After showering, I get dressed in a pair of black shorts and a grey top. Then I lock myself in the bathroom with Legend so we can have some privacy while I give him a recap of what happened to Jules and me. I tell him how I broke down and sobbed my heart and broken soul out to Jules. And how Jules figured out that his cousin might have been one of the werewolves who attacked me that day.

“I’m so proud of you, Lake.” Legend brings me in for a hug. “I know that had to be hard to tell him.”

“I didn’t really mean to tell him.” I slump my weight against him, too emotionally drained to hold myself up. “I was drunk and sort of just lost it.”

“But you’re glad you did, right? You feel a bit better?”

“I do, which is so strange. I mean, I told you and it never made me feel any better.”

“You never told me. I only knew because I was there that day when I …”

“You saved me.”

“I didn’t want to put it that way and seem like a cocky hero, but okay, if you insist.”

I jokingly pinch his side. “What is it with you and being here? Your already swelled ego has been rapidly inflating from the moment we tumbled through the portal.”

“I’ve always been this cocky. It’s just that, being in the Common Realm, around all those miserable people who despised me, it cast a self-conscious spell over my ego.”

“Were you that miserable?”

“Yes. But I would’ve been a lot worse if you weren’t there.” He pats my back. “And don’t pretend like you weren’t miserable there, either. I know you hated that realm, but you’d never admit it because you associated all the other realms with paranormals, which you despise.”

“Despised,” I correct. “I don’t despise all of them anymore.”

He pulls back. “Yeah?”

A bit of guilt stirs restlessly inside me as I comb my fingers through my damp strands, trying to decipher my true feelings. “This place … some of the werewolves here … they’re not so bad. And then of course, there’s you. Despite your overly large ego, I like you here, too.”

“Obviously, you do. Who doesn’t?” He winks at me, but then puts on a straight face. “All jokes aside, I’m glad you like it here. I was really worried you wouldn’t, especially having to live in a kingdom full of werewolves.”

“I just hope Jules can find the werewolves who attacked me.” I stare at my reflection in the mirror.

After the attack, I lost a lot of weight. So much my face had sunken in. About six months after hardly eating, Legend gave me an intervention. I could eat and start working on healing myself, or he was going to hospitalize me. I wasn’t certain he had the power to do so, but the fact that he would try, that someone cared about me that much, was enough for me to pull myself out of my depression.

He catches my gaze in the mirror. “I can assure you that Jules will find the wolves who did that to you. He’ll rip this entire kingdom apart if he has to.”

My eyes bulge. “Do you think he’ll … kill them when he finds them?”

“I’m not sure,” he answers reluctantly. “Every kingdom has different laws for these types of situations. Most is banishment to the Common Realm, but considering how Jules feels about you, I don’t know if his cousin is going to be walking away from this.”

I twist to face him. “You think Jules will kill him because I’m his alterum dimidium animae? That being his soulmate and his wolf’s is enough to drive him to become a killer?”

Legend’s brows rise to his hairline. “So, you found out what that meant?”

I prop my hip against the edge of the counter and cross my arms. “Liberty told me. And I didn’t freak out like everyone seemed to think I would.”

“That’s interesting.”

“What does that mean?”

He shrugs. “It means it’s interesting.”

“Legend …” I warn. “No more secrets. And while we’re at it, why don’t you tell me why they call you Legend?”

He immediately shakes his head. “That story, I’m taking to the grave.”

“You’re already dead.”

“Yep, which means I’ll never go to the grave, which means I’ll never tell anyone that story.”

“But other creatures know,” I gripe. “And you know stuff about me. In fact, you probably know more about me than even I know about myself.”

“Perhaps,” he agrees. When I glare at him, he surrenders with a sigh, hoisting his butt onto the counter. “Fine, you want to know why I think it’s interesting that you didn’t freak out about you being Jules’ alterum dimidium animae?”

I plant my ass on the counter beside him, letting my legs dangle over the edge. “Yes, and I want to hear your story, too.”

He gives a growl that doesn’t even faze me.

“I think, despite the fact that it hasn’t been declared yet, that Jules is your alterum dimidium animae.”

“Why would you think that? My eyes haven’t glowed violet yet.” The look on his face makes me pause. “Have they?”

“I don’t want to freak you out, but”—he traps my hand between his—“that day, while you were … being attacked, as I was jumping down from the roof to save you, your eyes briefly tinted violet for a vampire step of a second.”

The roaring thud of my heartbeat fills my mind. “But I wasn’t around Jules … so … so wouldn’t that mean that someone nearby …?” Vomit presses at the back of my throat. “Wouldn’t it mean someone there was my …?”

