[DAEMON'S POV]

I hadn't slept.

Couldn't sleep.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. Silver hair glowing in the moonlight like spun starlight. Violet eyes blazing with power and rage and absolute betrayal.

"You are nothing to me."

My own words echoed in my head like a death sentence. Like a curse I'd brought down on myself.

Gods, what had I done?

I stood at the window in Alpha Gregor's guest quarters, staring out at the forest where she'd disappeared hours ago. Dawn was breaking now, painting the sky in shades of gold and pink and red. Beautiful. The world had no right to be beautiful when I'd destroyed everything.

She was out there somewhere. Alone. Hunted by wolves I'd sent after her.

Because of me.

My wolf howled in my mind, a sound of pure agony. He'd been like this since the rejection-pacing, snarling, tearing at my insides. Demanding I fix this. Demanding I find our mate and bring her back.

But I'd broken it. Shattered the bond the Moon Goddess herself had created.

There was no fixing that.

A knock at the door made me turn. "Come in."

Marcus, my Beta, entered. His face was grim, his clothes dirty from a night of searching. "Your Majesty. The search parties have returned."

My heart stopped. "And?"

"They didn't find her." He closed the door behind him. "She's either very good at hiding, or..."

"Or what?" My voice came out sharper than intended.

"Or she's already dead, Your Majesty. The Forbidden Forest isn't forgiving. Especially to wolves who don't know the territory. Who've never hunted. Never survived on their own."

My wolf snarled viciously. The thought of Aria dead, cold, and alone in the forest made my chest tighten until I couldn't breathe. Made rage and grief war inside me until I wanted to tear something apart with my bare hands.

"She's not dead," I said flatly.

"How can you be sure?"

"Because I'd feel it." Even with the bond severed, even with that connection broken, I'd feel it if she died. I was certain of that. The mate bond might be shattered, but something remained. Some thread I couldn't quite sever. "She's alive. She has to be."

Marcus was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke again, his voice was carefully neutral. "Permission to speak freely, Your Majesty?"

"Always." I trusted Marcus more than anyone. He'd been my father's Beta before mine. Had known me since I was a child. If anyone could be honest with me, it was him.

"You made a mistake."

The words hit like a physical blow even though I'd been expecting them. "I know."

"Do you?" His voice was harder now, dropping the careful diplomacy. "Because from where I'm standing, you rejected your fated mate-a Moon Wolf, the rarest and most powerful bloodline in existence-because she didn't look impressive enough when you first saw her."

Each word landed like a punch. "That's not why-"

"Then why?" Marcus demanded, stepping closer. His usual deference was gone, replaced by something that looked like disappointment. Maybe even disgust. "I watched you feel the mate bond snap into place. Saw your face when it happened. You wanted her. Your wolf recognized her. I saw the way you looked at her for those few seconds before you shut it down."

He moved to the window, standing beside me. "And then you threw her away like garbage because Celeste whispered poison in your ear, and your council wanted a political alliance. Because you were afraid of what the other Alphas would think."

"I'm the Alpha King," I said through gritted teeth, the title feeling like chains. "My choices affect thousands of wolves. I can't just follow my heart like some lovesick-"

"Your father would have."

That stopped me cold. Made everything inside me freeze.

"Your father," Marcus continued, his voice softer now but no less cutting, "chose your mother even though his entire council wanted him to mate with Alpha Rowan's daughter. A political alliance that would have united two of the largest territories in the realm. But he chose love over politics. Chose his fated mate over convenience."

He turned to face me fully. "And he built the strongest kingdom we've ever known precisely because your mother stood beside him as an equal partner. Because they were united. Because the mate bond made them stronger together than they ever could have been apart."

I closed my eyes. Remembered my father. Strong, wise, fair. Remembered my mother's gentle strength. How they'd looked at each other like nothing else in the world mattered.

I'd always wanted what they had.

And when the Moon Goddess finally gave it to me, I'd thrown it away.

"It doesn't matter now," I said quietly, the words tasting like ash. "She accepted my rejection. The bond is broken. She made it very clear she wants nothing to do with me. And I don't blame her."

