That’s all I need. And then I’ll be free. Free from Kade. Free to choose my path. Free to take my children away with me.
???
Brin’s hut is unusually warm today. I quickly learn why.
He sets the clay bowl on the table between us. A scrap of linen lies inside, faintly stained.
“What’s this?” I whisper, leaning forward, my eyes widening in awe as I watch it glisten unnaturally.
“It’s a tether, Luna Freya,” he explains. “It is made using small magic.”
“Small magic?” I blurt out, failing to hide the horror in my voice.
Brin winces. “It’s not witchcraft,” he insists. “I drew power from the sun. It was a small enchantment, but it is very powerful.”
I nod slowly, still watching the bowl.Not all magic is bad,I recall my mother’s words faintly. “This is why you asked for Nyx’s fur?”
Brin nods, continuing, “If you steep this cloth in your blood and Nyx’s shed fur, then hide it near Finn, it will call to him. It will weaken Izel’s spell over time.”
I stare at the cloth. “If there’s any chance Finn might get hurt, I don’t want to do it.”
Doesn’t mean you should ever stop being careful,she heard her father say, responding to her mother’s words.
Brin shakes his head. “No, it’s harmless. All it will do is remind him of your scent. His real mother’s scent.”
With an exhale, I place my palm forward. Brin doesn’t hesitate—he picks up a knife and makes a straight cut in the centre. Blood trickles down the side of my hand and disperses into the bowl. The cut heals quickly.I’m stronger now,I think momentarily before I watch him add the fur to the bowl. It dissolves in the liquid, and all at once the cloth soaks it up.
My hand trembles as I pick it up, gasping when it feels dry and smooth. “What if she finds it?”
“Then she’ll know you’re fighting her. But I’d wager she’ll be too proud to search his bed for ghosts.” He folds my fingers around the cloth. “Tonight, Luna Freya. Take the moon-amber, give him one breath of truth, then plant the tether.”
I tuck it inside my sleeve. My chest aches, heavy with fear and hope. “Sixty seconds,” I whisper.
“Make them count.”
???
Hours later, the keep is still. Only torches crackle along the hall. Jax shadows me, his boots silent against stone.
“Door’s ahead,” he murmurs.
“I know, brother.” My grip tightens on the moon-amber.
When I met Jax and asked if he’d help me enter the nursery, he didn’t hesitate. He bowed and got to his feet. I didn’t think it would be so easy. But I understand where his obedience stems from. He recognises my authority once again, now that Nyx is no longer silent and weak. He remembers the oath he swore to me, and he chooses to obey even though it goes against his Alpha’s immediate command…and perhaps he remembers that I’m his sister.
‘You’re the High Luna,’ Nyx echoes within me. ‘Your word overrides everyone else’s.’
Jax quickly convinces the guard on duty to switch places. The man did not have much of a choice. Jax stands as the strongest among the betas, ranking just beneath Kade and me in the pack’s order of power.
I push the nursery door open. Lavender and milk flood the air. The fire is dimmed but warm, yet still does little for illumination. Finn lies curled around his wooden wolf, lashes dark against his cheeks. Six years old, and stolen from me by lies and magic.
“Stay by the door,” I whisper.
Jax inclines his head and takes position.
I kneel at the bed. The amber warms, then burns in my hand. I press it gently against Finn’s chest. Its glow spreads like moonlight, catching on the seams of the quilt. The stench of almond and blood wafts to me—Izel’s glamour. A second later, it cracks.
Finn’s eyes snap open. “Mama?”
