The ashes of the shrine still clung to their boots as Raine and the others left the clearing behind. The scent of burning spells lingered in Xavier's nostrils, but something else overpowered it as he walked beside Raine.
Her.
There was something about her after the battle—stronger, bolder, more dangerous. And he found it maddeningly attractive.
"You keep staring," she said without looking at him.
Xavier didn't bother denying it. "You didn't exactly make it easy to look away last night, you know. Glowing like a goddess and defying death."
She arched a brow. "So you like dangerous girls?"
"I like you."
Raine stumbled slightly.
Ezekiel, walking ahead, made a gagging sound. "Ugh. Can we not flirt when the Council is trying to hunt us down? Focus, lovers."
They camped under the watch of twisted trees. Ezekiel had found a hidden scroll beneath the shrine rubble—maps etched with moons and symbols Raine half-recognized from her dreams.
"Three lost sanctuaries," he explained, pointing. "If we're lucky, the hidden packs are there."
Raine studied one sigil closely. A wolf wrapped in thorns—familiar.
"That's the Crimson Vale," she whispered. "My mother once told me about it... a place where wolves resisted the Council."
"Or were consumed by it," Ezekiel muttered.
Xavier leaned in. "Either way, we go."
On the third night, they were ambushed—not by Council warriors, but by shade beasts, creatures corrupted by leaking Council magic.
Raine fought hard—but at one point, her pendant was knocked loose, and the beast lunged for her throat.
Xavier was faster.
He tackled the thing mid-air, taking the brunt of the blow. Blood seeped from his side, but he didn't let go until it turned to ash.
Raine ran to him, panic flooding her. "You're bleeding—"
"I've bled worse," he grinned weakly. "But a kiss might help."
"You're impossible," she said—but kissed him anyway.
By the time they reached the Vale, the air was thick with mist and warning.
Ashfang—the once-Silenced wolf Raine had freed—whined low, then moved forward, guiding them through the fog.
The moment they stepped into the clearing, wolves with ghost paint and weapons surrounded them.
"State your names," came a sharp voice.
Raine stepped forward. "I am Raine of the Moonblood—"
The leader narrowed her eyes. "Lie again, and I'll gut you."
Xavier growled low. Raine placed a hand on his chest.
"No lies. I am the daughter of Arielle, last Sovereign Wolf."
The tension broke like ice.
The leader stepped forward—Nyra, a warrior queen in bone-plated armor. She studied Raine, then Xavier.
"You brought a mate," she said with interest.
Raine blinked. "We're not—"
Nyra smirked. "Not yet."
The Unbroken wolves were powerful—and suspicious. They welcomed the group, but with watchful eyes and sharp questions.
That night, Raine sat beside the fire while Nyra told stories of her mother—how she led rebellions, how she almost turned the Council to ash.
"You've got her eyes," Nyra said. "And her rage. But rage without control? That gets people killed."
Xavier watched Raine from across the flames.
He could see her changing—becoming more than she was even days ago. And he didn't know if she would still want him at the end of it.
That night, Raine dreamed of a door in the woods—a silver door pulsing with her mother's voice.
"Unlock it, Raine. Before they do."
She woke up gasping.
In her palm was a silver key.
It hadn't been there before.