I was thankful it was still early by the time I arrived back and even more pleased to see there was now an extra cot in Caesaria’s room.

“Hey, how did things go?” she asked, running over to hug me when she saw the look on my face.

“I have two more days to choose and that’s all I’m thinking about. How do you think it went?” I slumped onto the couch. “Darius and I now have a strict set of rules which he immediately broke.”

Caesaria laughed. “Can you blame the guy? He has terrible impulse control.”

I shook my head. “No, it wasn’t that. Honestly, he’s very respectful of my boundaries and I’m sure he would’ve not broken the rules had we not, er, run into a rogue.”

“What?!”

I winced. “Yeah. Long story short, everything is fine. The rogue didn’t attack; in fact, it acted tamer than the ones we’ve seen before. So technically Darius was protecting me. And I guess it was my fault because I was the one who told him to get in the water with me. But that aside, I hate that he’s just so perfect, it’s like he’s impossible to hate. I don’t even know what to do.”

“I do. C’mon.” She grabbed my hand and dragged me up from the couch and out the door. “We’re going riding.”

“Cae, I don’t think riding is going to help.” Even as I said it, I knew it was a lie. Riding helped clear my head almost as much as swimming.

At the barn, we mounted our horses and took off at a gallop together. I followed behind Caesaria because I had no idea where we were going.

“Keep up!” Caesaria called over her shoulder.

I laughed. “I’m trying!”

She pulled her horse to a stop in the middle of the woods and hopped down, waiting for me to catch up.

“Why’d you bring me here?” I asked once I had caught up.

“It’s a good place to clear your head. And maybe think with your heart instead of your head.” She rested a hand on my shoulder. “Close your eyes and listen to the sound of the birds. Tell me that’s not the most relaxing sound you’ve ever heard.”

I did as she instructed, focusing on the way my hair fluttered around my face and the chirping of the birds in the rustling tree branches. “That is very relaxing.”

“See?” She bumped me with her hip as I reopened my eyes. “Sometimes you just need a little bit of nature to help you find peace.”

She was right. I hadn’t really had any time to even breathe since arriving in Darqua, and the valley was more expansive and beautiful than I could’ve ever imagined. This was the kind of peace I longed to have.

We sat down against a tree and Caesaria turned to me. “So, things with Darius. What’s the latest?”

I sighed and leaned back on the grass, swiping a hand down my face. “Complicated.I still can’t believe he didn’t tell me sooner that I had to make this decision before the next Alignment.”

“How are you feeling about all of it?” she asked.

“Conflicted. On the one hand, there’s something to be said about first love. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my relationship with Raydir. But Darius makes me feel confident. He understands me in a way Raydir never has. He pushes me more.” I cleared my throat. “Raydir doesn’t know yet about the deadline.”

Cae sat up. “You didn’t tell him?”

“Not yet. I haven’t had the chance.” I glanced down at the grass.

“Haven’t had the chance or are avoiding it?”

“Both. But he deserves to know the truth, I know. I’m telling him tomorrow.”

Caesaria hummed quietly but didn’t say anything else. There wasn’t much else to say. Ray and I both knew what tomorrow’s lunch was going to bring.

It was time to face the truth.

The moonlight sparkled over the lake in the valley, the waterfall rushing in the background. Everything about it felt peaceful, safe. I dipped my hand into the water, letting it lap over my fingers.

“The valley certainly is beautiful,” a silky voice spoke from beside me. I looked up. A girl only a few years older than me stood beside me shrouded in a veil of silver, her dark hair tumbling perfectly over her shoulders and down her back. Her pale gold dress shimmered and for a second I believed she was truly there next to me.

“Is this even real?” I asked. “How are you here?”

“I have my ways.” Bella sat down next to me on the grassy bank. She unfastened the cloak around her neck and wrapped it around my shoulders. “Your mind is troubled, my dear sister. The valley isn’t what you expected it to be?”

“It’s exactly what I expected and more. It’s a place where I could see myself growing old with Raydir. But my heart seemingly has other plans for me.”

“So I’ve seen. Arwyn, what I told you years ago about following your heart, I meant every word. Be with the one you truly love, not who you think you should love.”

“But how do I figure it out when my heart is telling me two different stories?” I asked.

Arabella rested her hand on my shoulder. “Healing from the hurt takes time. You have to give yourself permission to grieve over the impending loss of one love before you can let yourself love another.”

