Nate's POV
Axel stopped at the porch steps and looked back at us. The playful light in his eyes dimmed, replaced by that ancient, heavy stare he'd had since he was a toddler.
I was surprised that he laughed so heartily seconds ago. He didn't do that so often, he wasn't quite like his siblings.
"Since that night," he said quietly. "Since the night the mountain tried to take me. It didn't just leave scars, Mom. It left a map. I've been harnessing the frequencies ever since. It's easier when the world is quiet, like it is here."
I stepped forward, with my hands shaking. I looked at the way the shadows seemed to curl around Axel's feet, almost affectionately. The "Keeper" wasn't just a title. It was something deeper.
"He's a wizard," I breathed, the word feeling clumsy on my tongue. "Dahlia, look at him. He's more than a wolf, he's definitely not a human... he's a wizard. Like the ones from the old Pack legends. The ones who could weave the world out of nothing."
