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The bark is rough against my hands as I grasp at the thickest branches on the tree. It’s not a perfect means of getting down. I was never bold enough to try sneaking out when I was younger, and this is the only time I remember really regretting it. I make it halfway down before I run out of branches to climb down.
I have no choice but to fall.
I suck in a deep breath and release the last branch, bracing myself for impact. The fall isn’t too dangerous, and I manage to land on my feet with nothing more than a jolt to my ankles. I rotate my ankles quickly, checking for damage before tightening the strap of the duffel bag.
Mom’s voice carries through the open window as she calls out for me, leaving me no time to catch my breath before I take off running again. I don’t run for the front gates. It’s the obvious move, and it comes with the risk of the guards stopping me or slowing me down.
Instead, I head toward Meghan’s cottage. Her garage backs up to another gate, one that leads to an access road surrounded by trees. Dad used to take Arielle and I out there to play hide-and-seek. If you know where to look, it’s easy enough to find the weak spot a few feet from the gate.
I stick close to the cover of buildings as I make a run for it. I could move faster in wolf form, but I know I’ll make it out of the fence easier in human form—and draw less attention too.
“Quinn, wait!”
My sister’s pleading voice is the only thing that could stop me at a moment like this. I slow even as I scrunch up my eyes and hope like hell I’m not making a massive freaking mistake. This already feels dangerous, and wasting even a minute is a big risk.
I turn to Arielle, the duffel whipping against my back as I spin. My breath puffs heavily through my lips as my heart pounds erratically in my chest.
“Take this.” She thrusts something bulky at me, and it takes me a second to recognize her heart stone wrapped in a white T-shirt. I blink at it for a second before shaking my head with profuse refusal. The heart stones were gifts from our father, one of the only tangible things he left us, and I feel like she’s rubbed me raw by offering it.
“No. Absolutely not, Arielle. Dad gave us each one for a reason, and I’m not taking yours. I have my own, okay? You keep it.”
“Take it!” She thrusts it more insistently at me, her eyes wild. “I need to know you’re going to come back, Quinn. I don’t know what your stone will do, but Iknowmine will make sure to lead you back. Okay? So please take it.”
Sometimes I look at Arielle and wonder how she grew up so quickly, but now I look at her and realize she’s still so, so young. Tears well up in her eyes as her bottom lip quivers. She could be five years old again, begging me to let her crawl into my bed after she’s had a bad dream.
I’ve never been able to deny my sister much, and I can’t start now. Not when she so ardently believes in what she says. I reach for the heart stone even though it pains me to take it.
“I’m going to be back,” I vow, a grim set to my mouth as I consider her. She sniffs loudly, and I reach out to cup her cheek gently as I say, “As soon as I figure out how to make it safe.”
I’m not sure if it’s a promise I’m in any position to make, but she offers a watery smile as she blinks back her tears. “Go.” She nudges me away, and my hand falls uselessly to my side. “I’ll distract Mom to let you get a head start.”
Do it, my wolf thinks, knowing I’m already wasting precious time anyway. I launch myself at her and pull her tight against me, hugging my sister for all I’m worth. I hold her only for a moment before I force myself to release her. I know if I hold her a second longer, I’ll never be able to let her go.
“Be safe. Go to Indie if you need help.” I know that, if needed, Indie will protect Arielle at any cost. And what’s a few more favors owed to my best friend? I owe her a lifetime’s worth already. I hate that I won’t get the chance to tell her goodbye, but the thought that this is temporary, that I won’t be gone forever, comforts me.
“I will.”
I turn away but don’t make it far before Arielle grabs me by the sleeve. “One more thing,” she says. I glance back at her to see her chewing her lip. After a second, she sighs before saying, “You have to come back for more than just me, Quinn. You and I both know you’re meant to be Mom’s heir. One day soon, Cupid’s Pack will need a new Luna.”
I open my mouth to protest, to point out that Arielle could fill that role when the time comes, but she cuts me off. “No.” She shakes her head, emphasizing her point. “You’re the Luna this pack needs. When the time comes, it has to be you, Quinn.”
I don’t answer, tugging out of her grip and heading quickly toward my escape. But her words follow me out, away from Cupid’s Pack and into the forest.
FIVE
QUINN
We’re being followed. My wolf has been on edge for miles trying to decide for certain if the rogues nearby were traveling in the same direction as me on purpose. I’ve turned twice attempting to put distance between them and me, but their scent still trails slightly behind me, easy enough to pick up in my shifted form.
I’m facing two problems. One, I don’t know the area outside of Cupid’s Pack land very well. And two, even if I did, I have no idea where I should be going. I’ve already been running for hours. It’s well into the evening hours—yesterday fading away with the sunlight like a bad memory.
I have no real connection to the outside world. Not to any pack that might offer asylum from my own mom. Cupid’s Pack’s connections were built on her reputation, so I can’t exactly show up asking to be hidden from her.
Still, I can’t risk continuing to be followed either.
As my mind spins, my wolf nudges me to pay attention to a growing sensation. Heat is coming off the duffel bag situated on my back—it’s not uncomfortable, but it’s enough to draw my attention through the material of the bag and my thick wolf’s fur.
The heart stone.