“Why was it so easy for you, Bella? You knew Bennett was for you, always. Why can’t it be that easy for me?”

Bella smiled. “Because your fate has not been decided yet, Arwyn. In time you will learn. Let him into your heart when you are ready.”

Her presence began to fade.

“Wait! Bella, don’t leave me!” I called out. “Which ‘him’ are we talking about?”

“I am here when you call for me,” she replied, her voice a mere echo. Her body disappeared completely, and I was once again alone on the grass.

“Bella!” I shot straight up, my eyes taking a minute to adjust to the darkness and take in my surroundings. I was laying against Caesaria, my back pressed up against a tree. A dark grey cloak lay draped over my shoulders..

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“What happened?” Caesaria asked sleepily, sitting up and stretching her neck. “Oh, wow. Arwyn, we fell asleep out here.”

“Do you know where this cloak came from?” I asked, ignoring her realization.

“You didn’t have it when we went riding?” Caesaria furrowed her brows and frowned.

I shook my head. “No. No, I definitely didn’t have it.” Breathing in deeply, I caught a whiff of lavender from the cloak. Memories from my youth flooded back to my head. “How much do you know about astral projection?”

Caesaria scratched her head. “I haven’t heard of that being an ability, but I guess it could be possible. Why do you ask?”

“My dream. I-I don’t know. My sister was there, but that’s sort of impossible because she’s dead.” I pulled the cloak tighter around my shoulders. “This is her cloak. She gave it to me in my dream, which I know seems impossible, but I saw her, Cae.”

She pursed her lips in thought. “There’s something you need to see, Arwyn. We need to go to the library.”

Quickly, we mounted our horses and took back in the direction of the stables. Once our horses were safely back in their stalls, munching on oats, Caesaria led me back over to the Grand Cabin. The valley was quiet this late in the evening, the silence only broken by the occasional hoot of an owl. The crisp air was quickly becoming cooler with every passing minute, and I was suddenly thankful for the cloak.

“What are we doing here?” I asked.

She hesitated. “It’s probably easier if I show you. Follow me.”

I hurried after her and she led me down the halls to the library. The scent of aged leather hit my nose the minute the door to the library opened, revealing the expansive two-story room covered wall-to-ceiling with books. A spiral staircase sat in the middle of the room leading up to the second level.

“So what exactly are we looking for?” I asked.

“Information about the Alignment.” Caesaria traced her fingers along the shelves until she got to what she was looking for. “Here we go. The different Alignments and their meanings.”

I raised my eyebrows as she passed me the book. “You have an entire book on the types of Alignments?”

“We have multiple. Jasper—the cousin of the First Wolf—studied the ways of the valley. We have the general books of information then the personal accounts that Jasper recorded.”

“I thought Randel released Jasper’s wolf spirit when he attacked him?” I flipped through the book, letting my fingers linger over the yellowed pages and fading ink.

“He did. The trio lived out their days here in Darqua.” She crouched down to a floorboard and pried it up with her fingers.

“What are you doing?!” I shrieked.

“Relax, Arwyn. And keep your voice down.” She glanced at the door. Freeing the floorboard, Caesaria took out three weathered leather notebooks. “These are the journals from Jasper’s observations. He wanted the history of the valley, of the curse, to be passed on so that others could learn from him and his mistakes.

I watched the way she fiddled with the edges, clutching the journals closely to her chest.

“This is where it all began.” She unwrapped the tough band that held it in place, and the book fell open to the first page:

A curse that befalls the one who rejects their Chosen. A curse that captures the hearts of a secret betrothal. The valley is the only safe escape. Beware the Blood Moon on the third alignment of the Summer season.

Jasper Quinlevan

Delia Elderwen

“Quinlevan,” I whispered. Glancing back up at Caesaria, I saw her fiddling with a locket around her neck, the initials CQ etched into the gold. My eyes widened as realization hit. “CQ. Caesaria Quinlevan? Are you related to Jasper and Randel?”

Her voice, in an answer that gave me more questions, came out barely above a whisper. “I’m directly related to Randel, actually. Jasper’s cousin, the first wolf. Quinlevan—the last name was passed down and changed over the years. There’s some sketches of both of them here somewhere but most of the research is from Jasper.”

“So what happened to Randel?” I asked, remembering what Rosie had told me on my arrival.

“He turned rogue. It’s rare for it to happen, but it still does. That’s why we wanted to be so cautious when you and Raydir ran into that one by the lake. And because it’s shown up two other times here, the Council is more on edge about it.”