"Then why are you sending wolves to find her?" Marcus challenged. "If it doesn't matter, why not just let her go?"

I didn't have a good answer for that. Or maybe I did, and I just didn't want to say it out loud. Didn't want to admit what was clawing at my chest every second she was gone.

Because the moment I'd seen her transform, seen that silver light explode from her body, seen the power radiating from her like concentrated moonlight-I'd realized what I'd lost.

Not just a mate. Not just a Moon Wolf with abilities beyond imagination.

Her.

Aria. Who'd looked at me with hope in her gray eyes before I crushed it. Who'd been treated like nothing her entire life and still had kindness in her expression. Who'd served wine with shaking hands and cleaned up broken glass with quiet dignity.

I'd rejected her. Humiliated her. She broke her in front of everyone.

And in doing so, I'd made the biggest mistake of my life.

"The search continues," I said, my voice rough. "Double the patrols. Expand the search radius. I need to find her."

"And then what?" Marcus challenged. "Force her to come back? She made it very clear she's done with you. With the pack. With all of us. You can't force her to accept you again. The Moon Goddess doesn't give third chances."

"I know that." My hands clenched into fists at my sides. "But she's in danger out there, Marcus. Alone in hostile territory with half the wolves in the realm hunting her for the reward I put on her head like an idiot. Rogues who'll sell her to the highest bidder. Packs who'll try to use her power for themselves."

I turned to face him fully. "I need to know she's safe. That's all. I just need to know she's alive and safe."

"Because you care about her?"

The question hung in the air between us.

"Because I owe her that much," I said finally. "I destroyed her, Marcus. Rejected her in the cruelest way possible in front of everyone she knew. The least I can do-the absolute least-is make sure she survives long enough to build whatever life she wants. Away from me."

Marcus studied me for a long moment. His expression softened slightly. "You're in love with her."

"I barely know her." The protest sounded weak even to my own ears.

"That's not what I asked, Your Majesty."

I turned back to the window. To the forest. To wherever she was hiding from me. From everyone.

My wolf whimpered in my mind. He'd been in agony since the rejection, pacing endlessly, howling at nothing. Demanding we fix this. Demanding we find our mate and make it right.

But how did you fix the unfixable? How did you heal a wound you'd inflicted on yourself?

"Just find her," I said quietly. "But tell the search parties to keep their distance. Don't approach. Don't threaten. Don't even let her know they're there. Just locate her and report back her position. I need to know where she is. That she's alive."

"Understood." Marcus moved toward the door, then paused with his hand on the handle. "For what it's worth, Your Majesty... I hope you find a way to make this right. She deserves better than what you gave her. Better than being rejected like trash. Better than being hunted like an animal."

"I know." The words came out barely above a whisper.

The door closed softly, leaving me alone with my guilt and my regrets and the ghost of a mate bond that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

She was ours, my wolf growled, the sound filled with accusation and grief. Perfect. Beautiful. Strong. OURS. And you threw her away like she meant nothing.

"I know," I whispered to the empty room, pressing my forehead against the cold glass. "I know. And I'll regret it every day for the rest of my life."

But knowing didn't change anything. Regret didn't fix what I'd broken.

Somewhere out there, Aria was alone. Afraid. Running from wolves who wanted to capture her or kill her, or use her.

And it was entirely my fault.

I'd rejected my fated mate.

And I'd spend the rest of my life paying for it.

I woke to the smell of pine smoke and roasting meat.

For a moment, I forgot where I was. My body was warm, comfortable, and pain-free. So different from the servant's cot I'd slept on for nineteen years that I thought I was dreaming.

Then the memory crashed back. The rejection. The transformation. Running through the forest.

Elena.

I sat up quickly, my heart racing. The shelter was empty except for me. Pale morning light filtered through gaps in the walls. How long had I slept?

"Easy," Elena's voice came from outside. "You're safe. Just making breakfast."

I pushed myself to standing, testing my feet. The bandages were still there, but the pain was completely gone. I unwrapped one foot carefully.

Perfect skin. Not even a scar.

