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  Cayden sighs and stares into his glass. “You just learn to live with it."

  “You're doing a very good job. You argued Lawrence into the house.”

  He forces a smile, but a flash of pain makes him blink. “You're helping me get through the night, Brie."

  Tingles spread over my body and fill me with warmth. Then I remember. “The curse. How did you avoid it earlier, only to have it attack you again in the diner?”

  Cayden swallows. “My theory. I've been dying to tell you about it all day.”

  I give him a peck on the cheek. “Please do.”

  “Remember how the Russells said like attracts like in the spirit world? Well, it sounds stupid, but Earl gave me the chance to test it. When I was drawing his fire, I thought about the time we met in the play and sang together."

  My jaw drops. “That's it?”

  “It wasn't easy to think about that when I was getting shot at, but it was worth a try. Don't think I'd be able to do it in an actual fight."

  “And how would that keep Mr. Hayde's dark spirits away? They don't like happy thoughts?”

  “Every other time they attacked me, I was scared or angry. Don't they feed on attention and bad stuff?”

  “Yeah, but it doesn't seem like just thinking happy thoughts could deflect those shadows. Too easy.” I'm skeptical. The Russells had their protective spirits follow us, and they're not very strong or perfect yet, but I felt them when Earl was shooting at us. "Maybe you fed the Russells' army and they came through? This magic stuff is confusing."

  “It's something worth pursuing, isn't it?” Cayden asks. “If we become like Lawrence and stew like Batman all the time, we'll never get rid of Romulus or the cult. Or the curse.”

  “Well, maybe.” I hope. I really, really hope.

  Cayden gently grabs my cheeks. “Brie, you're so scared of being too nice now that you might go too far in the opposite direction. I saw the struggle in you earlier.” Though face to face, he doesn't dare say his worry out loud. "Be nice. Romulus will hate that."

  “But then I'm too weak. Can't win, can I?”

  “There has to be a way.”

  “Remus lost by not wanting to fight his brother.” I ask.

  “We don't know the whole myth. Just that the twins were the first Wolves, they lived a long time ago, and Romulus killed Remus.”

  “More details would be nice.” I've researched the myth in my spare time, sneaking to the school library, and just found that Romulus and Remus both ruled kingdoms and Romulus killed his brother over a dispute. Of course, the books just have the human version of the myth.

  “We have to split up soon,” Cayden says. "I'll deal with Lawrence. Take Abigail with you in my place. She says she's from an old line of Wolves, so she's strong."

  "Sounds like a good idea."

  Lawrence's music stops upstairs as if he's detected that we're about to leave. So he was listening. He walks downstairs and everyone stops socializing to watch him emerge from the dark spiral stairwell. All eyes turn to him. He glares at us. Awesome.

  Abigail steps out of the kitchen, along with Kaylie. "Lawrence. I'm glad to see you back down."

  “You want to split the pack." He stares right at me.

  "We have to. It's the only way to guard two territories. If Abigail could come with us—"

  "That would be fine. I'm a Guardian Wolf. It is my duty." Abigail furrows her brows at her grandson as she speaks.

  Can a defeated alpha challenge me and take his position back? Lawrence has a chance, even if I'm a Royal. Maybe he wasn't born a Royal, but he made himself one.

  I stand up from the couch. “Lawrence is really good at defending Colling, so that's still his job. And I know how important that is. I don't want to see anyone here get hurt.” My gaze lands on the boy, Allen, for a second. “You stay here, too."

  He nods, but I don't miss the sound of his grinding teeth. We will not have another Wyatt.

  "Lawrence, hon, nothing's different to me," Kaylie says. She holds his arm and he drops his shoulders.

  “I'll protect Colling,” Lawrence says. “Your beta will stay here, right?”

  Cayden nudges me. I wish we could think to each other in human form, but I've never gotten it to work. It's clear I'm missing something.

  "Yes. We already agreed on that." Worry sweeps over me and sweat snakes between my fingers. Is that a threat? I try to read Lawrence's now bland face. But we have Abigail. I hate to think of her as a pawn, but if Lawrence does, it might prevent him from hurting Cayden.

