There was a time when Arabella and I would go exploring together after school. We would march through the woods and Arabella would declare herself as our most knowledgeable guide. One day, we came across a fox hole. So tiny, but I guessed it had to be that way for such a tiny creature. It made me realize how precious nature could be.

Shrouded in a layer of darkness, I wished to be back on that day with the fox hole. Maybe then my nerves would have been more at ease.

The cave was massive. Leaves and broken twigs cluttered the entrance. I reached out with a hand to steady myself against the wall. The rocks were smoother against my fingertips than I expected. A wisp of wind blew around me and I shivered. The mingling scents of ginseng and blackberry filled the cave.

This is impressive. We have no idea how the rogue truly lives—an outcast from a land of outcasts.

Taking another step forward, I heard the sound of a twig snapping. My body froze and my gaze traveled to the ground. There was a puddle I hadn’t noticed before right in my path. In the puddle, I swear I could’ve seen the reflection of a man. My heart skipped a beat. It had to be my eyes playing tricks on me. There was no way…no, it couldn’t be. I turned around, holding my breath. The creature standing at the mouth of the cave was none other than the Rogue. Piercing blue eyes and fur black as night. Its wings were tucked in along its back, ready to take flight at any moment.

My heart pounded in my ears. The rogue let out a low growl and took a step forward. We were in a standoff, waiting for the other to make a move.

Another step forward. I stepped back.

The rogue lunged and I shrieked, flicking the puddle of water up into a stream to fend him off. The attack surprised the rogue which gave me enough time to run toward the opening. The rush of the waterfall sounded from somewhere below and the sunlight nearly blinded me as I stumbled outside. The rogue followed me. I called upon the water as my source, but it wouldn’t obey my command.

Come on!

The rogue swiped a claw at me. I ducked. The sound of rushing water filled my ears from the waterfall—and a long drop—below.

Another step toward the edge of the waterfall. A small stream of water trickled slowly up from behind me and the rogue briefly fixated its glance there. In an attempt to roll out of the way, my foot slipped on a loose rock and I shrieked as I fell.

The wind whipped through my hair and I screamed, but the roar of the falls muffled the sound. As I braced myself, something tugged me back up. Within seconds, my back touched the soft grass gently.

What just happened?

The only thing up here was the rogue. There was no way it was the rogue that had saved me, was there?

A face appeared above me, creating a shadow. The rogue looked down, breathing hard. From where I lay on the ground, an earthy smell hit my nose.

I blinked. Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, a man stood before me. Rather, he crouched beside me. Shaggy red hair offset a familiar pair of bright blue eyes and a pale complexion.

Another blink and he shifted back.

I stared, dumbfounded at the creature in front of me. It—er, he sheepishly pawed at the ground before turning away from me. Every few seconds, he would turn back to look at me before continuing forward.

Did he want me to go with him?

As if reading my thoughts, the rogue etched a few symbols into the dirt by the edge of the cave:

ᚠᚱᛁᛖᚾᛞ ᛟᚱ ᚠᛟᛖ

I recognized it as the rune language we were taught in school. Friend or foe?

“Friend,” I said out loud. At least I hope so.

He regarded me carefully, drawing out a new set of symbols. ᚱᛖᛊᛟᚾ (Reason?)

Reason. What was my reason for being here? Why was I here communicating with the creature who’d nearly destroyed the lives of so many.

“Answers. I want answers.”

The rogue bowed his head. ᚠᛟᛚᛚᛟᚹ ᛗᛖ (Follow me). He led me into the cave, staring at me.

“What?”

ᛊᛁᛏ (Sit)

He slinked over to one side and brought back a cluster of berries, nudging them forward with his nose.

“For me?”

Silence.

I plucked one of the berries off of the bunch, popping it into my mouth. The sweetness burst over my tongue in an epitome of flavor. As I ate, the rogue spelled out another word in the dirt.

ᚾᚨᛗᛖ (Name?)

“Arwyn,” I said. “Formerly known as Lady Arwyn Kingston of Gwyniar. And you? I know you’re not just a…rogue.”

ᛚᛟᚱᛞ ᚱᚨᚾᛞᛖᛚ (Lord Randel)

Ah. So he still considered himself a lord.

“Why have you targeted my family?” I blurted.

Randel let out a low growl but still scratched at the dirt. ᚱᛟᚷᚢᛖ ᚲᚢᚱᛊᛖ

Rogue curse? What did that mean? “Why did you save me?”

ᚱᛖᛞᛖᛗᛈᛏᛟᚾ (redemption)

I stood up. Redemption? Did he think saving my life made up for nearly killing my father and actually killing my sister? But then again, we still didn’t know if that was truly him.

“What do you mean ‘redemption’?”