"Told you," Elena said, ducking into the shelter with two wooden bowls. "Wolf healing. Moon Wolf healing is probably even faster." She handed me a bowl filled with what looked like fish and wild berries. "You slept for fourteen hours straight."

"Fourteen hours?" Panic spiked through me. "The hunters-"

"Came within fifty feet of here twice. Never saw us." She settled cross-legged on the floor. "This place is protected by old magic. I told you. As long as we're careful, we're invisible."

I sank back down onto the furs, relief making my legs weak. "Thank you. For everything. You didn't have to help me."

"Yes, I did." Elena's blue eyes were serious. "You're not the first wolf the packs have thrown away. Won't be the last. We outcasts have to stick together."

I ate slowly, savoring each bite. The fish was perfectly cooked, flaky, and seasoned with herbs I didn't recognize. "Where did you learn all this? Survival skills, healing, hiding?"

"Trial and error. Lots of errors." She touched a scar on her forearm. "Got that from eating the wrong mushrooms. I was sick for three days. Thought I'd die. But I learned."

"You were fifteen when they banished you?"

"Fifteen and stupid enough to think I could go back to pack life someday." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Took me six months to accept I was better off alone. Another year to stop hating them for it."

"Do you still hate them?"

Elena thought about that. "Not hate. That takes too much energy. But I don't forgive them either. They chose their rules over my freedom. That's something I'll never forget."

I understood that more than I wanted to admit.

We finished eating in comfortable silence. When we were done, Elena stood and stretched. "So. The Rogue Lands are two and a half days from here. But you can't make that journey looking like you do now."

"What's wrong with how I look?"

"You move like prey, not a predator. You don't know how to hunt, track, or fight. Your wolf is powerful, but you have no control." She moved to the entrance. "If we're going to get you there alive, you need training. Starting now."

My stomach twisted with nerves. "I don't know how to-"

"That's why I'm teaching you." Elena gestured for me to follow. "Come on. We're burning daylight."

Outside, the forest was beautiful in the morning light. Birds sang in the trees. A light mist clung to the ground. It would have been peaceful if I weren't so terrified of screwing this up.

Elena led me to a small clearing about twenty feet from her shelter. "First lesson: shifting. You did it once by accident. Now you need to do it on purpose."

"How?"

"Close your eyes."

I obeyed.

"Feel your wolf. She's right there, just under your skin. Can you feel her?"

I could. A presence in my mind. Watchful. Waiting.

Hello, I thought to her.

Finally, she responded. Ready to run?

"Now," Elena continued, "shifting is about letting go of control while maintaining awareness. You need to trust your wolf completely, but not lose yourself in the process."

That sounded impossible.

"Don't think about it too much. Just... let her out."

I reached for my wolf. Felt her surge forward eagerly.

Pain exploded through my body.

My bones cracked. My skin stretched. I screamed as the transformation took hold, just as agonizing as the first time.

But faster.

Within seconds, I was on four legs instead of two. The world looked different from this angle. Colors were muted, but I could see movement I'd missed before. Every scent was magnified-earth and pine and Elena's nervous sweat.

We did it, my wolf said, pride in her mental voice.

I tried to take a step and immediately face-planted into the dirt.

Elena's laugh rang out. "Don't worry. Everyone's clumsy their first few shifts. Try again."

I pushed myself up. My legs felt wrong-too many joints bending in directions that didn't make sense. But I managed to stand without falling this time.

"Good. Now walk."

I took a tentative step. Then another. By the third step, something clicked. My body remembered how to move like this, even if my mind didn't.

"Perfect!" Elena clapped. "Now shift back."

That was harder. I didn't know how to let go of this form. Panic rose in my chest.

Calm, my wolf said. Just reverse what we did. Pull inward instead of outward.

I tried. Nothing happened.

"You're thinking too hard," Elena called. "Stop trying to control it. Just... be human again."

I stopped fighting. Stopped thinking. Just wanted to be human.

The shift happened instantly. One second, I was a wolf; the next, I was sitting naked in the dirt, gasping for air.

Elena tossed me a spare dress she'd brought from the shelter. "Better. Most new wolves take an hour to figure out the reverse shift. You did it in under a minute."