  Abigail steps over to join me. So does Aunt May. She follows right behind Abigail like the two have been socializing.

  “I want Lawrence here because he knows how to protect Colling the best," I say, which I know is true.

  But he says nothing, even as Cayden steps over to stand near the kitchen archway. The warm tingles within me shudder. Peace will be hard to win.

  "And then what?" Lawrence asks.

  "And then I work out, with the Hunters, how to attack the cult," I say. "The Noble Order is coming together again, and we're going to get rid of Romulus once and for all.”

  Chapter Eight

  I hate leaving Cayden.

  Especially with Lawrence. My chest aches the farther I walk away from Lawrence's cabin. Of course there has to be a price to getting more Wolves on our side.

  And that price might be losing control over myself, as I found out today. One screwup, and Romulus wins. The Noble Order crumbles from the inside. Bringing the Noble Order together means putting them in even more danger, but the alternative is just as bad. I can't win.

  Night's falling as I walk with Everly, Aunt May, Remo, and Abigail, and as I walk down the trail, I turn and wave to Cayden, who remains on the porch. Then he gives me a thumbs-up. He's got this.

  "This is for the best," Aunt May says.

  "I hate that is has to be this way," I tell her.

  Cayden steps inside and stands in the window as I keep walking down the trail. Backlit by the light from inside, Cayden looks like a dark angel, with messy black hair and a perfect physique that does, in fact, rival Lawrence's. It just makes him even harder to leave.

  But I turn my head away once we pass where Earl has his tree stand. Focusing on Cayden's absence won't get us anywhere. We have to focus on stopping the cult before they do more damage. The Guardian Wolves sacrificed a lot to protect the Royals. They've done their time and I'm making them sacrifice even more. The cult will be ready for us, and Wolves will die.

  "You look worried," Abigail says.

  "We have a lot happening," I say.

  "A Noble's burden," Abigail says. "We always care about others, and it's hard, but it's worth it. Protecting what's good in nature is our duty. I've been trying to tell my grandson that for years."

  "Good luck."

  Abigail smiles and slaps my shoulder.

  She leads us down a narrow trail, and I get that we're going to shift down this way and go to Breck as Wolves. It's much faster. Once we reach a small, round clearing with plenty of human and wolf prints mixed together, we remove our clothes, leaving them in a pile beside the trail. No one looks at each other as we shift. The world turns into pops and snaps of pain, and the stretching and whispering of skin and then fur. Everything tilts as I enter my own world of agony for a couple of horrifying seconds, but then the surrounding forest takes on more life than ever as we begin the journey as a half-pack.

  We run under the trees and stars, jumping over boulders and navigating hills until we reach the edge of Breckenridge's border. Well, our territory, marked by our scent. Abigail, the white wolf, rubs her body on one of the trees, adding her scent to mine and Cayden's. The air fills with Noble nature scents, of the brighter parts of the natural world. Things the Savages look down on and hate.

  After circling town for a bit and marking trees, I think, we can finish tomorrow.

  You need our protection, Abigail thinks. Her voice is old and wise. She's sharp and strong. You rule two t
erritories now. I smell Savages in the distance, to the west.

  I've been there, I think, thoughts turning to Brett and Karina. The two are hopeless now, having turned away from me. The cult is based there.

  I knew they were close. Abigail bounds into our territory, snout down to the ground and picking up the trail Cayden and I have left. His scent is here, making me sick as I remember he's miles away. Though he's not as far as he was when he took the bus, it still hurts. Like the universe is playing a cruel joke on us, refusing to let us stay together.

  And I hate that he's around Lawrence. But at least we have Abigail. I don't want to use her like a pawn, but Lawrence might not know that.

  Home, I say. Though my house has more space, I don't want Abigail there, just in case. The less she knows about me right now, the better.

  Everly bounds forward. This way. To our cabin.

  She's come to the rescue. I'm grateful for her. But I don't think that out loud.

