I snarled, and the sound echoed through the forest like thunder. One of the rogues whimpered and took a step back. The other two held their ground, but I could smell their fear.
"New deal," I said, my wolf voice coming out deep and resonant. "You leave me alone, and I let you walk away. You try to take me to Victor, and I paint this clearing with your blood."
I was bluffing, I didn't want to kill anyone if I could avoid it. But they didn't know that.
The rogues looked at each other, having some kind of silent conversation. Finally, the largest one shifted back to human form, holding up his hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright," he said. "No need for violence. We'll leave you alone. Five thousand ain't worth dying for."
"Smart choice," I said. "And if you see Victor? Tell him I'm not afraid of him anymore. Tell him if he wants me, he can come get me himself."
It was a stupid thing to say, taunting a dangerous enemy. But I was tired of running scared. I was tired of being treated like prey.
The rogues retreated quickly, disappearing into the forest. I waited until I couldn't hear them anymore before shifting back to my human form. The blanket-and-jacket outfit I'd put together had survived the shift somehow, though it looked even more ridiculous now.
I needed real clothes. And shoes. My feet were tough from years of walking barefoot in the pack house, but the forest floor was brutal.
I continued west, more cautiously now. If word about Victor's bounty had spread this far already, I needed to be even more careful.
Two nights later, I came across a small house on the edge of pack territory, I could smell the border markers nearby. A clothesline in the back had clothes hanging to dry, including some jeans and a shirt that looked about my size.
I felt guilty about stealing, but I needed clothes more than I needed a clear conscience. I waited until the lights in the house went out, then crept close and took the jeans, shirt, and a pair of boots that had been left by the back door. I left five of my remaining dollars tucked under a rock as payment, hoping it was enough.
The clothes fit reasonably well, and the boots were a little big but better than nothing. For the first time since I'd escaped Silverwood, I felt almost human again.
I was getting close to the edge of the region I knew, moving into territories I'd only heard about in stories. The forest was changing, different trees, different sounds, different smells. I was truly leaving everything familiar behind.
On my seventh night of travel, I crossed into what I thought might be neutral territory based on the lack of border markers. I was exhausted, my supplies were almost gone, and I was starting to wonder if I'd made a terrible mistake leaving Silverwood.
At least there, I'd had shelter and regular meals, even if they were scraps. Out here, I had nothing but what I could carry and what I could find.
I was sitting by a stream, drinking water and trying to convince myself to keep going, when I heard footsteps approaching. Not trying to be stealthy, whoever it was wanted me to know they were coming.
I tensed, ready to run or fight, but the person who emerged from the trees wasn't what I expected. It was an old woman, the same one who'd given me the tea. Helena.
"Hello, Nessa," she said with a warm smile. "You've come far."
I stared at her in shock. "How... How did you find me?"
"I've been watching over you," Helena said, sitting down on a log near me. "From a distance, of course. I wanted to make sure you survived the awakening and the escape."
"Who are you?" I demanded. "Really? And don't give me mysterious non-answers. I deserve the truth."
Helena studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "You're right. You do deserve the truth." She sighed heavily. "I was the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack, before Victor Strand destroyed us. I survived because I was visiting another pack when the attack happened. By the time I returned, everyone was dead. Including your parents."
My throat tightened. "You knew my parents?"
"I knew them well. Your father w.as my nephew, making you my great-niece. Your mother was a warrior, fierce and brave." Helena's eyes grew distant with memory. "When you were born, we all knew you were special. The birthmark, the way the moon seemed to shine brighter the night you arrived, all signs that you carried the strongest Silver Moon bloodline in generations."
"Then why didn't anyone protect us?" I asked, anger rising in my voice. "Why did Victor succeed in killing everyone?"
"Because we were complacent," Helena said sadly. "We'd been powerful for so long, we forgot that power makes enemies. Victor spent years building alliances, gathering rogues, planning his attack. When he struck, we weren't prepared." She reached out and touched my hand. "Your mother's servant managed to get you out before the pack house fell. She carried you to the Silverwood border and left you there with nothing but a blanket and a prayer that you'd be found. Then she went back to fight and died with the rest of our pack."
I felt tears on my cheeks. All these years, I'd thought I was abandoned, unwanted. But my parents had died trying to save me. Someone had sacrificed everything to give me a chance at life.
"Why didn't you come for me?" I asked. "Why leave me in Silverwood all those years?"
"Because Victor was hunting for survivors," Helena said. "He knew about you, knew there was a baby who'd escaped. If I'd tried to claim you, he would have found us both. I had to wait until you were old enough to survive on your own, old enough that your powers might awaken." She smiled sadly. "I've been in Silverwood for weeks, watching you, waiting for the right moment. When Marcus rejected you, I knew it was time. The trauma would either kill you or break open the locks on your power. I'm glad it was the latter."
"So you've been following me this whole time?"
"Watching over you," Helena corrected. "Making sure Victor's hunters didn't catch you, steering helpful resources in your direction when I could. The cabin you found that first night? I made sure you'd come across it. The house with the clothes? I may have mentioned to the owner that they should do laundry that day."
I didn't know whether to be grateful or angry that I had help without knowing it. "Why reveal yourself now?"
"Because you need guidance," Helena said firmly. "Your power is growing, but you don't know how to control it. You're heading toward The Nightshade Pack, which is good, their Alpha is honorable. But you need to be prepared for what comes next. Victor won't stop hunting you, and now that word is spreading about a silver wolf with unusual abilities, others will come looking too. Some will want to help you, others will want to use you, and some will want you dead."
"So what do I do?" I asked, feeling overwhelmed.
"You learn to fight properly. You train your abilities. You get stronger." Helena pulled a small leather journal from her bag and handed it to me. "This belonged to your mother. It contains everything she knew about our bloodline's abilities, training exercises, and information about allies who might still be loyal to the Silver Moon name."
I took the journal with trembling hands. My mother had touched this. Had written in it. It was a piece of her, a piece of my heritage.
"There's also a map inside," Helena continued. "It shows safe houses between here and Nightshade territory, places where friends of our pack used to live. I don't know if they're still there or if they'd help, but it's worth trying. You don't have to do this alone, child."
"Will you come with me?" I asked, suddenly desperate not to be alone again.
Helena's expression filled with sadness. "I can't. Victor knows what I look like, and I'm too old to fight the way I once could. If I travel with you, I'll only slow you down and draw attention. But I'll continue watching from a distance when I can, helping where I'm able. And when you reach The Nightshade, ask for their Alpha, Ezra Blackwood. Tell him Helena sends her regards. He'll understand."
She stood up, preparing to leave. I stood too, clutching the journal.
"Thank you," I said. "For the tea, for watching over me, for telling me the truth."
"You're family, Nessa. The last of the Silver Moon bloodline. Of course I'd help you." She touched my cheek gently. "Your parents would be so proud of the woman you're becoming. Strong, brave, a survivor. That's the Silver Moon way."
Then she turned and walked back into the forest, disappearing between the trees like she'd never been there at all.
I sat back down and opened the journal with shaking hands. The first page had a picture drawn in ink, a family portrait. A man with kind eyes, a woman with a warrior's stance, and between them, a baby with a crescent moon birthmark.
My family, My real family.
I turned the page and began to read.