Before I knew it, darkness had fallen over the valley and it was time for the Alignment. The Blood Moon. My choice would be finalized and my link with Raydir severed forever.

“Are you nervous?” Darius asked as we dressed for dinner.

“Extremely.” My fingers floated over the necklace that Raydir had given me, and I wondered if I should wear it tonight. “I’m worried about the rogue. My sister’s wolf spirit had already been released when she was attacked but my father…”

“I know you’re worried about him.” Darius reached out and picked up the necklace, helping to clasp it around my neck. “We should go see him.”

I whirled around to face him. “Are you serious?”

Darius nodded. “Well, yeah. Don’t you think your family deserves to know you’ve picked me?”

“It wouldn’t change anything, Darius. I still gave up my title and my life to run away with Raydir. If I go back…” I thought about the whispers from the last time I was in Gwyniar. “No. It’s better this way. Things were already tense the last time I was there. I don’t need to bring up the fact that I’m with the guy I could’ve chosen in the first place.”

Darius raised his eyebrows.

I sighed. “You know I didn’t mean anything about it. This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. I thought I was going to be with Raydir forever.”

He kissed my temple. “It’s okay to be nervous about all of this. C’mon, we should head out. The others will be waiting.” He grabbed my hand and we wandered out of the cabin.

We spotted Raydir and Caesaria talking with Bennett and Rosie deep in conversation when we arrived.

“Good, Arwyn, you’re here,” Bennett said. “We need you and Darius for this part.”

“Part of what?” I asked.

“Your decision,” Raydir explained. His gaze flickered to me and a wave of sadness washed over his face. Despite the darkness that fell over the valley, I noticed Raydir’s eyes seemed bloodshot . “Bennett said that basically the three of us have to make some sort of verbal statement regarding your choice.” I raised my eyebrows and turned to Bennett. “What?”

Bennett glanced at the sky then back to the three of us. “The Alignment is going to happen any second. Arwyn, put your left hand on Raydir’s and Darius put yours on Arwyn’s.”

We followed his instructions.

“Now what?”

“Arwyn, what is your choice?”

I looked between Raydir and Darius. This was it. “D-Darius. My choice is Darius.”

“Darius, do you accept this choice?”

“I do.”

Thunder rumbled above us.

“Raydir, do you relinquish your bond willingly?”

What the hell kind of question is that? Willingly? He doesn’t have a choice! I wanted to scream. Regret washed over me. I wanted to take it all back. It was like my fate ceremony all over again.

“Yes, I do.”

This is for the best, I linked to Raydir for the last time. He stayed silent while I prayed for a response. Anything. I looked for his gaze when a flash of lightning shattered the space between us. All three of us were sent flying in opposite directions. Within seconds, I started to morph.

Dammit, not now.

Flashes of blue and green. Blurred vision. I tried to take in my surroundings but the wolf was too strong. Just like last time, the scent of watergrasses hit my nose almost instantly.

“Fight it,” a voice spoke.

My breath came out in short bursts. “I c-can’t. T-too st-strong.”

“Arwyn, breathe.” A dark brown wolf nudged me with its snout. Dark brown. Not grey, like Darius. Not blonde, like Raydir.

“Who are you?”

“You don’t recognize your own sister?”

Howls echoed through the valley and the world went black.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Arwyn!” someone yelled in my ear as they shook my shoulder. “Arwyn!”

I blinked my eyes open. It was still dark out, but Raydir was crouched by my side back in human form.

Wait. Raydir?

“Ray, where’s Darius?” Agh, why did my throat hurt so much?

“He’s around somewhere. Here”—he reached his hand out to me—“let’s go find him together.”

I gratefully accepted his hand, and we began to walk through the woods together. “Thank you. And I’m—”

“Don’t say it, Ar. Not now.”

I nodded slowly. “So do you remember anything from last night?”

Raydir shook his head. “Absolutely nothing. And no one else seems to remember anything either.”

“Who else did you see?”

“Bennett and Cae. Both of them were just as out of sorts as you.”