  We plod back to the Lowe cabin and file inside. As usual, the Lowes have left the back door unlocked, so we can open it in wolf form and go inside to change back in the heated structure. It's not that anybody comes back here. Compared to Lawrence's place, it's tiny. We take turns changing back in the bedrooms, and though we have extra clothes here, we neglected to get clothes in every size and style. I change back in Cayden's small room. The place smells of him, and when I close my eyes, I can pretend he's here. I even put on one of his T-shirts even though I've left some of my clothes here. I put on my own jeans, though. There's no need for my pants to fall down.

  Abigail has to dress in some of Aunt May's clothes. After several minutes of desperate dressing, we all stand in the kitchen together. But even though we've run miles, Abigail's limp hasn't gotten any worse. She's a strong Wolf. She would have to be, if she's survived this long. Callie's right that she and Lawrence come from an ancient line almost as strong as me.

  "What now?" Everly asks, blinking sleep from her eyes.

  "We had a long trip," Remo says. I know what he's asking. I eye the clock on the stove and realize it's creeping up on midnight.

  I can't work the pack right now. “We should all get some sleep,” I say, nodding to the stove. “We'll discuss what to do to attack the cult later. And Callie has to call the other Hunters, too. If we're lucky, they won't know we have more Wolves than we did yesterday. Either way, we're about to end Romulus's little food supply.”

  * * * * *

  At least I know Everly well enough now to understand her facial expressions. With Abigail sleeping on the couch the next morning, Everly takes to note writing, since talking in the house, even whispering, isn't private when everyone else has amazing hearing. She slips the first note to me when I start a row of sausages on the Lowes' griddle.

  I read it. I'm the resident skeptic. I'll watch Abigail.

  I look to her and nod. Everly still hasn't given up her fun-killing status. I'm guessing this is her way of keeping it, now that we've caught her being friends with Leonora. So I'll let her be the spy.

  Everly's notes continue throughout the day, even after Aunt May and Abigail go for a walk around the block.

  Abigail is strong. Watch out.

  She even leaves me one under my folded jeans. Look oblivious. Just in case.

  I try not to roll my eyes at her efforts. But I'm appreciative I'm not doing everything and Aunt May is helping to keep my secret, too.

  We spend the rest of Sunday resting. Even Everly agrees that's a good idea. I don't hear from Callie at all which is disappointing. My muscles still ache from the long trip and I don't want to tax Abigail. She might be strong, but her joints creak as she walks. Without rest, we won't get much further. Tomorrow, we work out a plan to attack Romulus's little death cult. I'm sure we outnumber the Savages by now. Matthew's dead. It's likely their new alpha isn't as powerful as a Savage Royal.

  I lay on Cayden's bed that evening, trying to relax as much as I can. It still smells of him, but I notice the difference already with him gone. All I get are some occasional texts saying he's okay, but nothing more. It sucks. Good. I'm putting these Wolves in danger and opening old wounds. I should deal with it.

  I close my eyes.

  Savages don't have to feel remorse. Only Nobles.

  Freedom.

  Accepting strength will kill the guilt.

  Let me.

  My eyes fly open and I watch the ceiling. Romulus. He's back, and I have no Cayden to help keep him at bay. A veil of darkness sweeps around the outside of my vision, there but invisible, as dark pulses race underneath my skin. They pick at me like needles, begging me to give in and let the building pressure stop. My heart races in panic, but the darkness seizes it, slowing the beat.

  Cayden, I think, breathing in his scent.

  I roll over, making the mattress creak, but the springs sound like evil gremlins. He's going to possess me right here, and then he's going to kill the people I care about. Everly. Aunt May. Even Abigail.

  I get up, run through the empty living room, and run into the evening in just my jeans and T-shirt. The cold wraps around me. I focus on it. Anything but the darkness. Collapsing in the half-melted snow, I turn my thoughts to Cayden. Protecting Cayden, who Romulus might destroy if he takes my form. I love Cayden. Cayden is a sunrise, and I need him to keep me from breaking through the wall into night.

  Brie, he thinks.

  He can hear me.

  Cayden. I love you. I claw the ground, drawing dirt under my fingernails. Pushing the darkness into the ground where it belongs takes up everything. Tensing, I focus the black pulses into the soil, where it can join the worms and the rot.