“He’s still”—saliva turned to stone in my mouth—“Is he still alive?”

“As far as we know? Yes. We think he’s the rogue you and Darius ran into.”

My body tensed.

“Arwyn, say something.” Caesaria waved an arm in front of my face.

What did she want me to say? I felt sick. The rogue I had played with less than 48 hours earlier was supposed to be the First Wolf? Did that mean he was the one who killed my sister? Is he the one who attacked my father? Could he have been the one that attacked us?

I inhaled sharply. “The rogue—the one who attacked us—that was Randel too?” How could that be? How could we be sure?

Caesaria nodded. “The Council believes so. But there is still a lot I don’t understand. If Arabella somehow gave you that cloak, Bennett needs to know.”

I shifted my weight between my feet. “What would he be able to do?”

“I don’t know. But he might know more than us. He was, after all, her fiance.” She crouched back down, replacing the floorboards and securing the secret spot for the notebooks. “You’re not to tell anyone about my ancestry, understood? Not Raydir. Not Darius. No one.”

“I promise. I won’t say anything,” I replied.

“Good. Now, this Alignment is the Blood Moon,” she explained, her expression dark. “It means that any wolf—specifically those with the harsher wolf spirit—have a higher chance of turning rogue.”

“But why?”

“Something to do with the schematics of our world. We become more connected with our wolf spirits during this time.”

I drew my hand to the pin that latched Bella’s cloak around my neck. “How exactly does this all work? She’s dead.” The words felt like lead as they left my tongue.

“But if she’s speaking to you in your dreams, then her wolf spirit is very much alive.” She handed me two of the books from the shelves. “Read up on these. It should at least give you some answers.”

“But she didn’t appear to me as a wolf,” I protested, “so how is that even possible?”

“Because your sister had one of the most complex gifts,” a new voice replied. Caesaria and I turned to see Bennett standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. “Shall we go to the Council Room? There is much to discuss.”

We followed him in silence before taking seats on opposite sides of the table in the Council room.

“Okay, Bennett,” I said. “Explain.”

Bennett cleared his throat. “Your sister is a somnior which means she can walk through others’ dreams. And it sounds like that is what you experienced—Bella appeared to you in your dream. But you said she appeared as human?”

I nodded. “What does that mean?”

“I-I’m not sure.”

“And what about the cloak? Is retrieving tangible objects part of the power?”

“Yes, it is.” He paused. “But I’m still unclear on how that’s possible now.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Then what do you know? I thought you said you knew her power?”

“I do, but it’s not that simple. Let’s move forward. Once a year on the Blood Moon, we all become more connected to our wolf spirits,” Bennett said. “Everyone acts differently on the Blood Moon. But it’s also why this is when you have to decide who you want to be with.”

“But why?” I asked. “If this Blood Moon connects me to my wolf spirit, why is it when I have to choose my mate?”

“Because if you don’t, you won’t be able to connect with your wolf spirit. And if you can’t connect with your wolf spirit, you risk going rogue,” Bennett replied.

I swallowed hard. “So making this decision will protect me.”

“Yes, but we still must be careful. There are more rogues on the Blood Moon, that’s just the nature of it. And because of the recent attack on your father and the rogue who attacked you, we need to be prepared for the worst.”

I glanced at Caesaria. She was looking down at her hands. “Prepared for what exactly?” I thought back to when my training started and my heart twisted into knots.

“Things between Gwyniar and Alvenora have been even more tense since your father was attacked,” she explained. “Our sources say that he hasn’t returned to his duties as leader of Gwyniar since the attack. Raydir’s father, Duke Alexander, doesn’t want to wage war on Darqua, but the interim leader of Gwyniar does. I have a feeling your father would agree with Duke Alexander because he knows a war would mean bringing harm to both you and Raydir. And we know that’s the last thing he wants.”

I frowned. Lord Byron had always been a loyal friend to our family. I didn’t see why he’d betray us now. “If the interim leader wants to wage war, someone had to give the order.”

“I think it’s safe to say your father wants nothing to do with a potential war. Maybe not. But someone does, and we need to prepare ourselves for the worst.” Bennett stood up. “Now, it’s late. You two should go back to your cabin and get some rest. These next few days are crucial for rest before the Alignment.”

I wanted to ask more about my sister, but with the way Bennett shooed us to the door, I knew that wasn’t going to be possible.

So, reluctantly, we nodded and walked back to the cabin in silence.