AARYN

Aaryn and Tarkyn were just approaching the house in companionable silence when the door swung open and Rhoda rushed out, her eyes going wide as she drew up short at the sight of him.

"Oh, Aaryn! Thank goodness, I was just coming to find you!"

Aaryn froze. A chill rolled down his spine, and he felt Tarkyn tense at the scent of fear on the wise-woman as well. "What is it? What's going on?" he asked hurriedly. "Is she hurt?"

"Not… not exactly." She glanced back over her shoulder. A low growl was vibrating through the room behind her. Aaryn frowned. "You'll need to come inside." The older woman turned, beckoning him back into the house, sending a nervous glance over her shoulder at Tarkyn, which would have piqued Aaryn's curiosity if he hadn't been so terrified of what he was going to find inside.

When the stepped in, at first he only saw Eadhye, sitting on the couch, her face pained, clutching a piece of paper in her hands.

When she looked up and saw Aaryn, tears sprang into her eyes.

Aaryn's heart plummeted to his toes. "Eadhye! What's going on?!"

Then the growl he'd heard turned into a snarl and Aaryn whirled. Just behind him Tarkyn cursed.

A large, beautiful, near-white wolf crouched near the base of the stairs. Her coat was thick and silky and she stood easily as high as Aaryn's waist. Or she would have.

She was currently half-crouched, her head low and lips peeled back to bare her teeth, ears flattened and her eyes fixed on Aaryn.

For a moment Aaryn was only confused—who had shifted? What was—

Then it hit him.

He'd heard the stories, knew when his mother went walking she often shifted to her beast. But she'd always been so careful to keep it away from Aaryn. She felt that it only rubbed salt into his wounds to see her enjoying something that he couldn't.

If he'd been clearer headed he might have made the connection sooner, but it took catching her scent—different in the beast, but still with that unique, floral element of his mother's normal scent—to click.

"Mom?" His voice was too high, crackling like has a child, pleading.

She stopped growling and licked her lips, the smacking sound bouncing off the walls of the room. Aaryn's jaw dropped. "What—?"

But then Tarkyn moved to put himself between the wise women and his mother's beast, and her eyes snapped back to his large frame and her growling began again.

Aaryn didn't take his eyes off of her. He'd seen plenty of Anima in their beast forms—spent hours with Elreth training when she was in hers—but he'd never seen his mother like this.

She was beautiful, and strong.

So strong.

Aaryn put his hands up, palms towards her. "We won't hurt you, Mom. We aren't… we don't want to hurt you. Come back. Please. No one's going to hurt you."

But even though she stopped growling, she didn't submit, kept her head low and hackles up, her eyes darting to anyone who moved.

"What happened?" Aaryn asked her, but it was Eadhye who answered.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" she said. "I tried to stop her—"

"Tried to stop what?!" Aaryn asked carefully.

"I have a letter," Eadhye said faintly. "I've been trying to get her to come back. But she's just getting more and more agitated and aggressive. I didn't know what to do. I went out with her last night, but she ran and I had to follow her…" She dissolved into tears and Aaryn's heart sank.

No. It didn't sink, it began to tear.

"Mom?" he murmured. "Come back… please?"

She looked at him. She wasn't growling anymore, but she just stared at him, her eyes a gorgeous amber that felt like they could see through him. She fixed her gaze on him and…

And it wasn't his mother.

"What the hell happened?" he said through his teeth. "You said she'd be safe! You said it was fine. That I didn't need to be here—"

His mother's beast began to growl again, and this time prowling slowly forward—right for Aaryn.

He put his hands up again. "I'm not going to hurt her!" he said hurriedly. "I just want to understand!"

Behind him, Tarkyn leaned in. "Maybe she'll do better if we all step outside? If things are quiet in here? Our females always prefer low light and silence when they're tense."

Still desperately confused and afraid to even though to the suspicion that was rising, clamoring to be heard, Aaryn nodded and started backing up. Behind him Tarkyn was gathering up the two females and ushering them out. Aaryn was grateful, because he couldn't take his eyes off his mother.

She was beautiful. She'd stopped growling when they gave her more space. She didn't move, but watched them all retreat, Aaryn last to step out of the door and turn.

Anima were beginning to emerge from their homes and Aaryn waited until two of their neighbors, Equines, passed with a small wave and curious looks. But at least they didn't stop and ask if something was wrong.

Aaryn waited until they were out of earshot, then turned to Eadhye, who had her hands over her mouth and was staring at him through eyes shining with tears.

He swallowed hard. "I don't think we should leave her. But I need you to tell me, right now, what the hell has been happening? Where have you been? Why is she in beast form? And why won't she come back? She has the control—unless… is that something they can lose if they don't use it for a long time? I don't know how long it's been since she shifted. She'd never do it in front of me."

Eadhye stared at him sadly, another tear rippling down her face, to follow one of the lines in her cheek, to her jaw. "I'm so sorry, Aaryn. I tried to bring her back. I really did."

Aaryn growled. "Why do you keep saying that she's gone. She's not gone. She's right here!"

Eadhye stepped forward and put a gentle hand to his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Aaryn. She's gone silent. She's not coming back. She's not here anymore. Not really."

*****

IMPORTANT NOTE about the future of this book in the author note below, please read!