He swiftly shakes his head. “That’s not what was going on. If one of those werewolves was your alterum dimidium animae, you would’ve known. I think it happened because you already had—have—a alterum dimidium animae and you were—are—Jules’. And something was getting stolen from you both. And that connection between the two of you rose for a moment as the loss happened.”

“What loss?” I might have an idea, but I don’t dare utter the words.

Legend scratches his chin. “I’m guessing Liberty didn’t tell you this part about the alterum dimidium animae tradition. Otherwise, you probably would’ve figured it out on your own.” He sighs. “When two werewolves share the alterum dimidium animae connection, they’re only intimate with each other.”

“Oh.” Suddenly, Jules never being with another werewolf makes sense. “I guess I sort of broke that tradition, then.” My voice sounds so hollow. “Jules is probably severely disappointed.”

“No, he isn’t. And I never want to hear you say that ever again.” His gaze burns into mine. “I’ve known Jules for a bit, and he isn’t like that. He cares about you. And the only thing that’s going to change now that you’ve told him about the attack is that the killer instinct he’s always lacked just might come out.”

Worry stirs in my chest. “You think he is going to kill his cousin?”

“If not, he’s at least going to torture him slowly, quite possibly for the rest of his life.” Silence hovers between us. “Does that frighten you?”

“No.” The truth falls off my tongue, startling us both. “Does that make me a terrible person?”

“You’re not a person, so no.” He rotates, bringing his knee onto the counter. “And there’s nothing wrong about wanting those wolves to suffer.”

“Maybe … But I’m not sure I want Jules to have their blood on his hands just because something was done to me.”

“Then you should talk to him about it.”

“What if he kills the wolf before I see him again?”

“I doubt he will.” He hops off the counter. “More than likely, he’s going to lock up the attacker and try to get some answers out of him.” He rolls up the sleeves of his shirt. “Try to figure out why he attacked you to begin with.”

“I’d really like to know that, too.” Not that it can erase anything. I simply want to understand some of the stuff my attacker said to me while he brutally pinned me to the ground.

“Well, hopefully we’ll get some answers.” He starts for the door. “I don’t know about you, but I’m famished. I need to get some blood to drink. You want me to get you some food while I’m out?”

“Yes.” I slide off the counter. “Before you go, there is one more thing you need to tell me.”

He glances over his shoulder at me. “What?”

I fold my arms across my chest. “Why you’re called Legend.”

“Fine.” He sulks. “Just know that the story makes me look like a really big vampire prick, but I’m really not.”

“I know that.”

“We’ll see if you still think so after I tell you.” He reclines against the door. “I got the name Legend about a century ago after I won a bet.”

“What was the bet?”

He groans, pinching the brim of his nose. “My friends and I had a bet going to see who could sleep with all the Vampire Eternal’s mistresses first.”

I crinkle my nose. “How many were there?”

“I really don’t remember. But no vampire had ever slept with all the mistresses before, and since vampires hate the Vampire Eternals, they all started calling me Legend after I won the bet. The name isn’t really that far off from my real name—Legion—but the more decades that pass, the more I’ve started to hate my nickname.”

“Didn’t you just get thrown into the Common Realm for doing the same thing?”

“I only slept with one of their mistresses that time, and I actually liked her. It wasn’t just for a bet.”

“So, when you won the bet, did you get imprisoned in the Common Realm? You always acted like that was your first time there.”

“It was my first time there. The bet happened way before that law was put into place. But I still got punished for what I did.” He points a finger at me as I start to open my mouth. “Don’t bother asking what the punishment was. I’m not going to tell you.”

“Oh, fine.” I yawn, stretching my arms above my head. “I’ll let you off the hook for now.”

“Are you tired?”

“Sort of. I think I’m, like, emotionally drained or something.”

He opens the door. “How about you go lie down? I’ll get you something to eat, and then you can take a nap.”

I nod, trudge back into the bedroom, and flop down on the bed.

Instead of exiting out the bedroom door, Legend jumps out the window, leaving me in the room with Rune, who does nothing but stare out the window.

After the silence becomes too maddening, I finally say, “So, rumor on the street is that you and I used to know each other.”

His gaze skates to me. “We did.”

I kneel up on the bed. “Was I annoying?”

He chuckles softly. “Sometimes you were. We all were, though. Especially Shade.”

I giggle, the sound music to my ears. I’m glad after everything that I can still laugh.

“You know what, I have an easy time believing that.”

A breeze gusts in through the open window as he sinks down onto the windowsill. “I never was, though.” He smiles cockily.

“I’m sure you weren’t.” I stretch out on my front and prop my chin against my hand. “Everyone keeps saying I was a good fighter. Did you ever fight me?”

“I did. And you were an excellent fighter. I’m sure those fighter instincts are still living inside you, waiting to be unleashed. All you need is some training.”

