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“You made something new to fix the old. This girl, and the boy born with the wolf, will be enough to propel the pack forwards until the babe is ready to lead. By then, all wounds will have healed, and all will be well. A new age will begin, and the sins of the past will turn into dust on the wind. Isn’t that grand?”
“The babe? Which babe?” Amelia sounded even more bewildered. “Hold on. Is this what’s going to happen, or what could happen?”
“Where’s the fun in telling you that?” the spirit guide said with a wink. She looked at me. “There is one who has been waiting a long time for her chance to protect her kind. With her, you can protect them all from your kind.” She held out her hand and beckoned.
A tall white wolf emerged from the trees behind her. Amelia let out an audible gasp and took a step backwards. “Are you serious?”
I was pretty sure she was still talking to herself.
“This is your future, your choice,” the spirit guide continued. “You can stop the imbalance amongst the death-bringers with her. It will hurt, but the wolf is strong enough to bear the pain long enough for you to survive. Can you pay the cost? Can you bear the suffering you will endure? For if you accept, you will be the wolf.”
I stared at the wolf. She was beautiful. I didn’t understand if she was real, a separate entity, a part of me, or even a figment of my dying imagination. When I met her gaze, I felt a connection ring through me as though I had been waiting my entire life for that moment to happen.
“Can I stop him?” I asked. “Am I supposed to stop death?”
“If things are not meant to happen, then surely we are supposed to stop them,” she said cryptically. Then again, the entire incident had been fairly cryptic.
“Can I stop him from hurting the pack?” I persisted. “Is it possible?”
“Only if you want it enough. Only if they allow you to stand between them and their enemies. This is more than the pack. If you stop him, you may begin to restore the harbingers to their original purpose. You may begin the line anew. Or you could end it completely. Your choices will always matter, no matter what fate tells us.”
“I want to do this,” I insisted. “I want to try. I’ll do whatever it takes. I want to keep everyone safe.”
“Are you ready?” the spirit guide asked. “Goodbye, witch-wolf. I don’t believe we’ll meet again.”
“Wait!” Amelia protested, but the spirit guide had already turned her attention back to me. “I asked if you are ready. Are you ready to let the wolf in?”
“Yes,” I said.
“Oh, one last thing. Don’t forget to set them free.”
“Who?” I asked as everything turned black again.
CHAPTER24
Dorian
As Margo huggedher parents goodbye, possibly for the final time, Nathan did the same to me.
“You don’t have to stay, Dorian. I’m serious. If it goes wrong, I don’t want you holding on to any guilt. I’ll take care of everything if you want to leave.”
I pulled back to meet his gaze. “You can’t protect me from everything. If anybody is doing this, it should be me. I should be there.”
“Look at you all grown,” he teased, but there was more than a little emotion in his words. “Let’s do this together and give her the best possible chance.” He hesitated. “She doesn’t have much time left. Everything in me is telling me that. She might not be strong enough for this.”
“She is,” I said firmly. She had to be.
After all of our goodbyes and big talk about how everything was going to work, I felt sick, but I pretended to be okay. I was terrified, but I pretended to be brave. I feared for the worst, but I pretended to be confident.
I hid my true feelings as I stripped off to change, refusing to let Margo know that a part of me feared it was the last time she’d see my human form. Something shifted behind her eyes, a determination that buoyed me above those doubts. When it came down to it, I had to trust that Margo wasn’t ready to give up.
I sat by her side, waiting for everything to begin. Nathan asked Margo if she was ready, and when she said, “Wait,” my heart pounded. Was she giving up?
Never. All she wanted to do was make Vira swear to help us if Margo couldn’t. I couldn’t get over her, couldn’t stop thinking about all of the ways my life had improved since I met her. We were both different, growing, becoming better people together. I couldn’t let her down.
She didn’t seem afraid anymore as she settled into position. She was so strong, and I, in turn, drew strength from her. As Amelia lit candles and prepared for the ritual, I imagined running alongside a wolf with grey eyes and pale fur; it felt so right. Maybe I was caught up in Amelia’s chanting, in the sudden magic taking root in the atmosphere, but I felt like anything was possible.
Margo held my gaze, losing focus now and then. I urged her through my stare to hold on, to keep fighting, no matter what happened. I didn’t know what would come for us, and that was scary, but if we were taking that step, we should do it properly. I felt that, too.