His eyes flashed a rainbow of colors before turning back to an icy blue. He placed a paw on top of my hand and I was immediately transported into a strange sequence of events.

Nine years old. Raydir leaned forward and lightly pressed his lips to mine, his nose squishing against my face. “There. Sealed with a kiss.”

Eighteen years old. We sat in the Flower Gardens, watching the passers-by.

“You look beautiful today,” Raydir said.

My heart beat hard in my chest.

He tucked my hair behind my ears and leaned forward to kiss me. Our first real kiss.

Nineteen years old. Raydir twirled me in the moonlight, our laughs echoing. Then he caught me and pulled me close.

“I love you,” he whispered.

Twenty-five years old. He knelt down on one knee, holding out the engagement ring set with an Alexandrite gem.

“Will you be my forever, love?”

Twenty-five years old. “Is this what you want?” Darius asked, his voice gruff yet comforting.

“I…” I inhaled sharply. “I just want you.” My lips found their way to his, and electricity sparked between us.

“Diana, Phoebe, no running in the halls!”

A voice laughed, followed by a pair of hands that snaked around my middle. “They take after their mother, you know.”

I snapped back to reality and snatched my hand away.

What had I just seen? The future? So why was my future…faceless?

Did this mean…who would be the father of my children?

I was going to have children?

My vision swam. I had to get out of here. I barely felt my feet carry me out of the cave, the rogue close on my heels. I stepped back toward the falls. The water rose up and pressed against my back. Swarming around me in a cocoon, it lowered me into the body of the water.

My gaze traveled to the top of the falls. The rogue was no longer in view, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a threat.

But was it truly a threat?

What had he meant when he said the “rogue curse”? And why my family?

“Arwyn?” Caesaria called in the distance.

“At the lake!” I replied.

She came into view a minute later. “Hey. We’ve been looking for you. When you didn’t show for training, I thought you might be with Darius, but Raydir said you hadn’t come to the medical cabin all morning.”

“Sorry.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I’ve been…exploring.”

She raised her eyebrows like she didn’t believe me.

Damn, I forgot she can sense my thoughts as an empatis. Wait. If she’s a descendant of Randel, did that mean her power was passed down from him as well?

“...Arwyn, I asked you a question.”

My eyes snapped up to hers. “What?”

She furrowed her brows. “Is everything alright? I mean…that feels like a stupid question considering last night, but you seemed…off at breakfast.”

“That’s all?”

Caesaria kicked the ground with the toe of her boot. “And you agreed to help train like it was nothing. Like last night didn’t matter. And then you bailed.”

“Wouldn’t you bail too?” I asked. “I am scared, Cae. All of this is my fault. If only I’d meant the ‘yes’ I’d said to Darius on the night of my Fate Ceremony. And now I can’t imagine life without him.”

“You shouldn’t feel guilty for being happy,” she said. “I could see it on your face last night. And you have every right to be worried about Darius, just like you have every right to take some time for yourself. You didn’t need to agree to the training this morning.”

“I know,” I said. “But you said it yourself—we just have to wait and see what happens. Maybe if I distract myself with training newer warriors, I won’t drive myself to insanity.”

”You need time to sort out your emotions. That’s why I told Rosie and Bennett to give you a break. You don’t need the pressure right now.” Her gaze locked on a spot behind me. “So what did you find while out exploring?”

“The rogue’s cave. Now before you say anything—”

“Without backup?!”

“Cae, let me finish. He saved my life.”

She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips but stayed quiet.

“I was practicing my powers and then boosted myself to the top of the falls. He has a cave—really, he’s made a life for himself up there. At first, there was a…rumble…between us but at one point I slipped and fell over the falls. He grabbed me and brought me to safety.”

“I’m glad you’re okay.” She paused. “But that still doesn’t tell me why we can trust him.”

“I didn’t say we could trust him. But this is what I found out.”

I relayed the full story to Caesaria, including the way the rogue had shifted into a human and how we’d communicated with runes he’d scratched into the dirt. When I was done. Caesaria let out a heavy sigh.

“So it is Randel,” she said. “But he looked…young?”

I nodded. “About our age. Which would make sense given that’s when he turned.”

“That still doesn’t…and he was…you were safe with him?”

“Yes. Temporarily. Cae, I think there might be a way to cure him. And Darius. And everyone else affected.”

“Is that why you volunteered this morning? For the blood sample?”

“I just thought that maybe…you said it yourself—a blood sample could work.”

“To combat the effects of the rogue,” Caesaria said, nodding. “But to create a cure? That I’m not so sure about.”

“Isn’t it worth a try?”

“Yes, it’s just…well, since you and Darius are…intimate…we need to make sure you don’t have any traces of the rogue.”

“I haven’t slept with Darius since before I left the valley. I want to do this, Cae.”

