“Please.”
“Wait here. I’ll be right back.” He kisses my forehead before disappearing into the crowd.
I lean against a nearby wall, catching my breath. The festival continues around me—laughter, music, the joyful chaos of celebration. My wolf is content for the first time in weeks, basking in the afterglow of dancing with our mate.
Then, I hear it.
“Selene.”
Seth’s voice. From the edge of the forest bordering the square.
I frown, scanning the crowd. He just left. How did he get over there so fast?
“Selene, please.”
There’s urgency in his tone now. Fear. My wolf perks up, alert.
I push away from the wall, moving toward the voice. The crowd thins as I reach the forest’s edge, lantern light giving way to darkness beneath the trees.
“Seth?”
“I need you. Please.”
His voice is coming from deeper in the woods. I glance back at the festival, hesitating. Something feels wrong. But that’s definitely Seth’s voice, and he sounds scared.
I step into the forest.
The sounds of the festival fade quickly, swallowedby the trees. Moonlight filters through the canopy, casting everything in silver and shadow.
“Seth?” I call again, moving deeper.
No response.
My heart starts to pound. This is wrong. This is very wrong. I’m too far from the festival now, too far from help.
I’m about to go back when suddenly, I freeze.
Red mist seeps between the trees. Exactly like in my nightmares. Exactly like the night I found Zane.
“No.” The word comes out strangled. “No, no, no—”
I try to turn around and run, but my legs won’t obey. They keep moving forward, deeper into the forest, deeper into the mist.
My head feels empty. Hollow. Like someone has scooped out my thoughts and left only the command to walk.
I try to fight it. Try to stop. But my body betrays me, one foot in front of the other, steady and inexorable.
The mist thickens. My wolf’s presence—always there, always alert—begins to fade. The mate bond with Seth, that constant warmth in my chest, grows cold and distant.
No! I scream internally, but my mouth won’t form words. Seth! Seth, help me!
A figure materializes as I move through the red haze.
Kieran.
He stands in a clearing, moonlight illuminating the grim set of his features. His hands move in complex patterns, fingers weaving through the air. His lips chant words I don’t understand.
The numbness eases slightly. Just enough for terror to flood in.