We trudged through the woods, the leaves crunching under our feet. I wanted to break the silence, but nothing felt like quite the right conversation starter. That is, until the sound of someone groaned had me and Raydir off running.

Please don’t let it be Darius.

Another groan; it was louder this time so we assumed we were getting close. My heart froze. Laying on the path in front of us, was Darius, a gash along his arm. “Darius?”

He groaned in reply.

“Oh my God. Darius!” I ran over to his side. “Ray, we have to do something!”

“Okay, hold on a second.” Raydir pulled off his shirt and ripped at it, tying the pieces around the wound on Darius’ arm.

“Alright, hold still. I don’t know how deep the wound is but I need to get some more materials.”

My heart beat double time in my chest. Gosh, he could just not catch a break. First I shot him with an arrow, and now this…

“Darius, what happened?” I crouched by his side, taking his hand in mine.

“Rogue,” he sputtered out. “Attacked.”

“Just your arm or anywhere else?”

He started to shake his head but then threw it back in pain. Through gritted teeth, he managed to say, “Arm.”

“Oh my god. Oh my god.” I couldn’t believe this had happened. Which rogue had it been? Surely, there had to be more than one. And hadn’t Caesaria said that this Alignment made people more likely to turn rogue? Was it possible it was a new rogue? “What do we do now?”

Raydir ran a hand through his hair. “Stay here and keep Darius comfortable. Take his mind off the pain. I will be right back. And we’ll need to transport him to the medical cabin.”

“Arwyn.” Darius’ voice strained as he attempted to reach up to touch my cheek.

I clasped my fingers around his. “No, don’t say anything. Don’t hurt yourself.” I frantically looked around. “Um, can you—are you able to move at all? Maybe you should sit up against that tree.”

Darius winced. “I’m fine, Ar. Really. Maybe you could talk to me? Raydir said to keep my mind off the pain.”

I nodded. “Right. Take your mind off the pain. Of course that’s what to do. Um…” My mind drew a blank. How exactly was I supposed to distract him?

“Arwyn.” He squeezed my hand. “Breathe. I’m going to be fine. It’s just a scratch. Not unlike the day you shot me with that arrow.”

I gasped. “Darius! Why would you bring that up?”

He let out a small laugh. “I’m just teasing, you know I don’t blame you for that.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “This is serious, Darius. Don’t scare me like that. Now, what can I do to take your mind off of it?” Hurry up, Raydir.

“Talk to me about anything.”

I wiped my hands on my pants, wracking my brain for moments I could talk about. “Okay. Anything. Um…oh! Do you remember the day we met? When you ran me down in the village in Gwyniar?”

“I did not run you down!” he protested.

“You totally did.” My eyes flickered down to his arm. The fabric from Raydir’s shirt had turned a dark crimson and the skin around the wound had already started to blister. “God, that looks awful.”

“Arwyn, that’s not helping.” He grimaced.

“Sorry.” I tucked my hair behind my ears. “I just want to make sure you’re alright. You were attacked by a rogue. I just…I don’t remember what happened last night and the only one I wanted to see when I woke up was you. What if making this choice is what caused you to get hurt?”

Darius leaned forward and pressed a kiss against my lips. “I didn’t get hurt because of you. None of this is your fault. We knew something like this could happen with the rogues. And last night—”

Darius cut me off, a grin spreading across his face. “I love you.”

I blinked. “What?”

Did he really just say what I think he did?

“Okay, I’m back.” Raydir’s voice filled the silent void between us, breaking the tension while causing so much more. There must’ve been a ton of attacks tonight because the medical cabin is overflowing—what did I miss?”

I averted my gaze. “Nothing. I was just keeping Darius distracted like you wanted me to. What can I do to help?”

“Go and get some sleep,” Raydir replied. “I can take it from here.”

“Are you sure? Because if you need another set of hands—”

“He said he has it covered, Arwyn,” Darius answered, clearly in both physical and emotional pain. “I’m fine, really. Go get some sleep.”