“Jules said you’re all going to train me.”

“I am.”

I smile, again surprising myself. “Are you any good?” I tease.

He shakes his head with mild amusement. “Shade was right; you are a troublemaker.”

“So is Shade,” I quip. “What’s your story? You seem to be a wolf of few words.”

“That’s because I don’t have much to say, in general or about my dull life.”

“Dull? I highly doubt that. You’re a guard for a werewolf prince. That has to have some excitement.”

“Not that much. Jules is a pretty self-sufficient prince.”

“What about girlfriends? Have you had any of those?”

He shakes his head. “Nope.”

“Okay … What about a friend with benefits?” Why, oh why, do I open my mouth sometimes?

His face contorts. “What the hell is that?”

Wow, I really dug myself a hole with that one, didn’t I?

“Um …” Do not blush, Lake. Don’t you dare. “It’s a friend you sometimes … do the funky with.”

He adjusts the strap of his waist holster. “Funky?”

Dammit, the translation is complicating this conversation. Or maybe I am.

“Sex.” Yep, and now my cheeks are on fire.

“You want to know if I have a friend I fuck sometimes?” Hilarity rings in his tone. “Out of all the questions to ask me.”

I roll my eyes at myself. “See, this is why Legend finds me so amusing. I always say the wrong thing. I seriously suck at socializing.”

“You’re not that terrible. And even if you were, so am I.”

“You don’t seem like it. You just seem quiet.”

“Yeah, says one socially awkward werewolf to another.”

I snort with laughter. “You’re funny.”

He laughs with me. “No, I’m usually not. You, apparently, just bring it out of me. We should hang out some time. Maybe if we did, I’d smile more and could get me one of those friends with benefits you were talking about.” He winks.

I start to ask him why he doesn’t smile often when the power dies.

As the lights click off, he springs to his feet and unsheathes his sword.

“What’s going on?” I sit up, peering around the darkened room in a panic.

“Lake, do exactly what I say, okay?” His heavy boots scuff against the floorboards as he crosses the room with his sword positioned in front of him. “Go into the closet and push on the back wall. There’s a trap door there that will take you to a safe room. When you get inside, lock the door and do not come out under any circumstances, okay?”

I noiselessly climb off the bed. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Someone’s in the house.” He presses his ear against the door and sniffs.

I search for some sort of weapon and end up grabbing a fire poker. “Is it …?” I realize I don’t even know my attacker’s name. Only his face and stench.

Moonlight casts across Rune’s face, revealing his worry. “I don’t know, but you need to hide, okay?”

“What about you?”

“I’ll be fine, just as long as you are.”

Hiding seems cowardly, but when he nudges me toward the closet, my feet move automatically. Once I’m locked inside the small, secret room behind the closet wall, I crouch down in the shadows, hold my breath, and listen.

The house is silent. Eerily silent. I hate the silence. It gives me too much time to think. Think about what will happen if it is my attacker. If he finds me. If he hurts Rune. And what if Legend returns? He’s a powerful fighter, but what if he’s caught off guard?

Shallow breaths rack from my chest as a thunderous crash shatters the silence.

“Where is she?”

Growls erupt, and the house vibrates.

“I know she’s in this house, Rune, so just hand her over and you can walk away from this unscathed.”

“Who says I’m not going to walk away from this unscathed, anyway?” Rune replies calmly. “I think you’re the one who isn’t going to walk away from this, Slate.”

Slate.

Slate.

Slate.

The name pounds through my skull.

My attacker’s name. The one who ripped my clothes off and hurt me in ways I never knew were possible.

How I recognize his name, I’m unsure, other than maybe my mind has started filling in the blanks from the memories of before I forgot. Perhaps I’ve met this Slate before, and deep down, under the veil covering my memories, I knew who he was when he assaulted me. After all, he seemed to know me that day in the alley. He knew my real name is Elora.

“Those are some big words for someone who’s outnumbered,” Slate mocks, cackling laughter echoing around him. “Even for the infamous Rune.”

Infamous Rune? I make a mental note to ask Rune about that later.

If there is a later.

No, there’s going to be. Stop thinking about that, Lake!

“You’re going to regret this, Slate,” Rune replies evenly. “Not just this, but what you did to her.”

“So, Elora told you, huh?” His elation makes my gut twist with knots. “Good. I’m glad. I hope it completely destroys Jules.”

Rune laughs darkly. “You think this is going to destroy him? The only thing it’s going to do is destroy you. Jules isn’t going to let you live after what you did. He’ll rip you apart, bit by bit, until there’s nothing left. You’re an idiot to think otherwise.”

“Jules doesn’t have the balls to kill me,” Slate sneers. “He’s always been a coward in that sense.”