I pulled the dress on with shaking hands. "That was horrible."

"The pain fades with practice. Eventually, you won't even feel it." She helped me to my feet. "Again."

"Again?"

"You need to be able to shift instantly in a fight. No hesitation. No thinking. Just action." Her expression was serious. "Your life might depend on it."

She was right. I knew she was right.

So I shifted again. And again. And again.

By the tenth shift, the pain had dulled to a manageable ache. By the twentieth, I could do it in seconds without thinking.

"Good," Elena finally said when the sun was high overhead. "That's enough shifting for today. Now let's work on your senses."

She led me back to the shelter and handed me a strip of cloth. "Blindfold."

"What?"

"You need to learn to trust your other senses. Sight is the weakest sense a wolf has. Sound and smell are everything." She gestured to the cloth. "Put it on."

I tied the blindfold around my eyes. The world went dark.

"Now," Elena's voice came from somewhere to my left, "tell me what you hear."

I stood still and listened. Really listened.

Birds in the trees. Wind through the leaves. Water trickling somewhere distant-the stream we'd passed last night. Elena's breathing, calm and steady. Her heartbeat, strong and rhythmic.

And something else. Something farther away.

"There are wolves nearby," I said. "Three of them. Maybe a quarter mile east."

"Very good." Elena sounded impressed. "What else?"

I focused harder. "They're talking. I can't make out the words, but... they sound frustrated. Like they're looking for something and not finding it."

"They're looking for you," Elena confirmed. "They've been circling this area all morning. But they can't find us because of the wards."

She moved, her footsteps deliberately loud. "Now tell me where I am without looking."

I tracked her by sound alone. "Behind me. About five feet. Moving to the right now."

"Perfect. Your wolf senses are already strong. Moon Wolf heritage probably amplifies them." She removed the blindfold. "Last lesson for today: combat."

My stomach dropped. "I've never fought anyone."

"I know. That's the problem." She picked up two thick branches from a pile near the shelter. "These are training weapons. They won't kill, but they'll hurt enough to teach you to block."

She tossed one to me. I caught it clumsily.

"Defensive stance," she ordered, demonstrating. "Knees bent, weight on the balls of your feet, weapon up."

I copied her as best I could.

"Good. Now-"

She attacked without warning.

The branch came at my head fast. I barely got my own branch up in time to block. The impact jarred my arms.

"Too slow," Elena said. "Again."

She attacked from a different angle. I blocked, but barely.

"Faster."

Another attack. Another clumsy block.

We drilled for over an hour. My arms screamed. Sweat poured down my face. I gained more bruises than I could count.

But I was learning. My blocks got faster. My footwork improved. By the end, I was actually managing to counterattack a few times.

"Enough," Elena finally called, both of us breathing hard. "You're a natural. Most wolves take weeks to develop combat instincts. You've got them already. Just need to refine them."

I collapsed onto the ground, every muscle trembling. "I feel like I got hit by a tree."

"You basically did. Multiple times." She sat beside me, equally exhausted. "But you did well, Moon Wolf. Really well. Another few days of this and you might actually survive a real fight."

Might survive. Great.

We rested for a while, sharing water from a leather skin. The afternoon sun was warm on my face. For a moment, I let myself feel something close to peace.

Then Elena stiffened. "Quiet."

I froze. "What is it?"

"Voices. Closer than before." She stood slowly, listening. "They're coming this way. Multiple wolves."

My heart raced. "The hunters?"

"Sounds like it." She grabbed her pack and started shoving essentials inside. "We need to move. Now."

"But you said the wards-"

"Wards aren't perfect. If enough wolves search the same area long enough, eventually they'll find inconsistencies. Gaps." She tossed me a pack. "Fill this. Food, water, anything you can carry. We leave in two minutes."

I scrambled to help, throwing dried meat and herbs, and supplies into the pack with shaking hands.

Outside, the voices grew louder. Closer.

"...has to be around here somewhere..."

"...tracks lead this direction..."

"...Alpha King wants her found today..."

Elena and I locked eyes. Today. They were pushing harder now.

