Even though Jules tried to change the direction of the conversation, the wolves began talking about the vines again when we passed by a few faceless, shadow vampires creeping in the gloom of alleyways.

By the time we arrive at the house, I’m wishing I had fallen asleep in the sleigh so I didn’t have to endure listening to their conversation. Many times, I almost declared that I might be the answer, the cure. But my lips remained zipped as fear grasped my throat, daring me to speak then never breathe again.

“I know what you’re thinking, and you need to stop it,” Jules says the moment he sets my feet on the floor. “We don’t even know if you’re the cure.”

“Maybe.” Guilt strangles me tighter as I open my eyes and take in the blacks and silvers of the room, the velvet furniture, the metallic chandeliers, and the walls of bookshelves. “We’re in a library?” Not what I was expecting.

“The one at my house.” He stuffs his hands into his pockets, watching me intently. “I thought we could look through some books and see what we could find out about your gift.”

I could tell him, right here, about what Legend revealed. All I have to do is open my mouth. But my jaw remains hinged, locked, dead bolted.

“I think we should keep most of our conversation to a minimum until we meet in your dreams. There we can speak openly,” he continues, his worried gaze burrowing into mine. “And talk about what you just overheard.”

I turn my back to him, hiding my shame. “I already know what I overheard.”

He moves up behind me, his solid chest aligning with my back. “Yes, but I want to make sure you fully understand what it all means.”

“I do. I more than understand.”

“Lake, we don’t even know if you are a nature energy wolf. And even if you were, you can’t be the only one of your kind.” His lips lightly nip at the back of my neck. “We’ll figure this out.”

So gentle and patient. I should probably just tell him. Why can’t I utter the words?

“Even if I wasn’t the only one, what would we do?” I tilt my head back to look at him. “Track down another innocent nature energy wolf and sacrifice them instead?”

“No.” But I can see the brief consideration in his eyes. He glances at the bookshelves and murmurs, “There has to be another way to eliminate those vines without feeding it another innocent creature’s life.”

“You think there’s an answer in one of these books?”

“Maybe.” He strolls up to a ladder propped against a bookshelf. “My mom loved collecting ancient books on all sorts of magical topics. It might take some time to go through them, but we have to try.”

Some time to go through them? Try at least a decade. But we should at least try. Try to find another way besides throwing my life to those vines.

Still, I worry how much time is left before the guilt eats away at me completely. Once it does, I know what I’ll do. I never knew that about myself, that I was the kind of person—wolf—who would sacrifice herself to save others. And not just others, but creatures I once hated. Makes me wonder what other parts of my soul are undiscovered. Will I ever find out?

* * *

“Why do you think those wolves would throw those wolf cubs into the vines?” I ask as I read a page in a thick, leather bound book that’s open on my lap.

We’ve spent hours hunting through books, only to come up with a few sentences on the abilities of a nature energy wolf. Apparently, with some learning, I can control some types of plants and trees. What I can do with that control, however, remains a mystery. Only time will tell.

He crosses the room with a stack of books in his arms. “It could be because of what Kylan said and just an act of cruelty.” He drops the books onto a table then takes a seat beside me. “Or it could be that whoever started the vines is putting them to use and using them as a tool for punishment.”

“So, does that mean that you think your father was right? That another wolf pack planted the vines?”

“It could be. Or it could be a particular wolf who did it.”

“You think it’s a werewolf for sure?”

He drapes his lean arm along the back of the chair behind me, and the sweetest kiss of moonlight and violets whirls around me. “I don’t want to think poorly of my kind, but considering wolf cubs are getting thrown into the vines by other wolves, it makes sense that a wolf is behind it.”

“What would be the motives behind something like that?”

“Power over the creatures. The need to inflict torture. Causing pointless chaos. It’s really hard to say.”

His father pops into my mind. From the stories I’ve heard, he more than qualifies as a suspect.

Jules plays with my hair, raveling a strand around his finger. “I’m beginning to wonder that, too … if my father might be the wolf behind the vines.”

Guilt rushes to my face. “Did I say that aloud?”

“No. I read it all over your expression.” His fingers drift to the back of my neck, skillfully massaging. “What I don’t understand is, if he’s behind the vines, then why has he been traveling from pack to pack, searching for a wolf who did it?”

“Perhaps he’s not really searching.”

“Then where does he go when he leaves the kingdom for weeks on end?”

That is the magical question, isn’t it?

“Maybe he’s not the only wolf behind the vines,” I suggest. “Maybe he had help making them grow.”

He considers this with a frown. “Perhaps.”

I close the book and set it aside. “So, what does that mean if he is?”

“It means we need to keep this conversation a secret … and your gift.” His low tone sends a shiver across my skin. “Because, if my father and other wolves are behind the vines, then no wolf is trustworthy. And we’ll need more than half of my pack to overthrow my father if he’s working with other packs.”

“But, if you can’t trust any wolves, then how do you get more help?”

“Go outside the wolf species.”

“Would they help you? From what Legend says, other species don’t frequently get involved with each other.”

“If they knew my father was behind the vines, I know they would help us.”

I understand he wants to overthrow his father—and I think he should—but in the end, the vines are going to have to be weeded out, whether his father is kicked out of his position as king or not. And the more I learn about the nature energy wolf, the more I realize I’m the answer.

I can kill the vines.