“That’s because he’s never had a good reason to kill,” Rune tells him. “You gave him one by touching her.”

“I didn’t just touch her,” Slate says in a tone that makes me shudder and want to puke all over the floor. “I fucked her long and hard. She liked it, too. Screamed the entire time.”

A violent growl explodes from my chest as memories sear my mind. Slate and the other werewolf pinning me down. Clawing me. Bruising me. Beating me. Breaking me. And smiling as he did it while I cried.

Legend was right. He took something from me that day. From me and Jules.

A forceful rage storms through me as I open the door. The light stings my eyes as I step out of the darkness, my vision brighter, bolder, as if I’m suddenly seeing through a different pair of eyes. My gaze drops to my hands where sharp claws have replaced my fingernails. I’m not sure why, and I don’t really fucking care right now. All I care about is one thing.

Making him pay.

I grip the fire poker as I storm out of the closet.

Four werewolves dressed in black crowd the room. I pay no attention to three of them, my gaze locked on the tall, bulkier werewolf with shaggy blond hair. And just my luck, he’s standing right in front of the closet with his back to me.

Snarling, I swing back the fire poker and spear the end through the back of Slate’s thigh. He howls in pain as he collapses to the ground face first, clutching his leg.

The other werewolves reel toward me, teeth bared.

Then, all hell breaks loose.

The bedroom door flies open and figures barrel into the room. I can’t see their faces, too consumed by rage, wanting to break the werewolf bleeding at my feet.

“I didn’t like it!” I scream as I kick Slate in the face, making his jaw snap and blood spew from his lip, as if I’ve somehow become strong. “And you know I didn’t! You know I fucking hated it!” I kick him in the face repeatedly.

Crashes, growls, and snarls suddenly become background noise, but one thing takes center stage. Hurting Slate. Taking back some of the fear he put into me.

“I fucking hate you! And I hope you suffer for the rest of your miserable life!” My vision explodes with vivid colors as I scream at the top of my lungs.

I hear the snapping of bones, and pain splinters through my body as I continue bashing my foot into Slate’s face.

“Lake.” Strong arms wrap around me, the intoxicating aroma of moonlight and violets chinking through my wrath.

Jules is here. Jules is here. Jules.

He holds my back against his chest, his lips grazing my ear. “I understand you’re angry—and you deserve to be—but if you don’t calm down, you’re going to shift. And without any lessons, you might not be able to shift back.”

My head bobbles back against his chest as I breathe in and out. In and out. In and out. Gradually, my vision dims to normal, my surroundings coming into focus, the pain subsiding from my body.

Once my vision returns, I notice the room is now occupied with at least half a dozen of Jules’ guards, all with their swords and knives aimed at Slate’s friends. Rune is standing in front of me, and Legend and Shade are by his side. Legend has his fangs out, and Shade has a few droplets of crimson on his forehead. And Slate is incapacitated at my feet.

How long were they all here? How much of my psychotic wolf meltdown did they see? Probably most of it, since they all seem stunned into silence.

“And you guys thought she’d forgotten how to fight and needed to be retrained.” Shade breaks the silence. “Clearly, you’re all stupid.”

Rune rolls his eyes, Legend shakes his head, and Shade winks at me.

“Nice job, sweetheart.” Shade cleans the blood off his knife on his pant leg. “You just saved me a couple hours’ worth of torture. Seriously, give me a few hours, and he’ll probably be ready to confess everything.”

“Confess what, exactly?” My voice is strained.

“Why he went after you, and why he was even in the Common Realm. Because, from the records, he was never banished there, which means he snuck in. The questions is: why?” Shade squats down beside Slate and wiggles the fire poker, eliciting a high-pitched whimper from Slate.

“Fuck you, Shade.” Blood drips from Slate’s mouth. “I’m not telling you shit, other than she’s going to end up dead soon.” A manic, choked laugh erupts from his lips.

Jules roars, tension rolling off him in waves. “If you ever fucking threaten her life again, I’ll cut out your fucking tongue.”

Slate continues to laugh, choking on a mouthful of blood. “Like you can. You’re so weak. Always have been.”

The sound of his laughter makes me sick to my stomach. Thankfully, Shade orders some guards to carry him out to the shed.

“And what happened in this room, stays in this room,” Jules commands as the guards prepare to take Slate away. “Understand? If anyone outside of this circle hears about this, you’ll all be punished.”

The guards nod. Then four of them drag Slate away by his arms, leaving a trail of blood along the hardwood floor.

Something needs to still be said, though.

My eyes zero in on one of the captives being held by two of Jules’ guards, and I gather up all the courage I have left. “Jules?”

He rubs his hands down my arm, soothing me. “Yeah?”

