Chapter 1

Chapter

One

Lana

T he first light of morning filtered through the grimy curtains. Just enough to illuminate the peeling wallpaper and worn carpet. Delightful.

I stretched out my legs under the thin, scratchy blanket, which did little to ward off the morning chill seeping through the cracks in the window. The bathroom light flickered like it was trying to decide whether it wanted to live or die, throwing erratic shadows across the wall. This place looked like it hadn't been cleaned since the eighties, and I was sure as hell that was the last time the sheets had been washed.

I glanced over at Kael and Callista, both still sleeping on their lumpy queen mattress. Callista cuddled up to him, and I was mildly jealous of her built-in heater. Kael lay on his back, his arm draped over his eyes, his chest rising and falling in a slow, measured rhythm. I was happy for them, but that picture of domestic bliss was a little bit disgusting.

I sat up, my muscles protesting, and the weight of the dagger pressed against my side. I pulled it out from beneath my coat, its hilt warm against my palm. The blade hummed against my skin like a living thing, and I ran my thumb over the intricate engravings.

It was strange, this connection I felt to it. Ever since I'd drawn it across my palm and let my blood seep into its metal, it had been with me. A constant presence. A silent companion. It didn't speak to me, but it didn't need to.

You already have a companion , my wolf growled.

A piece of metal isn't going to replace you , I shot back. I was equal parts terrified and intrigued by the things I felt happening in my body. To my wolf and my magic. And then there was the guilt and the grief.

Rowan had given me the go-ahead to leave our new Kootenay pack, but we'd barely blended Kitimat and Black Lake. This damn dagger had been the cause of a revolution, not only in our packs but all the packs in British Columbia. As the third to Rowan, my alpha, I'd been a leader in Black Lake. At least in my absence, Blake was there to step in.

I still didn't know if my school had found a replacement teacher for me. I'd left them a hurried message about my last-minute change of plans and received an email acknowledgment on Monday morning. They weren't happy with me, and I didn't blame them. I didn't know how long I was going to be gone, but I doubted I was going to find the rest of the relics and save the world in a week and a half. Which meant I was letting my school down, too.

Students didn't return until September. There was still a chance I could go back. But it wasn't looking good.

I slid the dagger back into place at my hip and stood to use the bathroom.

"Morning," Callie groaned from behind me.

I turned. "Hey."

"Ready to get on the road?"

I grinned. "More ready than you are."

Callista smirked and nudged Kael in the ribs. He grunted, and I stepped outside to give them some privacy.

Once we were all in the truck, I insisted we stop at a gas station. The only option for sustenance this far north. They could starve themselves if they wanted to, but I was done with it. We pulled into a lot surrounded by flickering neon signs and dingy storefronts. The store was half-empty, and the cashier barely looked up as we grabbed our breakfast burritos from the hot food case.

"These look like a culinary masterpiece," Callista muttered, picking up a burrito that oozed grease onto the wax paper.

I shrugged. "They can't be worse than the gas station sushi I had last month." She made a face, and I smirked. "Don't worry, I didn't die. Yet."

Kael didn't say a word, just grabbed a couple for himself, curled them into the crook of his arm, then glanced at Callie and grabbed an extra. When we got back to the car, he handed it to her. "You need to eat more."

Callista rolled her eyes but took it. "For the last time, you are not my mother."

Kael just grunted and handed her napkins and a bottle of water.

I rolled my eyes. Those two were completely twitter pated. I hadn't known Kael for long, but he'd come a long way from trying to stab her in a tent. All of it was weird. Endearing, but weird.

I still don't trust him. My wolf sat back on her haunches. I rolled my eyes internally. She didn't trust anyone, so that wasn't anything new. After years, she'd finally stopped complaining about Rowan, so Kael didn't have any hope for the foreseeable future.

We sat in Kael's truck parked on the edge of the lot, the morning sun climbing higher in the sky. My burrito tasted faintly of sausage and eggs with a hint of regret.

"We should get there by two," Kael said.

"Then wait for nightfall?" Callista asked.

He shook his head. "It won't give us any advantage. We can park at a pull-out near the old mill. Then we'll shift and run the rest of the way. I'll scout things out."

I didn't argue with him. Normally, I would've made a bigger deal about me taking the lead, but he'd been there before. Possibly more than once. I still wasn't completely clear on how long he'd been with the alphas before he came to find Callista. It didn't matter now. He'd more than proven himself trustworthy.

The scenery outside the car window flicked past like a montage in an indie film as we drove—thick forests bleeding into barren fields. We drove past crumbling industrial buildings, their graffiti-covered walls standing as monuments to a forgotten era. The highways and backroads stretched out like veins, empty and desolate. The only signs of life were the occasional dilapidated farmhouses and rusted-out cars abandoned on the side of the road.

Kael's jaw was tight as he drove. "You shouldn't have brought the dagger." He glanced over at me, then back out the windshield.

"I couldn't leave it."

Kael tapped his fingers on the wheel. "They'll know you have it. You'll have to stay far?—"

Hell, no , my wolf growled. I agreed wholeheartedly. "I'm not letting you go in there without me."

Kael exhaled sharply and glanced down at Callista next to him on the bench. I knew what he was thinking. Yes, he wanted me to be safe. But he was infinitely more concerned with his mate. I couldn't blame him. But I wasn't going to stay back and watch, either.