She squeezed my hand. “I know you do. And I have faith that it’ll work.”

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

Twenty minutes later, we were back at the medical cabin to check on Darius. He was sitting up which I took as a good sign, but still looked awful.

Raydir shooed me away from Darius almost immediately to take the blood sample the healers needed that would hopefully counter the reaction to the rogue scratch.

“So,” he said, his gaze briefly fluttering up to meet mine. “How are you feeling?” He brushed his fingers over my skin as he felt for a vein. Even through his gloves, my skin still tingled at his touch.

“I’m doing as well as I think I can be given the circumstances.” I winced as the needle pricked my skin. “This whole situation with the rogue…it’s more complicated than what we think we know.”

“What makes you say that?” He pressed a piece of gauze to my arm.

I hesitated. “It’s just a feeling.”

“Hm.” Raydir secured the vial and passed it to another healer with specific instructions.

“I want to find a cure,” I blurted. “Something, anything, to put the wolf spirit back to rest in each of us.”

Raydir raised his eyebrows. “You really want to do that?”

I nodded. “These wolf spirits have caused each of us so much pain and loss already. I want to stop it. If we can find a way to cure the valley after we’ve saved everyone from the rogue, maybe we can live peacefully.”

“It could work,” he mused. Then his eyes scanned over me, landing on the spot along my collarbone that allowed Darius to claim me as his mate.

“What?” I self-consciously covered the area with my hand.

Raydir frowned. “Your mark is fading.”

“Oh. Oh. Wha—what does that mean? I thought it was permanent. Once the decision is made…”

“I don’t know.”

I swung my legs and mused over everything. The mark. The claim. The decision on the Blood Moon.

“The lightning!” Ray and I yelled at the same time, realization hitting us.

“Something happened when the lightning hit us,” I said. “Something that wasn’t supposed to happen. Maybe that’s why…”

“When I relinquished the bond, the lightning struck.” Raydir ran a hand through his hair. “Maybe it was me. Whoever it is that’s…up there who ‘sees all, knows all’ knew I didn’t mean it when I gave you up.”

My heart twisted. Did he really mean it? “Nothing’s changed? Even after—”

“Of course not. Nothing, not even a stupid curse or ‘mate bond’ could tear you from me.” He cleared his throat when he remembered we were not alone but in the vicinity of a rather large audience. “Um, I have some more patients I need to see but let’s meet up later for dinner?”

I nodded, hopping down from the table. “See you then.”

Before leaving, I made a quick stop by Darius’ bedside. His chest rose and fell as he slept, the monitor on the table beside him humming with soft and steady beeps. A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth and his eyes fluttered open.

“Hey, you.” I brushed my fingers across his forehead.

“Hey.” He winced slightly as he sat up. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to check on you.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah.” He leaned towards me and kissed my forehead. “How are you hanging in?”

I smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. “Taking some time for myself. Ray didn’t want to worry me so he’s had Caesaria look out for me today. But I’m glad to see you’re awake.”

“Yeah.”

“How’s the pain?”

Darius shrugged. “It comes in waves.”

I nodded, unsure of where to go from here.

“Arwyn.” He reached out to tuck my hair behind my ears.

“Yeah?”

“What’s on your mind? There’s another reason you’re here besides wanting to check on me. Right?”

I nodded. We had to address the elephant in the room, and now seemed as good a time as any. “I just…we never…listen, about what you said before I left—”

“Darius! Glad to see you’re awake.” Raydir’s voice interrupted my train of thought. Again.

“Later?” I whispered. Guess that would have to do.

Darius nodded.

With one final squeeze to his hand and a nod to Raydir, I quietly slipped out of the medical cabin.

The scent of fresh peaches hit my nose almost immediately. While walking toward the Grand Cabin, I spied several of the fruit stands that had greeted me during the arrival in the valley set up in various locations again.

“Good afternoon, miss Arwyn,” Salvio, the man who I had met on my first day in the valley, called out as I walked by.

“Hi, Salvio. I see you have more of those wonderful peaches today.”

He handed me one. “Picked fresh today. See anything else here that you might like?”

I scanned the cart, my gaze landing on the different assortment of berries.

“Where did you get these?” I asked, pointing to a cluster of dark berries at the back of the cart.

“The boysenberries? We have a bush, but they also grow over on the north side by the waterfall. Would you like some?”

I shook my head. “Maybe some other time. Thanks for the peach.” I handed over some money and he tipped his hat in my direction.

“Hope to see you again soon,” he said, waving as I left.

I made my way over to the Grand Cabin, hoping to get in some quiet time reading at the library. Maybe I would be able to learn more about the rogue from the journals Caesaria had told me about. And the Blood Moon. There was still something about the lightning that struck me as odd.

