Sasha slid the book back into its place with a sigh. She had been reading and going through books all morning, and she had yet to find what she was looking for. At this point, she was ready to just storm out of the library and call it a day, but something stopped her. A little voice in the back of her mind made her grab another book, plop down into a chair, and read the ancient words that spoke of extinct packs, famous Alphas, and fierce battles. Although some of it interested her, it wasn't what she was here for. Sasha needed to know where the Djinn's current location was, and how to transport to him; and knowing the Djinn, Sasha knew that it wasn't going to be easy.

It wasn't easy to track down a creature that would rather be left alone.

"Blah blah blah," Sasha growled as she flipped through more pages. Closing the volume and laying it on the table beside her, she stood up and made her way over to the long row of bookshelves. Sasha pressed a knuckle to her lips as her eyes scanned the many shades of browns and blacks. Most, if not all of the books, were ancient and leather bound, their covers hardened and cracked with age. She had to be careful using these volumes because if she harmed the book in any way, the Luna would never allow her back into the library.

"Have you found anything yet?" Sasha turned around as the Luna seemed to materialize out of thin air. Usually, she was pretty good on sensing when a wolf was near, but she had been so fixated on finding a book, that she had been taken by surprise; though she'd never admit it.

"No," Sasha shook her head. "Not yet."

Alexandra approached, her head tilted to the side in curiosity. The she-wolf was just barely taller than Sasha's five foot, five frame, but the woman's dark eyes and confident posture made her look so intimidating and.... in control. Sasha knew that Alexandra wasn't afraid of a fight.

"Dillon said I would find you in here." The Luna said, trailing a sharp nail along the spines of the books. Sasha watched as the she-wolf's eyes began to glow with emotion; the darkness melting into a light brown that reminded Sasha of honey.

"What exactly are you looking for? How can he help my daughter?" Alexandra asked, turning to look at the Oracle with haunting eyes.

Sasha shrugged. "Razbin is an extremely intelligent being that, when pushed, will do what you are asking of him; and he owes me a favor anyway, so I will have him tell me what curse Adeline has, and hopefully, who cursed her."

"When pushed?"

Sasha mentally kicked herself. Alexandra was already nervous about meeting with a being, but then again, the Luna had never met the Djinn. Alexandra didn't know how Razbin was, or how to deal with him and his over-inflated head. Maybe I shouldn't bring the Alpha pair with me to find Razbin, Sasha thought.

"So... he's evil?" Alexandra asked, her eyes glowing with the presence of her wolf. Sasha knew that if she said the wrong thing, Adeline's mother wouldn't allow Sasha to seek out the djinn, even if he could help Adeline. Even though Canises were half human, and in their human form most often, their wolf's side was often in charge of family matters; it was in their DNA to protect others, but more often than not, the wolf would make things worse than they really were.

"No," Sasha shook her head. "No, not at all. He's just very," Her mind raced as she tried to find the correct word that could describe the male. "Very greedy."

The she-wolf's eyes narrowed in thought. Sasha crossed her arms over her chest as Alexandra went over the possibilities in her mind. Finally, after a few moments, the Luna nodded her head once. "What do we have to do to find him?"

"First, I need to locate a spell book. Second, I need to perform a Manus apertor cantatio, a Realm Opener Spell." Alexandra's face was emotionless, but her eyes were still glowing.

"If I do the spell correctly, then the realm entrance will appear and lead us to Razbin's palace... But if I do the spell incorrectly, then it'll be hard to help Adeline when we're dead."

At that, Alexandra's eyes widened in shock. Sasha grinned.

"Let's go look for the book, shall we?"

????

Adeline practically threw down the book in frustration. Were there any good books anymore? All of them were dull, repetitive and just downright embarrassing. They were all about Alphas and history and mates; all three of those things didn't interest her whatsoever.

Did this pack have anything other than history volumes?

Getting up off the floor, she walked over to the door that shut out the rest of the world. Since she was on the Alpha floor of the Pack House, she practically had her own library. Before the accident, she hated reading and would never walk into a library, but back then, she didn't have to. Then, she had friends to keep her company, but now, when she spent hours upon hours alone, books replaced those missing from her life. Books gave her freedom and peace.

Staying as close to the wall as possible, Adeline made her way over to the library. She kept her shoulder touching the plaster as her feet carried her past doors and windows and hallways. Not once did she pass another wolf, and for that she was grateful. Adeline wasn't in the mood for side glances and whispers.

Her body was sluggish from the wolfsbane coursing through her veins, and a slight burning sensation tickled her skin from where the needle had entered, but she was determined to find something that she hadn't read yet.

Adeline froze as she looked into the library. Why was the Oracle in here? Why was her mother here? Her mother was never in the library.

Spinning around, Adeline walked away from the library before one of the women had seen her. She didn't feel like talking today, let alone talking to those two. Sasha had stopped by to talk to her a few days ago and explained what she had seen. Adeline was shocked to learn that she had been cursed, but that discovery did nothing to help with Adeline's guilt. If anything, it made it worse. Now, her parents had to deal with a cursed, feral wolf. This wasn't even feeling real to her, and she was half expecting Sasha to approach her and tell her that she really wasn't cursed and that Adeline really did have a bat-crap crazy Beast.

Adeline let out a grunt as she ran face first into a hard chest. Before she could flat on her butt, Adeline managed to catch herself on the wall.

"I'm so sorry," Adeline said as she straightened her posture. "I didn't see you...." Looking up into the face of the person she had just run into, the word fell flat in her throat.

Dark brown eyes alight with mischief stared into hers. The man's face was chiseled with high cheekbones, a strong jawline, a nose that was slightly crooked --probably due to being broken once-- long eyelashes, and two very well formed dimples that deepened as he smiled. Despite having high cheekbones and long lashes, the man was far from feminine. Everything about his screamed masculinity; everything from his dark hair to his earthy, masculine scent. Even though the man was attractive, Adeline didn't feel anything for him. Good, she thought. The last thing I need is some mate-bond opening early.

"Are you okay?" Finnian asked, his voice was deep but smooth. There was no question that he was very confident.

Adeline nodded quickly as a blush warmed her face. She wasn't used to having non-related males around her, or really any male around her.

"I am... Thank you." She said hurriedly. Adeline began to slink past him and towards her safe haven.

Finnian's eyes trailed after her as his full, plump lips set into a straight line.

"It's Addy, right?" He asked. Adeline scowled at him.

"Adeline," She corrected when his mouth broke out into a smug grin. "I prefer Adeline."

When he let out a small chuckle, she moved her legs faster towards her room. Everything that she had felt for him before he had opened his mouth, dissipated. This is why I stay away from males.

"Okay," Finnian's voice trailed after her. "It was nice meeting you, Addy."