“That wolf over there … the one with the darker hair.” I sound braver than I feel. Where is my badass werewolf when I need her? “He was there with Slate. He helped him.”

The accused werewolf snaps his teeth at me. “I didn’t do anything,” he growls, struggling to escape the guards’ hold. “She’s a fucking liar.”

Jules releases me from his arms, stalks over to the werewolf, and cocks his head to the side. “You think I’m going to take your word over hers?” He folds his fingers around the wolf’s throat. “That would be an epic mistake on your part.” His lean arm muscles bulge as he throttles the werewolf.

“Please, Your Highness,” the werewolf wheezes, his legs giving out on him, but the two guards hold him up, not letting him sink to the floor. “I didn’t … I wasn’t the one who did it.”

“But you helped, which is just as bad.” Jules continues to strangle him, yet his voice remains chillingly calm. “But don’t worry; I’m not going to kill you just yet. I’m going to drag out your punishment until you’re begging for death. Then I’m going to drag it out longer.” Then he raises his free hand and slashes his fingernails across the werewolf’s face, peeling back the flesh. Blood seeps out from the wounds and drizzles onto the floor. “Put him in the shed, too, but in a separate room,” Jules orders the guards. “And put the rest of them there too.”

They nod then heave the bloody, whimpering werewolf out of the room, along with the other two.

Once the room is cleared out, Rune shuts the door while Jules wipes his bloody hand on the side of his pants.

“Well, that was interesting,” Shade muses. “Guess I’m starting to rub off on you.”

“Maybe,” Jules mumbles, hesitantly glancing at me. Uneasiness reflects in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that in front of you.”

“Why? I just mangled a werewolf with a fire poker.” The floorboards creak as I step toward him. “If anything, I should be saying sorry.” Tears veil my vision. Shit, I’m going to start crying again.

He snags the bottom of my shirt, jerks me toward him, and crushes me against his chest.

I decide that I could really get used to this. Being in his arms all the time. Hiding my tears against his chest.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Jules whispers, kissing my forehead. “Slate deserved what he got. He deserves worse and will get it.”

I bury my face in his chest as my guilt catches up with me. I reacted so savagely, so brutally, so unlike me.

I probably would’ve started crying again if it weren’t for Rune distracting me.

“Speaking of mangling. Lake, I thought I told you to stay in the closet,” he scolds me, but with a hint of pride.

“I know.” I dry my tears, rotate around, and slump back against Jules’ chest, too drained to move away from him. “I don’t know what happened. Something just came over me when Slate said that …” Breathe in. Breathe out. Do not start crying again. “And it felt like I was possessed or something. I didn’t even realize what I was doing until I was stabbing him.”

“That’s because you were in the process of shifting.” Jules rests his chin on top of my head. “Your wolf was taking over.”

“Really?” I scrunch my nose. “She’s fucking ruthless, then.”

A beat of silence ticks by, and then the four of them laugh.

“She’s actually pretty normal.” Jules steers me around to face him. “The first time I shifted, I clawed Shade’s leg. The first time Rune shifted, he clawed my fucking neck.” He resists a smile. “And the first time Shade shifted, he ate a bunch of bunnies.”

A laugh bubbles from my throat. “He ate little baby bunnies?”

“Hey, they weren’t babies. They were fucking huge,” Shade argues. “And they were fucking tasty.”

I pull a face. “Ew.”

“Don’t ew me,” Shade teasingly reprimands. “I know they eat baby cows and shit over in the Common Realm. That’s no better.”

“I’ve never eaten a calf before.” I glance over my shoulder at Shade. “And the only animal I’ve eaten is cooked, which I’m sure those baby bunnies were not.”

“Hey, don’t dis it until you try it.” Shade stretches his arms above his head through a yawn. “All right, my lovely, little princess and prince, I am fucking beat from all this guarding your asses shit. I’m going to take a quick nap downstairs. Then, bright and early tomorrow, the torture begins.” He rubs his hands together and lets out a wicked laugh before strolling out of the room.

“Sorry about him,” Rune finds the need to apologize. “He’s not as crazy as he acts.”

“He’s fine,” I promise. “And considering I just stabbed Slate in the leg with a fire poker, I really can’t judge his crazy.”

“You’re not crazy.” Rune tucks his sword into the holster. “In fact, I think you’ll fit right into our little group.” He spins on the heel of his boots then heads toward the door. “Training starts tomorrow, Lake. Be at the pit before the sun rises.” He exits the room, leaving the door open behind him.

I gape up at Jules. “Is he kidding me?”

Jules lightly tugs on a strand of my hair. “Nope. Rune’s a morning person. Don’t worry, though; I’ll go with you.”