"Ready?" she whispered.

I nodded, even though I wasn't. Would never be ready for this.

"Then let's go." She moved to the back of the shelter, where a section of wall could be removed. "Stay close. Stay quiet. And whatever happens, don't stop running."

She pushed through first. I followed, my heart hammering so hard I thought it might burst from my chest.

Behind us, I heard a shout.

"There! I saw movement!"

Elena cursed. "Run!"

We ran.

[ARIA'S POV]

We ran like our lives depended on it.

Because they did.

Elena moved through the forest like she was part of it, ducking under branches, leaping over roots, never making a sound. I crashed behind her like a wounded elephant, snapping twigs and rustling leaves with every step.

"Shift!" Elena hissed over her shoulder. "You're faster than a wolf!"

Right. I could do that now.

I reached for my wolf, and this time the shift came easily. Painlessly. One moment I was stumbling on two legs, the next I was running on four.

The world exploded into clarity.

Every scent. Every sound. Every movement in the underbrush. My wolf form was built for this-for speed and stealth and survival.

I caught up to Elena in seconds, matching her pace. She glanced at me, her expression fierce with approval, and we ran together.

Behind us, the voices grew louder.

"She shifted!"

"I smell wolf-fresh shift!"

"This way! They're heading north!"

Of course, they could track us. They were experienced hunters. We were prey, trying desperately to become predators.

Faster, my wolf urged. We can outrun them.

But could we? I had no idea how long I could maintain this pace. My training with Elena had exhausted me. Every muscle still ached from the combat drills.

Elena suddenly veered left, away from the direction we'd been heading. I followed without question. She knew these woods. Knew how to survive.

We splashed through a shallow creek. The cold water was a shock, but Elena didn't slow down. She ran upstream for several minutes before cutting back into the forest.

"Breaks the scent trail," she panted when we finally stopped in a dense thicket. "Bought us maybe ten minutes."

I shifted back to human form, my chest heaving. "How many are there?"

"I counted at least six different voices. Maybe more." She crouched low, listening. "They're organized. Professional. Not just random pack wolves looking for reward money."

"Then who?"

"Alpha King's personal hunters, probably." Her expression darkened. "Which means they won't give up easily. And they definitely won't let you go if they catch you."

My stomach twisted with fear and anger. Daemon had sent his best after me. Not to check if I was safe. To capture me. To drag me back like a runaway possession.

He doesn't deserve us, my wolf snarled. Should have let him rot in his regret.

"We need a plan," I said, forcing my breathing to steady. "We can't just keep running blindly."

"You're right." Elena pulled out the map from her pack. "The Rogue Lands are still two days away on foot. But there's a faster route-more dangerous, but faster."

She pointed to a section of the map marked with symbols I didn't recognize. "The Ravine. It's a narrow gorge with a river running through it. Cuts travel time in half, but it's treacherous. One wrong step and you fall a hundred feet onto rocks."

"That's our better option?"

"The hunters won't follow us there. Too risky. They'll have to go around, which gives us a lead." She looked at me seriously. "But it's not easy, Aria. One slip and you're dead. No healing from that kind of fall."

I thought about the alternatives. Keep running until exhaustion made us easy prey? Try to hide and hope they don't find us?

No. Elena was right. Risk was better than certain capture.

"Let's do it," I said.

"You sure?"

"No. But I'm not going back to that pack. Ever." I met her eyes. "I'd rather die free than live in a cage."

Something fierce flashed across Elena's face. Respect, maybe. "Alright then, Moon Wolf. Let's see what you're made of."

We started moving again, this time at a more careful pace. Elena led us through the densest parts of the forest, places where the canopy was so thick that barely any light penetrated.

My new senses were a gift here. I could see in the dimness, could smell the hunters when they got close, could hear their frustrated curses when they lost our trail again.

"They're spreading out," I whispered after an hour of careful travel. "Trying to surround us."

"Smart." Elena frowned. "They're herding us. Pushing us in a specific direction."

"What direction?"

"West. Away from the Rogue Lands." She cursed under her breath. "They know where we're trying to go. They're cutting us off."