"Let's see what we're working with. Then we can make decisions about who's going where." Callista plugged the cord dangling from the dash into her phone and started a playlist. We listened to music for the next couple of hours until Kael pulled off the main road. After a few minutes of jostling over gravel, he drove the truck into the trees.

Kael threw the truck into park, cutting the engine. The sudden quiet wrapped around us. He and Callista slid out of the truck first, heading to the back to grab their packs, and I followed, my boots sinking into the soft mulch. The forest loomed around us, thick and shadowed even though it was the middle of the afternoon.

Kael popped open the truck bed, and we pulled out our packs that held extra clothes, water bottles, food, and emergency supplies we might need if things went south. I double-checked my pack, then slid the dagger in with the rest of my things.

Callista slung her pack over one shoulder and gave me a quick look. "You good?"

I nodded, already pulling off my jacket. Shifting wasn't something I liked to do in front of others—something about being that vulnerable, even with people I trusted, made me twitchy. "I'll meet you in a minute."

Kael arched a brow but didn't comment. He and Callista exchanged a glance, then disappeared into the woods together. I heard the soft rustle of clothes being stripped off behind the trees, followed by the low growls and stretching sounds of two wolves taking form. I stayed by the truck, peeling off my layers quickly and stuffing them into my pack. The cold air bit at my skin as I shifted, fur replacing skin in a smooth ripple of change. The wolf settled beneath my bones, itching to run, to find what waited for us at the building ahead.

Once I was in wolf form, I could feel Callista through the pack bond, a warm, steady hum at the back of my mind.

Ready? Her voice came through the link. She was already moving.

Right behind you, I answered. Callista and I could communicate freely through the pack bond, even though we were miles from the heart of the Kootenay pack's territory. But Kael? He wasn't officially one of us yet. I couldn't hear him directly. Not like she could as his mate. For the time being, Callista was our mediator.

The three of us took off through the forest, weaving between trees and leaping over undergrowth. Callista and Kael moved as one, their wolves in perfect sync. It was strange, being part of a pack and yet not. I was looking for the Shadow Pack, to find a piece of myself that didn't have a place in Kootenay or anywhere else.

But it was at the expense of this.

Would I ever run with my pack again? I'd been Rowan's third, responsible for keeping order, for standing between the pack and anything that threatened it. That had been my job—to protect the humans in our territory and keep the dark things at bay. Enemies of shifters lurked on the edges of the world, and it was our job to keep them there, no matter the cost. It was simple. It made sense.

I'd worked next to Rowan and Jasper for years, and now? What would my role be if I wasn't in Black Lake or Kootenay anymore? What if I couldn't find the other relics?

We slowed as the forest thinned, and the outline of the building emerged through the trees, a dark silhouette against the dimming sky. Kael's wolf went rigid, ears pricked forward.

Callista's voice touched my mind again. Let's scout the perimeter. See if there's anyone here.

Kael let out a low growl in protest, circling Callista briefly. He didn't like splitting up from her—I could feel that loud and clear, even without hearing his thoughts directly. But she nudged him back with a flick of her tail, and I wished I could hear whatever words she sent his direction.

Reluctantly, Kael fell back beside me, his muscles coiled. Part of me hoped one of the alphas threatened Callista. I'd love to see how fast Kael ripped out their throat.

Together, we moved through the underbrush, working our way toward the building from different angles, each step careful and deliberate. We circled, searching for any sign of life, but found nothing.

No vehicles. No lights. No movement. Even the scents I was picking up felt stale.

Anything? I pushed to Callista. All I got back was a low growl of frustration. When we met up back where we'd started, Kael didn't waste any time shifting back to human form. I turned and did the same, quickly pulling my clothes from the backpack.

After tying my boots, I stood and wove through the trees to the entrance.

Kael blocked my way. "We don't know what's inside."

"Isn't your friend inside? That's why we're here, right?" I snapped, then pursed my lips. I wasn't angry with Kael or Callista. I was just on edge.

Kael stepped back, giving me a look. We both knew I wasn't there for his friend. I was there because the alphas were ten steps ahead of us in searching for these relics. They'd already found the dagger. There was a good chance they had a lead on another one, and I needed to know what they did.

"Give me a couple of minutes." Kael set down his pack, then stalked off before either of us could argue. He was learning. I had to give him that.

Callista watched him go, then started twisting her fingers together.

"He'll be fine," I murmured.

"They'll kill him if they find him."

I scoffed. "I doubt they trap like I do, and with you here, I think he'd cut through all three of them without blinking."

Callista gave a nervous laugh. "How are you holding up?"

I shrugged. "Fine. How's Blake?"

"He's good. Honestly, I think he likes feeling needed. He drifted in the days after Kitimat dissolved."

I understood that. Better than anyone at the moment.

Kael appeared next to us a few moments later, breathing hard. "I can't see any signs of life."

"Perfect. Then what are we waiting for?"

"Lana," Kael's voice was low, a warning.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to meet his eyes. They were like storm clouds, dark and swirling with barely contained fury. "I know. I know it's stupid to rush in. But I can't just sit here. It's pulling me. I can't explain it, but I have to go in."

Kael stared at me for a moment longer, then exhaled slowly. He glanced at Callista, who gave a small nod. "Fine. But we go in together. And we stay together."