Sage's POV
I woke to find a guard standing at the foot of my bed.
I jerked upright, heart pounding. What
Breakfast. A young woman pushed past the guard, setting a tray on the bedside table. She wouldn't meet my eyes. The Alpha requests your presence in one hour.
Why is there a guard in my room?
For your protection. The guard's expression was stone. Alpha's orders.
Protection. Or surveillance. I couldn't tell which.
The servant hurried out. The guard stayed, watching me like I might disappear. Or attack. I wrapped the blanket tighter around myself, suddenly aware I was wearing borrowed clothes, sleeping in a strange bed, surrounded by wolves who might want me dead.
The message carved into the dead wolf echoed in my head. She's next.
A knock at the door made me jump. The guard opened it, and Vera Thorne swept inside.
She looked different in daylight older, more elegant, with steel-gray hair pulled back and eyes like chips of ice. Her smile was warm, but something about it made my skin crawl.
Good morning, dear. She dismissed the guard with a wave. I hope you slept well.
I'm Vera Thorne, head of the pack elders, she continued, settling into the chair beside my bed. We met briefly last night, but you were exhausted. Understandable, after such a powerful healing.
What do you want? I asked bluntly.
Her smile tightened. Direct. I appreciate that. I want to know what you are, Sage Winters.
A healer.
Yes, but what kind? Her eyes drifted to my shoulder, where the Mark showed through my thin shirt. That symbol. I've seen it before, many years ago. On people who were very dangerous.
My hand moved to cover the Mark. It's just a scar.
Don't lie to me, child. The warmth evaporated from her voice. I know what a Lunar Mark looks like. The question is, how did you survive when the rest of your kind was wiped out?
Ice flooded my veins. What do you know about that?
I know the council voted to eliminate Lunar Healers twenty years ago. Too dangerous, they said. Too powerful. Healers who could neutralize any shifter with a touch. She leaned closer. Weapons disguised as angels of mercy.
My parents weren't weapons, I shot back. They were murdered for trying to help people.
Were they? Vera's eyes glittered. Or were they killed because they were planning something? Using their gifts to overthrow the natural order?
That's a lie!
Perhaps. Perhaps not. She stood, smoothing her skirt. Either way, you're here now. In my pack. Healing my Alpha. And I need to know if you're a threat.
I saved Kael's life!
Yes. Very convenient. The Alpha poisoned, a mysterious healer appears, claims to be his mate. Vera's smile was razor-sharp. You've made yourself indispensable. What better way to control the most powerful Alpha in North America?
I stood up, fists clenched. I'm not trying to control anyone. I'm trying to leave.
Are you? Vera moved to the door. Then you won't mind a small verification. For the pack's safety. Just a test to ensure your powers are... contained.
What kind of test?
Nothing invasive. Simply a demonstration. Prove you can heal without threatening us. Her hand rested on the doorknob. Unless you have something to hide?
Trap. Every instinct screamed it was a trap.
When? I asked.
This evening. The elders will gather to observe. She smiled that cold smile again. I do hope you'll cooperate. For everyone's sake.
She left. The guard returned immediately, taking position by the door.
I wasn't a guest. I was a prisoner.
I paced the room, mind racing. What kind of test? What if I failed? What if they decided I was too dangerous and
A soft knock interrupted my spiral. The door cracked open, and Lyra slipped inside.
Out, she ordered the guard.
I have orders
From the Alpha to protect her, not spy on her. Out. Now.
The guard hesitated, then left. Lyra locked the door behind him and turned to me, face grave.
Vera came to see you, she said. Not a question.
She wants to test me. Tonight. In front of the elders.
Lyra's expression darkened. She's trying to force you to reveal the full extent of your power. Once the elders see what you can really do, they'll either try to control you or eliminate you.
What can I really do? I demanded. Everyone keeps saying I'm dangerous, but I don't even know what that means!
Lyra sat on the bed, suddenly looking every one of her centuries. Lunar Healers don't just heal, Sage. You can give life. But you can also take it away.
My stomach dropped. What?
The Mark grants two powers. Healing which you've already discovered. And neutralizing. You can strip a shifter's wolf right out of their body. Leave them human. Powerless. She met my eyes. That's why they hunted your kind. That's why they're afraid of you.
I backed away from her, hands shaking. I would never
I know. But they don't. And if Vera forces you to demonstrate tonight, you'll have to choose. Show them you can neutralize, and they'll see you as a weapon. Refuse, and they'll think you're hiding something worse.
Either way, I lose.
Not if we find the real poisoner first. Lyra stood. Someone in this pack wants Kael dead. Someone close enough to have access to him. If we can prove who it is before tonight
The door crashed open.
Cole stumbled inside, bleeding from a gash across his face. Sage. You need to come. Now.
What happened?
It's Kael. The poison it's back. Worse than before. His voice cracked. He's asking for you. He won't let anyone else touch him.
My heart stopped. But I just healed him hours ago.
Someone gave him more. Cole's eyes blazed with fury. Someone poisoned him again. While he was sleeping. In his own room.
Lyra cursed. The traitor is closer than we thought.
I ran for the door, but Cole caught my arm.
Wait. There's something else. He pulled out a piece of paper, hands shaking. We found this pinned to his pillow. It's addressed to you.
I unfolded it. Five words, written in blood:
Save him and you die.