swallowed

t slapping against old roots and damp earth. My nightshirt snagged

at happened if the

'd believed the elders when they said, "Th

ol

ar

ms, just

ies down before th

hance. And I int

The riders weren't close yet, but they were trained hunters-l

ge and unsettling. It wasn't painful-just... alert. Awake. Like

ull awa

a sh

sper of power I never

r at the forest's edge-the one I used to climb as a chil

k, E

can

ar to the north. The border lands were too d

ri

the far side of the marsh. In my first life, my brother and I hid there during

ne had shifted mor

gh the trees, carrying the

os

cl

ppeared through the darkness, their torches casti

ordered. "The King said th

mach t

't say

id th

ne was d

ore I even stepped outside my door. This time..

o

ry advantage

g his torch toward th

fr

he dirt. "She's bare

ollowing the prints that led deeper

ll mi

hing but flickers between the trees. Only th

shaky hand

a

cu

o

d low, and avoided snapping branches, I cou

ped fo

ot slid i

inst the stone hard enough to sting. The faint hum unde

my breath, flexing my fingers. Whatever was inside

e time to fi

ks, careful and quick. When I finally heard the

made

ched low, peering through the reeds. No torches. No ho

o

t a time,

ngs, but I kept moving until I was deep enough to c

to my skin like ice.

elf it did

path Draven w

y first life

tried to

e myself un

ime, I

e trembled. Water dripped from my hair and clothes, but I kept

d in this timeline,

allo

'd imp

rsh. Frog calls replaced the crackle of branches. The

th

er

isible throug

nted

en w

f a familiar, fo

ost made m

the old warped door behind me. Dust coated the brok

nough

iest corner, hugging

n with fear and memory. My heart thudded painfully,

truth gr

en wouldn't fin

gain let the Alpha