“Yeah, good luck waking her up that early,” Legend remarks. “Lake is like a sleeping bear in the mornings.” He gives me a hug, and I feel the aggravation surge off Jules, but shockingly, he doesn’t growl. “I’m going to go crash in the guestroom. If you need anything, wake me up, okay?”

I nod, but part of me wants to reach out and grab Legend’s arm as he walks away, wants to plead with him to stay with me.

Legend has been my security blanket for the last year, and without him, a piece of me feels like it’s missing. But another part of me keeps me frozen where I stand, knowing I need to talk to Jules about what happened. Not just about my attackers, but about how my eyes shifted violet the day of the attack.

Something was getting stolen from you both.

He needs to know about it, right?

“I want to talk to you about what happened … explain myself,” Jules mumbles before I get the chance to speak. “I never should’ve let Slate get that close to my house. We almost had him captured, but as we were tracking him through the forest, we lost his scent. By the time we found it again, I knew he was heading here. I tried to get here in time, but …” He drags his fingers roughly through his hair. “I was on the stairway when he said what I’m assuming set you off. I ran up, but you’d already stabbed him and were kicking him in the face, on the verge of shifting.” He closes his eyes. “I didn’t want you to have to deal with that—with seeing him again. You shouldn’t have had to be that close to him, to hear him say that. I should’ve protected you better. I should’ve protected you better ten years ago.”

His speech knocks the wind out of me.

“Stop blaming yourself.” Unsure what else to do, I wrap my arms around him like he did to comfort me. The wolf inside me purrs. So strange. “If I learned anything during my time in the Common Realm, it’s that not everything is in our control. Shit happens sometimes that you can’t change no matter what. It just is. And, as for me having to see Slate, I’m sort of glad I did. I don’t know how this is going to make me sound, but hurting him like that was sort of therapeutic. I do feel a bit guilty, though, for acting so savagely.” The sound of the fire poker cutting through his skin haunts my mind, making me cringe.

What is wrong with me? How can I be so vicious?

“That was your wolf.” He nuzzles his face in my hair. “I don’t want you to be afraid of our kind, but you need to know that, when we shift, we sometimes are savage. We don’t normally go around killing or anything like that. Well, except for the incident with Shade and the bunnies. We give in to our animal instincts, and sometimes act animalistic.”

“I felt animalistic,” I confess. “Still sort of do … Truthfully, I haven’t felt normal since I drank that silver drink.”

“It’ll get better the longer you’re here.” He kisses the top of my head.

My wolf sighs. Yeah, she’s definitely a weirdo.

“I hope so.”

“I know so.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course. I know everything.”

I giggle as something occurs to me. “We’ve said that to each other before.”

He curls his fingers around my shoulders and directs me back, only to look me in the eye. “You remember?”

I half-shrug. “Not the memory, but the words. It kind of happened a couple of times. I really wish I could actually see the memories.”

His intent stare makes me self-conscious.

“Tomorrow, after training, I’d like to take you to a witch who lives here and see if she knows why you can’t remember things. I’ll probably have to bargain with her, but with a little bribery, I’m sure she’ll help us.”

“Why do you have to bribe her?” The answer comes to me all on my own. “Wait. Is she the witch your father stole?”

He gives a hard nod. “She is. She’s been trapped here ever since, bound by a binding spell that my father tricked her into doing. Until he releases her, she can’t return to her realm. I’m not sure why he keeps her trapped in our kingdom, but as far as I can tell, he has no plans of letting her go anytime soon.”

“You think she’ll help us, then? Since you’re the king’s son?”

“With the right amount of bribery, she will. Plus, she knows I hate my father. And that, if I could free her, I would.”

“Still, why would he trap a witch here and bind her to him? What does he get out of it?”

“She has to cast any spell he demands.”

“Oh.” My gaze wanders to the window where vines cover the fields just outside. “You don’t think …” I zip my lips, not wanting to cross a line.

“I’ve thought about it,” he mutters, staring out the window, as well. “But Ava, the witch, wasn’t bound here until after the vines began to plague our lands. She also assured me that a spell isn’t what caused them to grow to begin with. Although, my father could’ve easily bound her to secrecy.”

“So, you’re saying you think your father might’ve had something to do with the vines?”

“It’s hard to say for sure. My father is a violent, cruel werewolf, who thrives off power and instilling fear in others, so I wouldn’t put it past him to do something like that.” He stares down at his blood-stained hands. “After tonight, I think I might be more like him than I thought.”

I suddenly comprehend why he feels guilty about his violent act and why everyone has said he doesn’t have the killer instinct. His father beat him, forced him to don those silver rings. His father is a violent man. He hates his father. He doesn’t want to be like his father.

“I don’t even feel guilty about hurting him. Only that you saw it.” He bares the truth quietly. “What kind of a wolf does that make me?”