I swallowed, wishing I could rewind the last 5 minutes. “Okay.” I leaned over and kissed him. This time his kiss felt hollow, empty. “I’ll see you later. Take care of him, Ray, got it?”

“I will.” He gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before I took off in the other direction.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“He said what?” Caesaria asked when I relayed the full story back at her cabin while I repeatedly smashed my face into a pillow.

I rolled onto my back. “He said he loves me.”

“And what did you say?”

“I said ‘what?’ and then Raydir came back so I couldn’t exactly say anything else. But what the hell did he expect me to do?”

“I think he probably expected an ‘I love you too’, Ar,” she said quietly

I groaned. “Then he should’ve picked a different moment to tell me.”

Caesaria raised her eyebrows. “Because you needed time to think about it?”

“Because he’s hurt, Cae. He’s delirious. He was attacked by a rogue during the Alignment and he’s in pain. And he chose to tell me in the middle of the woods while waiting for Raydir to bring help. It couldn’t have been worse timing.”

“It’s not about the timing. He’s also in love, Ar,” she pointed out. “He’s in love with you and he’s hoping that you’re in love with him too. Last night on the Blood Moon…that was you declaring that you want to spend your life with him. So yeah, he loves you. And I hope you love him too.”

Silence fell between us.

“Are you in love with him?” she asked.

“Of course I am. I just…”

“You just what, Arwyn?”

“I need time.” I sighed. “I shouldn’t need time, but I do. I love him, truly, I do. But everything is happening so fast. We just started dating, and I wouldn’t even call it that—it’s just sex. Pure, steamy, wonderful sex. With Raydir, we were together for seven years before we slept together.”

“So? Darius isn’t Raydir.”

“My point is it’s too soon. I just chose him last night.”

Caesaria shook her head. “No, Arwyn. This choice has been a long time in the making. You chose him the first day you ran into him. You chose him when he taught you arrogance in archery. You chose him when he kissed you the first time, even if it was to supposedly protect you from something in the woods.”

Caesaria’s words hit me like a thousand arrows piercing my skin. It angered me that she was right. It angered me that that made me angry.

“I need to go back.”

“To the woods? I think the guys should be at the medical cabin by now.”

“No. To Gwyniar. I need…I need time.” Even though I had told Darius there was no point in going back to Gwyniar, something nagged at the back of my brain. Maybe going back would grant me some answers while giving me some time to sort out my feelings.

Something you should’ve done before you chose Darius.

“Of course, I understand.”

“I do love him. More than anything. I just…” I trailed off. The lightning strike when I made my choice did not seem normal. “I need some answers and I think Gwyniar will provide those.”

She stood up. “Then go to Gwyniar. I’ll cover for you here.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Now, go! I won’t tell either Ray or Darius, I promise.” She pulled me into a hug. “Good luck.”

I closed my eyes, willing my body to morph back into wolf form. Then with one final glance at Caesaria, who nodded, I bounded off. With the wind pushing me forward, I arrived in Gwyniar a full day and a half later. Despite stopping along the way to stalk some small prey—mostly rabbits—and eat a few berries, my body was exhausted by the time I had morphed back.

Gwyniar seemed darker and less welcoming this time. As I trudged toward the castle, I was once again greeted with whispers and nervous glances.

It was becoming harder and harder to ignore that.

“I’m here to see my parents,” I announced to the guards who stood outside the doors.

The first guard bowed his head, allowing me entry into the palace. My footsteps echoed across the floor as I walked inside.

A shriek sounded from across the room and soon I was tucked into a hug from Ginny, my former ladies’ maid. My heart swelled with joy at seeing her face. I had missed her the last time I was in Gwyniar even though we had stayed in the palace.

“Lady Arwyn, you’ve returned!” she exclaimed.

“Yes, I am. But it’s only temporary. Have you seen my mother?”

Ginny wiped her hands on her skirt. “Tea room. Was she expecting you? No, of course not. You’ve…you’ve been in Darqua. But you’re…here. Now.”

I smiled. “Come with me, Ginny. I certainly have missed you.”

