Laurel leaned forward and swept her hand over the runes, and the magic in the air extinguished as each of the glowing blue symbols faded. She covered the Sphere of Devouring with the velvet cloth and gazed up at me with a broad smile. “You did it, Savy. You succeeded where we all failed. You destroyed Dragan. For good.”
The wound on my shoulder burned. I glanced around the room but saw nothing. An uneasy heaviness hung in the air, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. “Are you sure?”
“You saw it for yourself. The sphere devoured the talisman. Whatever goes into the orb is destroyed. Dragan is gone, my dear. You can rest easy.”
“Right.” I stood and rubbed my hands on my jeans, feeling unsure of what to do next. “Thanks. We couldn’t have done it without you.”
Laurel stepped around the coffee table and pulled me into an embrace. I recoiled, but there was nowhere to go—she had me pinned.
“I’m so proud of you, honey. I know you’re still upset, but know that we love you and that you always have a place here.” She released me and left the room.
My aunt was offering me an olive branch. Could I forgive her?
Maybe if you forgive her, Casey would forgive you, my wolf said.
Maybe Casey and I both needed some time to come around. I sighed and headed to the front door.
“Savannah, wait.” Laurel strode down the hall toward me and pressed something into my palm.
A small key.
I glanced up at her. “What’s this for?”
She shrugged. “Your mother sent it many years back. She never said what it was for, just asked that I keep it safe for her. I never looked into it, but I suppose with everything that’s happened…maybe you should.”
Another mystery, but maybe one that would yield some answers. “Thanks. For everything.”
I could feel my voice tightening, so I spun and unlocked the front door, and stepped outside. Laurel waited for a second, but then the door closed, and I heard the locks slide into place. I sighed in relief. I couldn’t believe it was all over.
Jaxson was still in the truck. I rubbed the wound on my shoulder, which was beginning to really ache, and headed down the front steps. I’d need to figure out what was going on with it and how to get that missing piece of my soul back befo—
A thunderclap reverberated through the heavens, and I stumbled on the lawn before looking up.
Chills skated over my skin, and my breath stilled as a deep dread settled in my gut.
The sky had darkened, and enormous thunderheads roiled above. As I watched, the clouds gradually resolved into the shape of a wolf. Its face had no eyes, but I could feel it watching me, and I shivered as memories flooded back.
Several weeks ago, when I’d sleepwalked down the stairs into the clutches of the Noctith demon, I’d seen that same form in the dark clouds rising in the starlit sky. In that moment, a voice had spoken in my mind, a voice that shook my thoughts and being to my very core: I will free you, if you free me.
It hadn’t been the voice of my wolf, but of someone else. The same voice I’d heard but couldn’t place just moments ago in Laurel’s drawing room, urging me to destroy the talisman. The same voice I’d heard when I’d attacked Laurel days ago.
Oh, my God.
Your sacrifice is accepted, little wolf, the voice boomed. Together, we will bring darkness upon the world.
“No!” I choked out as understanding dawned like a thousand puzzle pieces falling into place.
That voice…it had been the Dark Wolf God speaking to me all along. Urging me to do his bidding. He’d released my wolf. Laurel didn’t understand how it had been possible, but now it all made sense.
No, no, no.
Jaxson must have seen me freaking out, because he was out of his truck and striding toward me. I doubled over, panting heavily as his arms wrapped around me, pulling me to his chest. “What happened?”
The clouds overhead dissipated, revealing a bright blue sky. I shook my head and twisted from his grip. “What was the prophecy?”
Jaxson paused and frowned. “What’s going on, Savy?”
“Tell me what the prophecy said, Jaxson.”
Confusion tugged at his features, and his muscles tensed. “That Dragan would bring back the Dark Wolf God.”
I dug my claws into his arm and burned my words into him with my eyes. “No. Exactly what the prophecy said.”
He studied me with concern. But it was the dread and fear enveloping him that sank my heart. How had I missed it before?
“Please.”
A darkness settled over him, and his voice turned cold and detached. “A twin-soul will come to power. They will be the harbinger of destruction. When the moon has turned her back, they will make a sacrifice before the Dark God, and in seven days, he will walk the earth once more, spreading madness among the living. The twin-soul will steal the wolves from every werewolf who resists them and will leave your people weak before the Dark God.”
The world spun as the weight of his words sank into my soul. By trapping Dragan and delivering the talisman to the Sphere of Devouring, had I completed the ritual and released the Dark Wolf God? Had he been playing me like a puppet the whole time?
Nausea overwhelmed me, and I stumbled as my knees grew weak.
Jaxson grabbed me and held me upright. “Savy, what happened?”
I began to tremble. Dragan’s words played on repeat in my mind: If they knew what you truly were, they’d kill you where you stand, Savannah Caine. They’d kill you without a second’s hesitation.
We’ve got to flee. We’ve got to get out of here,I thought to my wolf.
My heart was beating so fast I thought it would explode. I pulled out of Jaxson’s arms and backed away, but he grabbed my shoulders. “Where are you going? Tell me what’s wrong.”
I shook my head. “I can’t.”