The answer is a mystery to me. Or is it? I’m uncertain whether I know Jules or not. Sometimes I feel like I do. My wolf sure as hell thinks she does. Seriously, I let her loose one time and she’s already trying to convince me to think like her.

I really need to ask Jules if it’s normal to be so connected to the wolf inside me.

“You’re not like your father.” I flatten my palms on his chest, feeling his heart thrash. “You slashed that wolf for me because he helped take something away from us. He deserved to have his face cut up for it, and deserves whatever awaits him tomorrow when Shade goes out to that shed.”

His brows knit. “What do you mean, he took something from us?”

I retract a palm from his chest to massage my star-marked temple. “Legend told me something earlier tonight before Slate showed up. It was something I didn’t know about that happened the day I was attacked.”

“Okay …?” He waits patiently for me to go on.

It takes me a minute to gather the strength to spill the words between us.

“This is really hard to say,” I admit. “I mean, for ten years of my life, I thought I was completely ordinary, but I never wanted to be, never wanted to be human. I hated living in foster homes. I hated high school. I hated how people looked at me.” A faltering exhale fumbles from my lips. “Then, a year ago, werewolves attacked me, and I was grateful that I wasn’t a paranormal. I was so convinced that every single one of them—besides Legend—was a monster. Particularly wolves.”

“Lake, I’m so sorry you had to go through—”

I press my finger to his lips, shushing him. “Just let me get this out, okay? And then you can say whatever you need to say.” When he nods, I let my finger fall from his lips. “When I smelled moonlight that night in the club when I first met you, I freaked out. I wanted to run, and eventually I did. Sometimes, I still feel like I want to. Like today, when I felt that undiluted rage toward Slate. I didn’t think I was capable of such violence, but apparently, I am.” I frown. “But I’m not sure that it was violence, you know. I think I was just reacting to the pain, something I’ve never done before. And apparently, my wolf needed to react, too, which really sucked for Slate because I’m pretty sure she was the driving force between the fire poker stabbing. The kicks to the face were mostly me.

“But what I think I realized is that, wolf or not, I would’ve wanted to hurt Slate. Now, if I were just a human, I probably would’ve just gotten myself killed. But unfortunately for Slate, I’m a werewolf, just like he’s a werewolf, just like you are and Shade and Rune and Liberty. And the four of you aren’t so bad. Slate’s the bad one. Just like some humans aren’t good and some are. I’m sure the same goes for vampires and every other creature out there.”

“So, you’re saying not all werewolves are evil?” He seems a tad lost.

I nod. “And that I shouldn’t be afraid of werewolves anymore. That there are good and bad out there everywhere, and I should be grateful that I have the strength that will eventually help me protect myself.”

“You will be able to do that sooner rather than later.” His hand molds around mine. “Shade was right. We doubted your skills too much. There’s still a lot of fighter left in you.”

Pride swells my chest. “Thanks for saying that, but I’m still not done with my speech just yet.”

He sucks a lip ring between his teeth, biting back a grin. “Please do continue with your speech, then.”

“Thanks. I’m glad I have your permission.” I roll my eyes, but then bounce with jitteriness as I go over what I need to tell him. “Honestly, my speech was more directed at me, to give myself the confidence and assurance for what I need to tell you about what Slate took away from us.” And because I’m procrastinating.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like I’m about to admit I like him. I’ve never told a guy that before, and Jules isn’t even a normal guy. He’s a werewolf prince who will one day be king of the Violet Mountain pack!

Just rip off the damn Band-aid, Lake! You just stabbed your attacker in the leg, for wolf’s sake. This should be a piece of yummy cake.

“The thing is … Legend told me that, right before he jumped down and saved me that day, my eyes … briefly turned … violet.”

His nostrils flare as he inhales sharply. “You could feel the connection?”

I shrug unsteadily. “I don’t know. Maybe deep down underneath the pain I could. Legend assured me, though, that my eyes didn’t go violet for Slate or his friend. That if it did, I’d know.”

“Have you ever …?” His lips part then close. Part then close. “Have you ever felt a spark with any other werewolf?”

“No.” I pause, debating whether I dare tell him the entire truth about the first time I saw him. Will it mean anything? Does it mean anything to me? “The first and only time I felt something other than hatred for a werewolf was when we first made eye contact. I didn’t feel like crazy lust or anything, but I wanted to hug away your sorrow. You looked so sad and heartbroken.”

“That’s how I’ve looked for the last decade, since I lost you.” His hoarse voice cracks with a flurry of emotions. “You looked so much like Elora, but I couldn’t smell her scent, and I thought I was being punished for letting her—you—die. That the wolf gods were punishing me by sending an Elora look-alike to torment me.” Tears well in his eyes.