My heart sank. "So what do we do?"

"We go through them instead of around them."

I stared at her. "Are you insane?"

"Probably." She grinned, but it was sharp and dangerous. "But think about it. They're expecting us to run away. To avoid confrontation. What if we don't?"

"You want to fight six trained hunters?"

"I want to slip past them while they're looking the wrong direction." She pulled her knife from her belt. "Create a distraction. Make them think we went one way while we actually go another."

It was crazy. Risky. Stupid.

It might actually work.

"What kind of distraction?" I asked.

Elena's grin widened. "The kind that makes them chase shadows while we walk right past them."

She explained her plan quickly. It relied on timing, luck, and my untested ability to control my Moon Wolf powers.

"Can you do it?" she asked when she finished.

I thought about the silver light that came when I was emotional. The way it had exploded during my transformation. I had no idea if I could control it deliberately.

But I'd never know unless I tried.

"Yes," I lied. "I can do it."

We split up. Elena circled east while I moved west, directly toward where we'd heard the hunters' voices.

My heart hammered so hard I was sure they'd hear it.

Through the trees, I caught glimpses of movement. Brown fur. Gray fur. Wolves in their animal forms, searching.

I crept closer, staying downwind so they couldn't scent me. Found a massive oak tree and climbed it silently, my new wolf strength making it easy.

From my perch, I could see them clearly now. Five wolves spread out in a loose formation, systematically searching every hiding spot.

Where was the sixth?

Movement to my left made me freeze. A massive black wolf stood on a boulder about thirty feet away, his nose to the air.

Sniffing for my scent.

Our eyes met.

For one heartbeat, neither of us moved.

Then he howled.

The alarm cry echoed through the forest. The other wolves' heads snapped up, turning toward us.

Now! Elena's voice shouted in my mind-wait, how could I hear her thoughts?

No time to question it. I reached for the power inside me. The silver light marked me as a Moon Wolf.

Please work. Please work. Please work.

I threw my hands up and imagined the light exploding outward. Imagined it bright as the sun, impossible to ignore.

Silver light erupted from my body like a supernova.

The forest turned to day. Every wolf within a hundred yards cried out, blinded by the sudden brilliance.

I jumped from the tree and ran.

Not away from the hunters-through them.

They were stumbling, disoriented, pawing at their eyes. I slipped past the first one easily. The second never even knew I was there.

The third one caught my scent despite his blindness. He lunged toward me, jaws snapping.

I dodged left and kept running. My wolf form would have been faster, but I needed hands to climb if we reached the ravine.

Behind me, chaos erupted. The wolves were howling, confused, crashing into each other as they tried to recover their sight.

I saw Elena ahead, waving frantically. I pushed harder, my legs burning.

We crashed through a wall of bushes together and-

The ground disappeared.

I skidded to a stop at the very edge of a cliff. Loose stones tumbled over the side, falling what looked like forever before splashing into a ribbon of river far below.

The Ravine.

"This way!" Elena grabbed my hand and pulled me along the cliff edge. "There's a path. Sort of."

Sort of wasn't encouraging.

The "path" was barely a foot wide, carved into the cliff face. Below us, the river churned white around jagged rocks. Above us, the walls of the ravine stretched up to a thin slice of sky.

One wrong step meant death.

"Stay close to the wall," Elena instructed. "Don't look down. Just focus on the next step."

Behind us, I heard the hunters recovering. Angry howls split the air.

"They're coming!" I said.

"Then we'd better move fast." Elena stepped onto the path without hesitation.

I followed, pressing my back against the rough stone wall. The path was slick with moisture. My feet, still wearing Elena's borrowed boots, struggled to find purchase.

Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't-

I looked down.

Immediately regretted it. The drop was dizzying. Fatal. One slip and I'd be broken on those rocks below.

"Eyes forward!" Elena called. "You're doing fine. Just keep moving."

I forced myself to focus on her back. On the next step. On breathing.

We made progress slowly. The path wound along the cliff face, sometimes widening to two feet, sometimes narrowing to less than one.

Behind us, the hunters reached the ravine. I heard their frustrated snarls.

