Kael's gaze locked with mine. "We will. Together."
I swallowed. "But what of the price?"
Dorian closed his eyes. "Khorin's soul is the key. He needs to be pulled out of the darkness—he must come back into light. That needs one of his line—of the Moonclaw. And only then will the spirit of Wolf King be shattered."
I put my hand to the altar. "Then I—" My words caught. This was where love and duty crashed into my bloodline destiny.
Dusk had settled over the cave as we set up the altar. I put a silver cuff with one crescent carven there on Kael's free wrist. He did the same with mine — our symbols knitted together like a pledge. Mara and Dorian set out a circle of warded crystals, all facing the arc formed by twin moons. The air filled with power—our breath twisted in vortices of moonbeams.
I glanced at Kael. His jaw quivered with resolve. "Ready?"
I nodded. "For Khorin. For Avaline. For all our packs." My voice shook but I did not flinch.