I splay my fingers across his cheek, desperately wanting to comfort him. “You can’t beat yourself up over what happened to me.”

He presses his nose against my palm. “Whether I can blame myself or not is beside the point. I’m going to spend forever making sure you get that decade of your life back.”

Forever?

“Do you think …? Why do you think my eyes went violet that day?”

“I’m not positive yet, but I guess we’ll find out in time.” He caresses his lips along my palm then up my arm to my shoulder. When he reaches the crook of my neck, he nuzzles against my pulse and groans. “I want to kiss you so fucking badly right now,” he murmurs, tracing his fingers along the speck of flesh between my shirt and the waistband of my shorts.

My heart beats wildly in my chest, intoxicating fear and want combusting through me.

“Then, why don’t you?” I ask, or more like purr.

The wolf inside me purrs, too.

He lets out a husky chuckle. “Because you just purred, that’s why.”

I lean closer to him and shut my eyes, breathing in his violet moonlight scent. “Why is that so bad?”

“Because it means your wolf is still partly controlling you. And considering the last time we kissed and you stopped it, I don’t think I should be kissing you until we’re both positive you want it.” He traces a gentle path along my scarred waist. The shiver that courses through me is both thrilling and petrifying. “Besides, I want to give you time to heal. Emotional scars, they take time. Sometimes more than physical wounds.”

I wonder if it’s possible to actually fall in love with someone based upon a few beautifully broken words.

“Okay.” I grip the front of my shirt as my wolf starts putting up a fuss. “What do we do now, then?”

“Now we go to sleep.” With a gentle suck on my neck, he lifts his head. The violet glow of his eyes doesn’t really throw me off like it used to. “Then tomorrow, we’ll train and go see Ava.”

I nod, but the wolf inside me yaps, demanding one more question be asked. “When will I learn to shift?”

His eyes spark in surprise. “You want to learn?”

“I think so. I mean, I can feel her inside me, and she’s demanding I learn … Is that crazy?”

He shakes his head. “It’s perfectly normal to be so connected to your wolf after your first shift.”

“But I didn’t shift.”

“You almost did.”

“So, you think I should completely shift now?”

“Only if you want to. I think it’d be wise if you did, or else she’ll probably keep hounding you.”

“You said it would be painful.” I cringe, recalling how my bones started to snap during my almost shift.

“I said it could be painful.” His grin is all sorts of impishness. “But that I could take away the pain, if you want me to.”

I literally have no clue how he could take my pain away, but I find myself blushing at a few very vivid ideas.

He strokes my cheek. “Legend is right. It is fun embarrassing you.”

I stick out my tongue, and he laughs.

“What? You’re the one who blushed,” he says innocently. “I didn’t do anything but say I could take the pain away. You must have a dirty mind or something.”

I roll my tongue in my mouth. “Whatever, wolf boy. I’m going to bed.” I turn for the door, but then I note the trail of dried blood on the door and stop.

After I was attacked, Legend usually stayed over at my house. I hated being alone. Hated the nightmares. The fear. And while I want to be strong, I don’t want to be alone now, either. I could always go wake up Legend, but Jules is here, and he has the ability to pull me into sleepy cloud dreams inside of haunting, bloody nightmares.

I stare at the door, knowing if I look at him, I’ll lose my nerve. “Jules?”

“Yeah.” He’s closer than I thought.

“Can I …?” I wet my chapped lips with my tongue as I turn around. “Can I sleep in here with you, and can you try to do that little dream thing with me so I won’t have nightmares?”

He nods with zero hesitancy, almost appearing relieved. “Of course. I need to take a shower first, but you can get into my bed now if you want.”

“Okay.” My stomach coils with nerves as I climb onto his bed and pull the covers over me.

He grabs some clothes out of the closet. “Are you hungry?”

I fluff the pillow. “I’m starving, actually.”

Smiling, he snaps his fingers. “Food will be here soon. Just open the door when you hear a knock.” He disappears into the bathroom, leaving the door cracked.

As the shower turns on, images of him shirtless race through my mind, and my wolf howls in delight.

What a little pervert!

I do my best to block out the dirty mental picture and lay in bed until a knock sounds on the door.

Throwing the covers off me, I get up and answer it. No one is out in the hallway, but a platter of fruits, vegetables, crackers, and steak is on the floor.

What the shit? Does he have little elves or something that make him food?

I guess I’ll have to ask Jules about it.

Collecting the tray, I kick the door shut then climb back into bed. After stuffing my belly full of yummy food, I lie down and shut my eyes.

I figure between the adrenaline lashing through my body and the fact that I slept for nearly three days straight, that I’d stay awake for quite a while. But I fall asleep before Jules even makes it out of the shower.