Ivy quietly backed into the kitchen away from Rhys and Jalen. They had been discussing the hell hole that Aura had been pulled out of this afternoon. Things had happened so fast that Ivy hadn’t had a chance to ask Aura if she had seen Karis while she was there. Ivy had briefly caught Karis’ scent while they had been wandering through the halls. Karis had been reported missing after failing to check in with the Alpha and her mate, Jenro, the engineer. It’s been two months since she disappeared while on her mission to trade goods for the clan. To say Ivy was worried was an understatement. Karis and Ivy were candidates for becoming wolf hunters together. They trained together, cried together from the stress of training, and passed their tests together. Karis was family to Ivy and finding Karis was Ivy’s secondary mission.

Jenro has been distraught since Karis was reported missing two months ago. He has been trying to keep busy while working on Aura's underground passageway that she insisted would provide people an alternative to crossing the valley. Ivy was sure Aura had no idea that Jenro had started construction on it. Aura had promised Jenro that she would look for Karis while she worked in the village to fight a plague, but every rumor Aura had heard in the village never checked out. Ivy had taken over the search once Aura rescued her from the hunters, but every raid and rescue Ivy performed didn’t bring her any closer to Karis until today. Ivy was still in disbelief that Karis had ended up at the Grim Guild since she had spent over a week there herself and hadn’t noticed her scent.

Ivy made out the back door, and she hid in the shadows making her way through town. She might have left being undercover at the Grim Guild after her Alpha declared war on them, saving her brother from an ambush, but she still had eyes in the guild. Ivy worked smarter not harder on all her missions, and when Ivy rescues people frequently, she accumulates favors. About a year ago, she rescued a very rare and grateful siren from some hunters who thought she was a shifter. This siren was blessed with immense magic and a long life that allowed her to master polymorphic magic like the polymorphic ring Ivy and the other wolf hunters use. Ivy was in disbelief when the siren revealed her true identity. The two became fast friends, and the siren has helped Ivy quietly on a few missions since then. Before leaving the Grim Guild, Ivy received a message from her friend to meet her on the outskirts of the Stone Creek Village, just north of the Village of Lilies.

Ivy escaped the doubled patrols and headed for the treeline. No one knew Ivy had such an amazing friend, and she was determined to keep it that way. She stayed in her elf form in case there were any hunters in the area. Her chest started to feel heavy as she ran through the dark woods as silently as she could while running as fast as her elf body would allow. The moons overhead lit her way as she approached the creek that leads to Stone Creek Village. Unlike the Village of Lilies, Stone Creek Village was on the shore of a stone beach with a grand stone wall encircling the entire village and farmlands. It was far bigger than the Village of Lilies but had half as many people. Ivy could see night patrols were underway courtesy of the Knights of the Land. She felt the knights were everywhere in this area, and she wasn’t sure if it was a positive thing for the villages or not. How long would the villages need the knights? Weren’t the villages on the up and up because of Aura and Jalen? Shouldn’t they be leaving?

Ivy was on high alert as she heard the branches above her rustle. Flexing her hands into fists, she released her weapon of choice, retractable daggers that she used like claws. A weapon suitable for a shifter, or at least she thought so. Staring up into the dark trim limbs, she made out a hooded form. In her battle stance, she stood ready to fight the uninvited guest.

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“Put your claws away, wolfie. It’s just me.” The hooded figure descended from the treetop to the ground just in front of Ivy. The hooded figure pulled her hood down, displaying her beautiful, red top fin that shimmer like stain glass. The figure’s golden complexion was illuminated by the moonlight although her blue eyes shone like the stars in the sky. The smaller fins on either side of her head fluttered out, and Ivy smiled.

“Stell,” Ivy grinned at the siren. They hugged happily for a moment when an owl hooted, bringing them both back to the business at hand.

“I heard you stole Shadow’s pet today,” Stell beamed with pride over friend. “You have some serious guts, my friend.”

Ivy chuckled. “She wasn’t his to keep.” She was suddenly reminded of Aura’s broken behavior earlier. “Do you have any idea what he did to her? She mangled on the outside and shattered on the inside.”

“I have an idea of what went on in that little room, which is one reason I called you here. The second is I heard talk of a dusty, tan she-wolf that they are keeping under lock and key.” Stell’s face turned serious as she spoke.

“That’s Karis! So, she is there. I thought I smelled her today, but I wasn’t sure.” Ivy said with slight excitement. “She’s alive.” Hope of rescuing her filled her thoughts.

“She is… but remember how we discovered Shadow was collecting shifters?” Stell’s voice got low. She didn’t want to bring her friend bad news, but this was her only chance to warn her. Ivy nodded. “Shadow’s getting ready to use them. I don’t know how or why, but he is. The she-wolf is key in his plans, I think.”

Ivy grimaced at the thought of Karis and the others being used against their will, but could Shadow force them to do something? “How could Shadow use them? As bait, decoy, or scapegoats? He can’t force them to do anything against their will, right? No one has that kind of power.”

“Ivy, you and I both know magic is not as simple as it once was. You are walking proof of it.” Stell reasoned with her. “I don’t know how Ivy, but he can make them do things. The sounds that came out of that little room while he had his pet there haunt my very dreams. She was in so much agony by the third day that the shifters who heard her screams cried for her. Tabusco pitied her. Five days of hell would shatter anyone, Ivy.”

Tears formed at the corners of Ivy’s green eyes. She knew Aura had experienced horror at the Grim Guild, but not as bad as other shifters crying out to her. Her stomach ached as her body filled with dread. “So, he can control others?”

“I am not positive, but it seems that way from what I have heard, but Ivy, you shouldn’t have been able to get away as you did. Most of us were ordered to stay in our rooms today. Shadow let you all go on purpose.” Stell explained. “You wouldn’t have escaped if all the members were able to participate in capturing Shadow’s pet.”

Dread shot through Ivy’s body at her words. Stell was right. It was too easy. It was all too easy! There was something worse at play here, and they were all playing into Guild Master Shadow’s evil hands. Dread, dread, and more dread overwhelmed Ivy’s body as she fell to the ground. Stell dropped to her side to console her. They stayed that way for a while until Stell needed to leave.

“Be careful, Ivy. Shadow has a scheme at play, and we don’t know who is involved and who is innocent.” Stell cautioned.

Ivy gave a slight nod before they both disappeared into the darkness. She would need to keep a close eye on Aura and everyone just in case… Ivy said a silent prayer in the hopes that God might take pity on all those involved. Could Aura be under the Grim Guild Master’s control? Is Karis under his control too? Freakin’ hell.