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Our priestess slaughtered your mother andfather.
“Fuck!”I shuddered so hard, the paper in my hands shook. The corner caught on the candlelight. It took at once, the flame extending, and I panicked, dropping the letter. Quickly, I stomped the fire out and could barely catch my breath. I collected the paper and continuedreading.
By not knowing this,then you wouldn’t pry or try to get revenge. I did this for your ownsafety.
You see, your father was a wolf shifter who had mated with your mom, a human, and they decided to live on the fringes of the Den and Darkwoods. But one day your parents came into Terra to collect you, as you’d spent the weekend with me. Except the guards spotted your father transforming in the woods near the border. Your mother tried to save him. But the priestess demanded both their deaths without a trial. Their bodies were then discarded over a cliff. The priestess had no idea they had a young child. So I kept you with me and told everyone wolves had murdered yourparents.
That day I thought I would die from losing my baby girl. But having you with me kept mesane.
Dozens of times I contemplated telling you the truth but couldn’t. You displayed no signs of carrying wolf blood and never changed during full moons, so I keptquiet.
Please forgive me for telling you this way, but it was a safeguard in case I didn’t get the courage to let you know. I feared you’d leave me for keeping such a secret. But no matter what, you will always be my dearest,Scarlet.
I love you so much. No matter ourdistance.
Grandma.
Sliding to the floor,I sat there, gripping the letter, rocking back and forth. My head hurt, and the food in my gut toiled into a mess ready to spurtout.
My legs wobbled beneath me, and I stumbled into the wall, barely able to hold myselfupright.
The priestess had murdered my parents? I was partshifter?
Was this happening? Everything twisted in my mind. Dad was a wolf, but I didn’t recall seeing him transform. This whole time, my parents’ death had been a lie. No wonder I’d never had a burial place for them. No wonder my grandma had always changed the topic when I’d asked. No one in town had questioned it since most believed wolves weresavages.
Tears flowed, and I didn’t care. Why had my mom been butchered if she was human? There was no law against marrying shifters. The priestess just loathed anyone associated withthem.
A burning fire seared through my chest, hatred driving my pulse into a frenzy. I got up and paced along the back wall, stepping over broken teapots and tea leaves. The priestess didn’t deserve to live. Who was she to decide who lived or died? I ignored the irony of my thoughts because I didn’t care. I just detested thepriestess.
Grandma should have told me and let me make my own decision. I scrunched up her letter and tossed it toward the remedy book. The one she’d referred to when helping so many townsfolk withailments.
None of that mattered. Not when I wanted to rip out the priestess’throat.
A guttural growl rolled through me, just as it had back in the forest when I’d encountered her relocating the wolfsbane, trying to take over Denterritory.
Wait!Had I snarled because of my inner wolf? Was this why Nero had insisted his wolf had bonded with me, claimed me? As had Oryn’s andDagen’s?
My breaths raced. Would my life have been different if I’d known the truth? I hiccupped my next inhale and blinked away thetears.
Grandma had lied, and I understood she’d had good reasons, yet her secret chipped at mysoul.
It left me lost, questioning everything I’d thought I’d known aboutmyself.
I rubbed my temples and looked out into the woods cloaked in night. Before I could find my thoughts, I stormed out of the store and rushed into the forest, needing fresh air, anything to make sense of myconfusion.
Overhead, the pregnant moon hung in theheavens.
I turned toward my home, desperate to do something other than let sorrow swallow mewhole.
Branches whacked into my face, snagged on clothes, and I stopped near a dead log and crashed against it, crying hard into my hands. For losing my parents, my grandma, and my time withthem.
A crunch of foliage came from behindme.
I jerked around, expecting one of thehunters.
Instead, a rope fell over my head. Heavy and thick, pressing down on my shoulders. Iscreamed.
Two figures approached, chortling like hyenas, wearing dark uniforms.Guards.
They tugged on the rope attached to the mesh, throwing me backward. Air gushed from mylungs.
“No. Please, no!” I shoved against the net, but it tightened, forcing my knees to mychest.
Dread squeezed my heart, and I yelled as they hauled me across the forest floor, the foliage tearing at myback.