"She went down there?"

"The cliff path? That's suicide!"

"The Alpha King wants her alive. We can't follow on that path-if she falls, we lose her."

"Go around. We'll cut them off on the other side."

Relief flooded through me. Elena's plan had worked. They weren't following.

"Did you hear that?" I called Elena. "They're going around!"

"I heard. But we're not safe yet. This path gets worse before it gets better."

Worse? How could it possibly get-

The path ended.

Just... ended.

Twenty feet ahead, the carved trail stopped at a gap in the cliff face. On the other side, maybe six feet away, the path continued.

Six feet across open air. With a hundred-foot drop below.

"Please tell me there's another way," I said.

Elena stared at the gap. "There's not."

"We can't jump that. If we miss-"

"We won't miss." She turned to face me. "You're a Moon Wolf, Aria. You're stronger and faster than normal wolves. You can make this jump easily."

"You don't know that."

"I do. I've seen you move. You just don't trust yourself yet." She stepped back as far as the narrow path allowed. "Watch."

Before I could protest, she ran forward and leaped.

For one horrible moment, she was airborne. Suspended over nothing but death.

Then she landed on the other side, stumbling slightly but catching herself.

She turned and grinned at me. "See? Easy."

"That was not easy!" My voice came out higher than intended.

"Your turn, Moon Wolf. Don't think about it. Just run and jump."

I stared at the gap. At the rocks below. At certain death if I miscalculated even slightly.

We can do this, my wolf said. Trust me. Trust us.

I took a deep breath.

Took another.

Stepped back as far as I could on the narrow path.

"Don't think!" Elena called. "Just jump!"

I ran forward.

Three steps and I reached the edge.

I jumped.

The world slowed down. I was flying. Falling. Suspended between life and death.

For one perfect moment, I felt absolutely free.

Then my feet hit solid ground, and I was rolling, tumbling, scrambling away from the edge.

"You did it!" Elena pulled me up, laughing. "I knew you could!"

My hands were shaking. My heart felt like it might explode. But I'd done it.

I'd survived.

We continued along the path, more confident now. The worst was behind us.

Or so I thought.

We'd been walking for maybe twenty minutes when Elena suddenly stopped.

"What?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

She pointed ahead. My enhanced vision picked out what had made her freeze.

The path ahead had collapsed. A massive section was just... gone. Leaving a gap of at least fifteen feet.

Too far to jump.

"There has to be another way," I said.

Elena shook her head slowly. "This is the only path through the ravine. If we go back, the hunters will find us. If we try to climb up or down..." She looked at the sheer cliff face. "We'd never make it."

We were trapped.

Behind us, the path we'd come from. In front of us, an impossible gap.

Below us, certain death.

"Now what?" I asked.

Elena was staring at the gap with an expression I didn't like. "I have an idea. But you're going to hate it."

"What is it?"

She turned to me. "You're a Moon Wolf. You have powers beyond normal wolves. That light you created back there-that was just instinct. Imagine what you could do if you really tried."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying maybe you can fly."

I stared at her. "That's insane."

"Is it? Moon Wolves were descended from the Moon Goddess herself. Who knows what you're capable of?"

"I can't fly, Elena. That's not-"

A howl echoed from somewhere above us. Then another. And another.

The hunters had found another way down into the ravine.

They were coming.

"We're out of time," Elena said. "Either you find a way across that gap, or we both die here."

I looked at the gap. At the drop. At the impossible distance.

Then I looked at Elena, who'd saved my life. Who'd helped me when she had no reason to.

I couldn't let her die because of me.

"Okay," I said. "Okay. I'll try."

I stepped to the very edge and looked across. Fifteen feet. Might as well be fifteen miles.

I closed my eyes and reached for my power. The silver light that lived inside me.

Please, I begged the Moon Goddess. Please help me. I don't know what I'm doing, but I need to save us both.

The power answered.

Silver light began to glow around my hands. My arms. My entire body.

I opened my eyes and looked at Elena. "Hold on to me."

"What?"

"Just do it!"

She grabbed my arm. The light expanded to cover her, too.

I stepped off the edge.