1. Elara

Elara blinks up at the ceiling above her bed, trying to slow her out-of-control thoughts.

It doesn't work.

Her mind's racing and has been since she left the forest.

Being part of the pack, even unofficially, was exhilarating. Remembering running in wolf form makes her long for it again. But last night had been so much more than that. Kade's eyes haunt her every time she closes her own, blazing anger and aching sadness quickly following.

Why did he do this to her? Had he also just shifted, and did it without any memory of it?

For some reason, Elara doubts it. Kade carries his identity with the sureness of someone who knows who he is. What he is.

And what he needs to do.

He did this to her for a reason. He changed her destiny because of a supernatural war she doesn't understand.

Hot on the heels of the anger and betrayal is guilt at bringing this trouble to someone else"s doorstep.

Elara sighs as she tries to blink away the gritty feeling in her eyes. She got home in time to clean herself and climb into bed, but sleep was never going to happen. She needs to go see Laith and tell him what he is since it's unlikely he remembers last night. Considering how much it hurt that Kade kept the truth from her, she can't do the same to Laith.

The smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen lures her out of bed, so she dresses for the day and tries her best to cover up the dark circles under her eyes. She stumbles into the kitchen and sits at the bar while her father finishes sausages and biscuits for all of them.

"Good morning, honey," her mother says as she gets cutlery from the drawer. "You know, I"m so glad you seem to be doing better now, but I keep worrying we"re going to wake up to you being back at the dorms one morning." Her mother chuckles, and Elara gives a soft smile in return, placing her chin against her palm.

"When I go back, which I'm sure I will soon, I"ll tell you first," she promises.

Her grumbling stomach leads her to turn toward the plates being set out, and she snatches up as many sausages as she can get away with and a biscuit, drizzling gravy on top before practically inhaling it.

"So, any plans for today?" her mother asks as she pointedly wipes the grease from her mouth

Elara realizes she"s been eating like a pig, so she reaches across the counter for the paper towels dabs at her mouth and wipes her hands before responding. "I"m actually going to go get some exercise or something. I could use it. And then I might go see my friends."

"Didn"t you just see them?" her mother asks, and Elara can"t help but roll her eyes. She definitely needs to get back to the dorm now that she can control herself better. She just didn"t want to be shifting and wolfing out on campus and changing a bunch more people—ones who would likely die considering what Kade told her.

Before she can answer, her father chimes in. "Calm down, Rose. She"s in college now. It"s perfectly normal to be making these kinds of long-term connections."

Elara gives him a grateful smile before grabbing her keys and purse and leaving with a heartfelt thank you. She gets back into the same car she just exited two hours before and pulls out her phone, sending a text to Denzel.

I'm going to go talk to Laith and tell him the truth.

She isn"t the only one who hasn"t slept much, apparently, since he answers her immediately. Let me know when you"re done. We can officially meet.

Okay.

Elara sets her phone down inside her purse and buckles herself in before driving toward Laith's house. With it being Sunday, there are very few people on the road, and it doesn't take long for her to pull into his driveway. She looks up at the huge house in awe but wonders if Laith even enjoys it considering he's almost always alone. As annoying as her parents can be, she"s glad she gets to be close to them.

She gets out of the car and shuts the door, which Laith must hear because he"s at the front door before she can even get up the steps.

"Elara!" he says excitedly, his eyes bright as he pushes his hair out of his face. "I just had the wildest dream, though I can"t remember all of it. Kind of glad someone is here to tell it to." He squints up at the sun still making its way above the trees. "It's a little early, though, isn"t it?"

Surprised at his energy and worried about revealing that his dream is likely not a dream at all, Elara forces her teeth to grit into an awkward smile. "Maybe, but I couldn"t sleep. I actually came to talk about something, if that"s okay."

He moves to the side, holding the door open so she can enter.

The house is beautiful. Impossibly high ceilings, chandeliers, windows she imagines must require special equipment to wash...but it's so very quiet. Not even a dog barking or a cat rubbing itself against the expensive furniture. No signs of life at all other than Laith.

"This place is gorgeous, but kind of quiet," she comments, working herself up to the conversation.

Laith smiles crookedly as he stops in what looks like a living room from Vogue. "Elara, you've never been too big on small talk. Why don"t you come sit and tell me why you're really here?"

Elara nods as her heart thumps against her ribs like an animal trying to escape a cage. Will he guess it was her who changed his life forever? Mistake or not, she doesn"t like that being on her conscience. How Kade lives with the deaths of so many he turned on purpose, she can"t fathom.