She took my arm and led me over to the tea room where my mother was sitting discussing something in hushed tones with a handful of other women.

I cleared my throat, and the talking silenced. Every pair of eyes in the room locked on me.

“Mother, may I speak with you?”

“Arwyn,” she said in surprise, “you’re back?”

“Temporarily, but yes.” I looked around the room. “Um, could we speak in private?”

“Of course, my darling.” She set her tea cup on the table and excused herself. I followed her up to my old bedchamber, memories flooding back.

“I need to know the truth,” I blurted. “Did Father have anything to do with the talks about an attack on Darqua? Because of the new interim leader?”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “How do you know about that?”

I raised my eyebrows.She wasn’t denying it, but did that mean it was true? “We have our sources out in Darqua. Now answer the question.”

She cleared her throat. “Your father is still recovering from the attack. Last night, he had his first shift and he’s resting.”

“That doesn’t answer the question,” I spat, narrowing my eyes. “Who is in charge while he’s incapacitated?”

“Darling, I know this is going to be difficult for you to take in, but you have to know your father is doing what he knows is best. For once, your father and Duke Alexander have agreed on something. Neither wants to initiate an attack on Darqua.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s a good thing, right? He’s getting better from the attack. He must be ready to get back to giving the orders soon, right?”

She gave me a pained look and my heart sank. “Actually he won’t be returning to leadership after his recovery.”

“W-why not?”

She rested a hand on my shoulder. “Your father has been voted out of leadership.”

“He’s not…we’re not…” The words stuck to my mouth like glue.

“He’s no longer in the position of highest power, but we still keep our titles,” my mother explained.

“So who took his place?” My vision swam. I couldn’t believe this, but at the same time I was relieved that he hadn’t given the order. Either way…

“Duke Castor,” she replied.

My eyes snapped to hers. “Emilia’s fiance? How did he get put in charge?”

She sighed. “It’s politics, darling. I don’t think I’ll ever know.”

“But Castor is my age!” I protested. “What the hell does he know?”

“Language, sweetie. You know a Duchess presents herself—”

“But Mother, I’m not a duchess anymore. You know that. I know that.” I shrugged away from her when all I really wanted was to be cradled in her arms like when I was a child. “If Castor took over, that means, Emilia is liable too. I can’t believe it.”

“There is not much we can do.” She reached out a hand to stroke my hair. “But for now, you should return to Darqua.”

“What about you and Father?”

“We will make it through. But you…Arwyn, you are our last hope. Please do not dwell on us. We will always love you. You will always be our brave little girl. So promise me something.”

“Mother.” My voice broke.”

“Promise me, Arwyn, that you will do whatever you must to fight against Duke Castor.”

“Y-you want me to fight?”

“Yes. Arwyn, I know you don’t want to see us get hurt, but if this escalates into a war, and you and the valley do not fight this, then there will never be peace.”

“I love you, mama.” That was what I had called her when I was a child.

“I love you too.” She kissed my forehead. “Let’s go see your father.”

We walked down the hallway to my parents’ bedchambers. I froze. I hadn’t been inside their room since I was a child when Arabella and I would sneak in and wake them up to look at the stars.

“Theo, darling,” my mother called out. “Arwyn is here.”

Inside the room, my father sat up on the four-poster bed. “Arwyn, what are you doing here?”

I ran over to his side to hug him. “I came back to see you and Mother. The valley knows what’s been going on here in Gwyniar. And I can’t tell you how sorry I am. This isn’t fair. You should still be in power.”

My father pressed a kiss to my forehead. “My darling, Arwyn, I am so glad to see you here. But it’s dangerous. You shouldn’t have come—please understand that that is nothing against you.”

I nodded. “I know the risk. And Castor is in charge now. Maybe I should talk to Emilia—”

“No!” She whipped her head to face me, her eyes wide and her jaw tight. “No, I don’t think that’ll do any good. I know she was your friend, Arwyn, but this is a very tricky situation. You must stay here at the palace tonight and leave first thing in the morning.”

