Thoughts spun in chaos inside my head. I didn't know if Will was still alive, but the only thing I could do now was get back. Back to safety. Back to the clan.

  When I finally saw the first huts at the edge of the village, I stumbled forward, gasping for air, kicking up clumps of snow behind me.

  "Help! Something attacked us!" I screamed, my voice cracked with fear.

  People turned; several of the men rushed toward me immediately. Sac was the first to reach me.

  "What happened?" he asked, his hands steady on my shoulders.

  "We were at the pond, Will and I... there was something in the woods. He stayed behind. I don't know what it was, but... it didn't sound like a wolf."

  Sac cursed under his breath, his gaze flickering toward the forest's edge. "Gus! Sate! Wics! Come with me, NOW!"

  They disappeared before I could stop them. I stood there, trembling. Everything felt unreal.

  Time passed slowly. Too slowly.

  I didn't know how long it had been—minutes? An hour?—when I heard voices and movement outside. I ran out, heart pounding in my throat.

  And there they were.

  They were carrying someone.

  "SAC!" I screamed.

  His body hung between Gus and Wics. Blood had soaked his jacket dark. He was trying to stay conscious, but his eyes were drifting.

  "What happened?!" I gasped.

  "A trap. They set traps," Gus said through gritted teeth. "He stepped right into one while we were trying to rescue Will."

  "Where is he?" I looked around, but Will's face wasn't among them.

  "He's still in the woods," Wics answered. "He... he told us to take Sac and run. Said he'd handle himself."

  "But he's alone!"

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  "Will knows what he's doing," Gus said, but his voice didn't sound convinced.

  They brought Sac into his hut. I followed, unable to leave him. His face was pale, almost blue. I grabbed his hand.

  "You can't leave me too," I whispered. "Please, Sac..."

  He tried to smile, but it turned into a grimace. "You... look like a ghost," he mumbled.

  "And you look like a corpse," I replied, trying to sound light even though I was shaking inside.

  Amelia came rushing in with herbs and bandages. More women gathered to help. I stepped back to give them space but couldn't tear my gaze away from him.

  Will was still out there.

  And Sac... Sac was lying there because of me.

  I stood frozen in the doorway of the hut. The warmth of the fire inside didn't reach me. Not where it mattered. Not where it hurt.

  Sac lay pale on the bed, his eyes half-open as Amelia and the others worked quickly and silently. The air was thick with the smell of blood, herbs, and smoke. I wanted to do something—say something—but the words were stuck somewhere deep in my chest.

  It was my fault.

  No one had said it outright, but it didn't matter. Will had called me to the pond. I had followed. And now Sac lay there, wounded, because of me.

  "He'll survive," Amelia said suddenly, almost as if she had heard my thoughts. "But he'll need a long time to recover."

  I nodded silently, but something inside me wanted to scream. Hit something. Cry. Turn back time.

  I walked out of the hut, needing air, needing to get away from the crushing weight. The villagers watched me as I passed—some with worry, others with something I couldn't quite read. Distrust? Or just fear?

  I didn't want to think.

  I sat down on a cold stone at the edge of the village, knees drawn to my chest, arms wrapped around my legs. The snow had stopped, but the air was heavy and gray. The pond. The forest. The blood. It all spun around inside me like a whirlwind.

  I looked down at my hands. They were still shaking.

  What am I doing here?

  I wanted to go home. I wanted to hear my father's voice, smell our old house, hear Katty shouting for me to get out of the bathroom.

  But they were gone. And I was here.

  And the worst part was... a part of me didn't want to leave anymore.

  Will was out there. Sac was in there. The others—they weren't just figures in some strange adventure anymore. They were people. Creatures. Maybe even friends. Maybe something more.

  My eyes drifted toward the forest. It lay there, dark and silent. Too many answers were still out there. And one of them was Will.

  "Please..." I whispered into the emptiness. "Come back."

  I remained on the stone, my legs stiff from the cold yet unwilling to move. Thoughts buzzed around like mosquitoes on a summer night. Too many. Too loud. Too close to the heart.

  And then I heard it.

  A faint rustle. Snow being pushed aside. Twigs snapping.

  I froze and rose slowly to my feet. My gaze locked onto the forest's edge, and my heart pounded faster with every step that approached from the darkness.

  Then I saw him.

  Rex.

  He stumbled out of the trees, snow swirling around his legs. His jacket was torn on one side, dried blood marked his temple, and his eyes—so tired—were still alive.

  "Rex!" I shouted and rushed toward him.

  He looked up, his smile weak but genuine. "Tracy..." His voice was hoarse, but filled with relief.

  I threw my arms around him before I even thought about it. "What happened? Where's Will? Are you hurt?"

  He placed a heavy hand on my back, as if it took all his strength just to stay standing. "I'm okay," he mumbled, "just a little banged up."

  "But Will?!" I pulled back, searching his eyes.

  Rex's face darkened. He hesitated.

  "He... he stayed behind longer. To distract them. The others managed to escape, I was the last one out."

  "Distract who?" I whispered.

  "The other wolves. Not from our clan. The Dark Side, the ones Sac warned us about. They knew you were here, Tracy. They were hunting for you."

  My blood turned to ice.

  "Why? Why me?"

  Rex met my gaze. It was as if he weighed his words carefully, as if the truth was something he almost didn't want to give me.

  "Because you're the key, Tracy. And it's not just our clan that knows it. If you break the curse... it won't just break for us. It will break for everyone. Light and dark. And they're not ready to give up the power it gives them."

  "So they want to kill me?"

  Rex nodded slowly. "Or control you. It depends on who gets to you first."

  I took a step back, feeling the ground shift beneath me. Everything I had felt before—the fear, the anger, the confusion—turned into something else now. Something heavier.

  "Will... is he still out there?" I whispered.

  "Yes," Rex said. "But if I know him, he won't go down withou

  t a fight. He'll come back."

  "How can you be so sure?" I asked quietly.

  Rex looked at me. Saw through me.

  "Because you're here."