The library was dark when I got inside, only a small sliver of light filtering in from the bottom of the curtains. I flipped the switch on the wall and let out a gasp.

Books littered the floor, papers were strewn carelessly every which way. My heart pounded fast in my chest. Someone was looking for something.

The rogue research.

But…no one knew about that except for me and Caesaria.

I ran over to the spot across the room where the books had been hidden, careful to avoid the books splayed around the floor, and pried up the wooden panel.

I let out a sigh of relief. The journals were still there, untouched. With a quick glance over my shoulder, I reached out to grab them and replaced the floor panel.

A wisp of wind banged open a window and my head snapped up on full alert. Hurriedly, I hid the journals in my blouse and crept over to the window.

Maybe that’s how the perpetrator got in.

My fingers shook as I pulled the window shut and clicked the lock into place. Hopefully that would hold off anyone who tried to sneak in.

On high alert, I ran out of the library, clutching the journals under the fabric of my blouse. My mind buzzed with so many questions.

Who had destroyed the library?

What were they looking for?

Would they come back?

Had they seen me?

Once I returned to my cabin, I cleared a space on the floor and dumped the journals out in front of me. My fingers hovered over one of the books. Something in these books could tell me more about the rogue.

But what if it was something I didn’t want to know?

No. I had to do this. I needed answers.

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

Before I knew it, the sun began to lower in the sky and someone knocked on the cabin door. I jumped up, frantically shoving the journals between the couch cushions. I would put them back later.

“Arwyn?” Raydir called out.

“Just a minute!” I checked the couch to make sure none of the journals were visible. A beat later, I opened the door to a grinning Raydir. He’d pulled his hair into a tiny bun secured at the back of his head and shoved his hands in his pockets. My heart jumped at the sight.

“Hey, are you ready for dinner?” he asked.

I nodded and cleared my throat. “Yeah, let’s go.”

He led the way over to the Grand Cabin. My gaze darted toward the long, dark hallway leading to the library and I inadvertently tightened my grip on Raydir’s arm.

“Arwyn,” he said, bumping me with his hip. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just distracted.” I offered him a small smile and we went to sit down.

The servers brought out plates of grilled chicken garnished with cilantro and drizzled with lime.

“So, how are things at the med cabin?” I asked. “Any updates on the rogue scratch situation?”

Raydir nodded. “Yeah, actually.” He lifted a piece of chicken to his mouth. “We finished a preliminary analysis of an antiviral using your sample. So far, everyone is responding but we want to keep them in observation for twenty-four hours.”

“Good. That’s good.” I glanced around the room, looking for any face that stuck out to me. Someone, anyone, could be the one who destroyed the library. “Have you had any time for your art lately?”

“Some. It’s…I like having a model to use.”

“Oh, right.” I licked my lips, coating them in the tartness of the lime. “I never got the chance to really apologize for leaving the valley and I know it must’ve been a shock and I probably should’ve told you, of all people—”

“Arwyn, stop.” Raydir rested his hand on mine. “I told you it’s okay. You left to find some answers, right?”

I nodded. Yet I couldn’t shake away the impending guilt.

“Then that’s all I need. Let’s just talk about something else, okay?”

“Have you still been training with Bennett?” I asked.

Raydir grinned, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Yeah. It’s actually been great. Bennett knows a lot, and we’ve moved on from hand-to-hand combat…”

As Raydir talked, my mind drifted off to the research I had done that afternoon. The journals contained more information that I could’ve predicted.

Each alignment had been documented perfectly, from the transformation to the symptoms that developed hours later. Using the runes to communicate. Even the shifting colors of Randel’s eyes. But what did it all mean? How is it possible that Randel could show me the past and the future, albeit muddled?

“...Arwyn, are you even listening?” Raydir waved a hand in front of my face, frowning.

“Sorry.” My fork hung frozen in the air, a piece of chicken sitting limply on the prongs. “My mind is all over the place today.”

His frown deepened, worry lines creasing in his forehead. “What’s going on? What are you thinking about? Besides Darius because I know his situation is bothering you.”

I took a deep breath. “The rogue situation. It’s slightly more complicated than the attacks. Actually, I’m not fully convinced it’s the same rogue doing the damage.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, for starters, the rogue knows our history. He spoke to me—er, rather he communicated with me using the runes we’re taught in school.”

“You’ve…talked with it?”

“More or less, yeah.”

“And it…didn’t hurt you?” Concern washed over his face.

I shook my head. “No. It actually…he actually protected me.”

He raised his eyebrows.

I waved it off with my hand. “I was at the top of the waterfall. My foot slipped. The rogue caught me and brought me to safety.”

“And that’s all?”

Do I tell him about the memories?

I forced a smile. “That’s all.”