He exhales. “Freya. Don’t make a scene.”
My lips twist, heart wrenching in pain. “I never do. I’m the quiet one, remember?”
Kade glares at me, taking his sleeve out of my grip with a harsh pull and then leaves without another word.
As the doors open, the music swells momentarily. Izel’s laugh falls on my ear, clear and grating as bells.
Nyx’s voice coils through me. ‘Thirty days. Leave.’
I tilt my head to the clouded sky. My throat burns, but I don’t let the tears fall. “Thirty days,” I whisper. “Then I will be free.”
And I begin to count.
TRUST NO ONE
Freya
Later at night, as I’m pacing the length of my chamber, Nyx’s voice still lingers in my head. After six years of silence, she finally spoke to me. Why now? Why tonight?
Leave.
The word haunts me through every step. I can’t ignore it, not when my body has felt weaker with each passing day, and my heart just as hopeless and miserable.
There’s only one person I can trust with this: Brin. Our pack healer. My oldest friend. The only one who still calls meLunawhen no one else dares. The only one who bows with respect, not mockery. If anyone can explain what’s happening to me, it’s him.
???
The pack’s conservatory smells of damp earth and strange flowers. Glass walls hold in the heat, and vines crawl over iron arches. I find Brin bent over a tray of herbs, hands stained with soil.I knew he’d still be awake. He looks up when I enter.
“You shouldn’t be here this late, Luna Freya,” he says in a hushed voice, bowing low. “The Alpha doesn’t like you wandering.”
I fold my arms. “Then why does he leave the door unlocked? Might as well lock me inside my chamber while he’s at it. I’m not strong enough to break through it anymore. I become powerless and weaker every day.”
Brin sighs, pouring water from a jug on his hands before wiping them with a cloth. “But you remain stubborn. Despite everything.”
I raise my chin. “I have to, don’t I?” I say in my defense. Then I draw in a breath, clasping my hands together to prepare myself to speak. Brin already knows something is up. He patiently waits for me to speak.
“Something happened earlier. During the Masquerade Ball…” my voice trails off, paranoia suddenly flooding me.Did I really hear Nyx?
“What is it, Luna Freya?” Brin nudges when I let the pause lengthen too much.
“My wolf… Nyx. I think I heard her speak. She told me to leave the pack. It’s been six years, Brin. Why now? And why do I feel weaker every day? I thought it was because of my difficult pregnancy… with Ivy. But it has been so long—now I know that just isn’t the reason. Why does it burn just to breathe? My fingers go numb for hours. I stumble while walking on a straight path. Sometimes I can’t see properly what’s right in front of me.”
Brin glances around the glass garden, as if the vines themselves might be listening. “Why didn’t you tell me about any of this before?” he asks, concern flooding his face.
“I—I don’t know,” I respond weakly, turning away.
I thought the Moon Goddess was punishing me.
I don’t tell him that because I understand how absurd that sounds. But that thought has been haunting me. She took awaymy wolf, and slowly I have felt my life slipping away from between my fingers. What other explanation is there to this?
Brin shakes his head. “It burns to breathe? And everything else you described… That seems to be—but it can’t be. Your wolf’s loss was because of your mother’s tragic death at the peak of your pregnancy with Finn. We ascertained that, but we couldn’t even figure out why your wolf never returned after you healed.”
His face is saying all that he is holding back on his tongue. Brin will never speak his mind unless he’s persuaded. “What does it seem to be?”
He swallows hard. “Weakness. Difficulty breathing. Frail mind connection with the pack. Loss of a wolf. Loss of vision and feeling. All those are signs of… silverdew poisoning.”
My breath catches. “Impossible. I’d know if someone was poisoning me.”