  The pressure backs off, and I can breathe in fresh air again. The veil of darkness retreats into the deep, rotten core of the world, and the stars come out as I turn my head away from it to face the sky. A faint crescent moon rises, peeking through the trees like a crooked smile.

  And the back door opens again. I smell Everly approaching. Her purposeful footsteps crunch snow. At least it's her, and she won't alienate me for being half Wolf and struggling with this problem.

  “I'm a light sleeper. What's wrong?” she asks, approaching and kneeling beside me.

  Though the back light of the cabin's turned off, I can see the house clearly, low and hiding in the trees. Snores emerge from inside. Remo's a heavy sleeper, at least. Abigail, still on the couch, has windy breaths, and Aunt May remains quiet.

  "Nothing," I lie in a tone that invites her to listen.

  Everly kneels, dead serious. “What happened?”

  In a whisper that I can manage now that I'm out of the house, I say, “The cult might have halfway done their ritual, but it's up to me to let it finish. Every time I think any bad thoughts or do anything a Savage would do, Romulus attacks. And he tries to take over. It's horrible. And yes, I've told Cayden already.” What if this is part of the reason he's staying in Colling? Sickness fills me. No. He won't want a puppet of the Savage King. But before I let any more horrible thoughts fill me, I bite my lip and focus on that instead.

  Everly curses, but doesn't say what I fear. “Maybe we should wait to attack the cult? Attacking humans won't do you any good. I'm not trying to tell you what to do—”

  “You're trying to help.” I sit up, letting the snow soak through the knees of my jeans.

  "Well, you shouldn't attack the cult. Let the rest of us. The Hunters might help, too. I know it's hard to stand back sometimes." And then Everly does something I never expect.

  She wraps her arm around me.

  Everly is hugging me.

  And right then, taking it is the best thing I can do.

  Chapter Nine

  A knock on the door of the Lowe cabin wakes me early the next morning, as in before-the-sun early. I wake with a start, rising from Cayden's bed.

  The knock comes again. Then the scents of the other Noble Wolves hit me and I remember last night. Everly promised not to spill the beans about my episode last night. Then why is so
meone here?

  Remo grunts somewhere. Aunt May groans and turns over in the room once used by the Lowe parents. I sniff and sigh in relief. Pancakes and bacon. Venison. Maggie's Eatery.

  "It's Callie," I say, smelling her.

  Aunt May grunts in response. We're still recovering from the long weekend. Climbing out of bed, I slip on clothes. Maybe Cayden sent her with news or she contacted the other Hunters. Both would be great. Callie stands still on the front porch and doesn't shuffle with nerves.

  I open the door. Callie stands alone, dressed in plaid and jeans, but she has a silver dagger hanging from her leather belt. Though sheathed, the leather has a small hole in it, and I spot the wicked glint of the blade through it. A shiver races down my spine.

  The dagger is not for me. I have to remember that.

  "You look a lot different when you're not dressed for work," I say. In jeans, Callie looks only five years older than me.

  Callie smiles and waves me outside. "Cayden sent me. He wants his phone back because he's tired of borrowing Allen's. And he wants to let you know he's all right. Lawrence hasn't caused any issues, but he's still that one green sour candy in the pack."

  I hold back a laugh, relieved Callie has a sense of humor. Maybe it runs on the Sterling side of the family, too. "Good analogy. Do you pucker when you're near him?"

  "I have to stop myself. He's moody. Could fall to the Dark Side."

  Callie, though fully human, checks for my reaction, studying my features. She frowns to match me. Waving it away, I say, "No biggie. I know things are...complicated...but humor can save us all."

  "Not Lawrence. He won't cheer up," Callie says.

  Lawrence is already on the other side of the wall, the one Cayden has already crossed. And I've taken the one source of light from him—his control—and taunted him with it.

  "We should stay quiet," I say.

  "Why are you staying here?" Callie whispers.

  I lean close. "I don't want any of the new Wolves knowing where my real house is. Just in case."