“But Mother—”

“No buts, Arwyn.” She sighed. “We love you. But you can’t return to Gwyniar again.”

“Darqua is your home,” my father said in agreement. “You have a life out there, a wonderful man by your side.”

I looked down at my hands. “Actually, Ray and I aren’t together anymore.”

My parents exchanged a surprised glance.

“And you are happy?” my mother asked, her gaze shifting down to the spot on my neck.

“Very.”

“Good.” She squeezed my hand. “You deserve all the happiness in the world. Your father and I are so proud of you.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. “I love you both.”

“We love you too.”

They embraced me into a hug, and deep inside I knew it would be the last hug we ever shared.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Upon my return to Darqua, I stood frozen in place outside of the Grand Cabin. I was completely shaken by my newfound knowledge yet content with my parents’ acceptance of my decision on the past Alignment. My friends were nowhere to be found, but that was quickly solved when my name echoed through the valley.

“Arwyn!”

I whirled around to see both Darius and Raydir running at me at full speed. Raydir fell back, giving Darius the chance to stop in front of me, waving his arms frantically.

“Where did you go?” he asked, a frown forming on his face. “We’ve been worried about you. You can’t…you can’t just disappear like that, Ar. The rogue situation is not going well.”

I furrowed my brows. “More attacks? I’ve only been gone for a few days.”

“The medical cabin has been overrun,” Raydir explained. “But Darius has a point. Why did you leave? You know it’s dangerous right now.”

“I had to clear my head. I’m sorry. I should’ve said—”

“No!” Caesaria yelled. She marched toward us with her hands on her hips. “You don’t apologize, Arwyn. Neither of you has the right to ask Arwyn where she has been. She owes you nothing.”

“Cae—”

“No, Arwyn. You had every right to leave and catch your breath. The least they can do is give you some space.”

I swallowed. She was right. The time I had taken away in Gwyniar was the most space I’d allowed myself since distancing myself from Raydir and Darius before I made my decision. And even that hadn’t been for long. No, Caesaria had a point. I needed a chance for my independence.

“I left,” I said “because I was scared. Darius, you told me you loved me. And I know it looks like I ran away from that but I wasn’t expecting it at that moment. I know that’s not an excuse—”

“You don’t have to, Ar,” he said quietly. “But I am glad you’re back.” Without another glance in my direction, he sulked off in the other direction.

“Ray?” my voice quivered, turning to Raydir.

“So, what did you find out in Gwyniar?” He refused to meet my eyes for more than a few seconds.

I sighed. “The good news is our fathers are on the same side. The bad news is…my father is no longer in charge. He’s been voted out and Castor is in his place.”

“Wait. Castor, as in Em’s fiance?” Raydir asked.

I nodded. “It’s not looking good for the valley, Ray. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but it’s not good.”

Ray shook his head. “We’ll figure it out. But for now, I have a council meeting to go to.” He started off in the other direction.

“Give them some time to cool off,” Caesaria said. “You did nothing wrong.”

Except I did.

“Right.”

She placed a hand on my shoulder. “Listen, I have to go to that Council meeting. Why don’t you just go to my cabin and I’ll meet you there in a while, okay?”

Caesaria hurried after the guys, leaving me all alone. I trudged over to the cabin to change before heading to the archery range.

But my head wasn’t in the game.

Every single shot either bounced off the target or surpassed it completely. I had been a perfect shot as long as I could remember.

Get a grip, Arwyn. You only left for a couple of days.

I tucked my hair behind my ears and set up with my aim at the target again. The arrow released and perfectly embedded itself on an outer ring.

Well, at least it’s better than nothing.

The sky began to darken, the threat of a looming storm brewing in the distance. I didn’t see how things could get much worse from here.

I shifted into my wolf form, taking off through the woods and abandoning my bow and arrows. Free, with the wind whipping through my fur, my mind began to ease. Maybe it would all work out for the best. Darius needed time. Raydir needed time. Hell, I needed time. Maybe Caesaria was right. This was for the best.