They sit down on a sofa, facing each other. Elara shuffles to the edge as she tries to figure out how to broach the subject.

"Why don"t you tell me about your dream first," she finally says, hoping her tone is friendly and not giving away her nerves.

"It"s so strange, and I can only remember bits and pieces." He rubs his forehead beneath his bangs. "But there were these wolves outside my house, and we all ran through the woods or something. Then…" Laith pauses and looks at Elara, realization dawning in his eyes.

Elara nods, waiting for him to fill in his own blanks.

"It wasn't just a dream, was it?"

Elara wipes her sweaty hands down her jeans. "No, it wasn"t. I was there, I saw it too." She hesitates, having never expected to say the following words. "We"re werewolves, Laith."

"Wait!" He stands up so fast that she jumps in her seat. "You mean I have magic, and I'm a werewolf?"

Elara nods, trying not to wince.

Suddenly, Laith's hauling her up from the couch and laughing. "That's so freaking cool!" He hugs her, then spins her, then hugs her even tighter.

Elara can't help but smile. Laith's joy is the balm her guilt needs. Except he has no idea that being a witch and a werewolf isn't normal in the world of the supernatural.

She pulls back, looking up at him. "Laith, this stuff is serious. It can be dangerous."

He releases her, rubbing the back of his head as he grins crookedly. "Okay, that"s fair, but it's still pretty awesome." He sits back down, patting the cushion beside him. "So, I guess I turned last night then?"

Elara nods as she also sits. She's glad Laith's reaction is much different from her own.

"How do you know about all this stuff?" he asks, bouncing a little in his seat.

"When I turned, a wolf named Denzel found me. He's part of a pack here in Mercy City. He actually wants to meet you, if you"re up for it. The pack helped you stay safe last night."

Elara looks down as she says it, knowing that"s a half-truth.

"Wow, okay, sure." Laith shoots to his feet again, looking like he may never sit again. "What am I saying? Of course, I want to meet him! I"ll drive?"

"Sure," she says, standing, too. This is going far more smoothly than she expected. "Lead the way."

Laith hugs her one more time, then makes his way into a garage that houses four cars, Elara almost envies him, and not for the wealth he obviously lives in. Learning the truth is good news for him. A future he welcomes.

Which is about as far opposite as possible from how she feels.

"Laith, this is Denzel,"Elara says as the two shake hands. A bird trills somewhere high in the canopy of the forest near Denzel's house, but apart from that, they're alone.

Denzel assesses Laith, who"s still completely chuffed at the idea of being a werewolf. For the first time, Elara can"t help but smile, regardless of the fact she doesn"t feel as great about it as he does.

"Looks like you're taking the news rather well," Denzel comments.

Laith shrugs. "I"ve never really been, ah, anything. Finding out that I"m a supernatural being with magical powers is pretty awesome. At least to me." Laith shoves his hands in his pockets, Denzel"s presence clearly causing him to be nervous.

"Did Elara fill you in on everything?"

He nods. "She told me most of it on the car ride over. All about what happened last night and how there"s a pack and some kind of war going on. It's a lot, but she said you'd be able to help me like you've been helping her."

Denzel looks back and forth between Elara and Laith. "So you both want to join the Shadowgrace pack?"

Laith's agreement is instant, even though he's only known the truth for less than an hour. He's willing to embrace this new life with excitement and enthusiasm.

Yet Elara hesitates. Kade's words of warning slip through her mind, unbidden.

You don't understand! He's not safe to be around. You're not safe with him.

Even before they've finished, Elara's tilting her chin up. She was never safe with Kade. Her heart betrayed her, her instincts were way off. She should never have trusted him.

"Yes, I want to join the Shadowgrace pack, alpha," she says, her voice strong and clear.

She's not sure if she's making sure she cements her own commitment, or whether she's throwing the statement out to the universe.

Take that, Kade.

Denzel nods. "You'll meet them when you're ready. For now, we train."

Laith grins as he rubs his hands together. "More than happy to. When do we start?"

Denzel steps around them and walks toward the back of the house and Laith happily follows. Elara has to focus on lifting her feet to do the same. Why is Denzel waiting to introduce them to his pack? When will they be ready, whatever that means?

Elara shakes her head, then jogs to catch up. She can't hesitate. She can't second guess.

Because there's only one thing she knows rights now.

She can't do this alone.