house. Each board protests under his weight. Looking around, I notice that most of the house has been destroyed by fire and time, but sections still stand.
A small ornate box catches my attention by what looks to be the fireplace, and I move away from Torben.
Within the box, on top of crushed blue velvet, two amulets like the one I wore sit side by side.
Hesitantly, I reach out and touch them. My hand trembles, recognizing the power in the gems.
"Mine was like this. The exact same one, just smaller."
Staring at them, a great weight falls over my heart.
My parents were being hunted. They hid their wolves to avoid being found.
If that's true... why did they take their amulets off?
"Yours?" Diaval steps closer.
"Yes. Until the night of the ascension, I wore one exactly like this. Before then, I didn't have a wolf—or so I thought." A soft, bittersweet laugh escapes my lips. "Torben taught me how to shift and hunt."
I turn my gaze to him fondly, grateful he was there when I needed him most.
"So a witch bound your wolf, then?" He glances from the amulets to me.
"I can only guess that seeing these, my parents needed to hide. Can't hunt a wolf you can't find or sense." I stroke my finger over the stone, and my wolf growls in my head. "I can only imagine the hell my parents' wolves gave them. Mine doesn't like me touching the stone."
