Izel’s words haunted me as we traveled back down the waterfall. I landed gracefully in the water while she pushed herself to land on the grass at the edge of the lake. She waited for me and we walked back toward the central point in the valley together.

“You said you rejected your Chosen at your ceremony, right?” I asked.

Izel nodded. “He wasn’t who I was meant to be with. See, that’s the thing about the Fate Ceremony. You pick a random name in front of everyone and that’s who you’re destined to be with? I still don’t understand it. I’ve never understood it.”

“Do you believe in true soul mates?”

“I do. I think everyone has one true soul mate. Sometimes the ceremony gets it right, sometimes it doesn’t. But at the end of the day, who are we to give in to a society who forces us to be with someone we don’t love just so we won’t turn into a wolf twice a month?”

She was right. And that was the philosophy I’d lived by until Darius crawled his way into my heart. “Do you think it’s possible to love two people at the same time?”

“I think it’s possible, but I also believe you can only truly be with one. We open our hearts differently to different people. Sometimes we know our future from childhood, but other times it takes longer to realize who we truly want.”

“And what about you?” I asked. “What’s your story?”

“I have wanted a life of adventure since I was a kid. My parents named me Izelle..” She picked up a stick and drew her name in the dirt: I-Z-E-L-L-E. “It seemed to fit at the time; I was to be a duchess, afterall. But then I turned twenty-five and had my ceremony. The minute I knew I could no longer have a life in Alvenora, I changed the spelling.” She used the stick to cross off the last two letters.

I nodded in understanding. “Leaving a life behind is not an easy thing.”

“Yeah. But we’ve somehow made it through.”

“And your Fated…you said you rejected him to be with Lacey and Fletcher. Was there anything ever going on with you and Fletcher?”

Izel shook her head. “No. He was always Lacey’s love. I haven’t found my soulmate yet, and at this point, I don’t know if I will but—” She froze, glancing around. “There’s something out here.”

I whipped around. Sure enough, a rogue stood a few feet away from us. The snarl on its face made me hesitate to trust that it was Randel.

“Izel, stay behind me.”

“Don’t have to ask me twice,” she muttered under her breath.

The rogue growled and stalked slowly forward. I took a tentative step towards it. If I was right, I could calm him and remind him who I was. If I was wrong…well, I really hoped I wasn’t wrong.

“Randel. Randel, do you know me?”

Something flashed in his eyes but I couldn’t quite tell what it was.

I stepped forward again.

“Arwyn, careful,” Izel warned.

“It’s ok. I have it under control.” I reached a hand forward.

The rogue bent his head to my hand, and I smiled. He remembered me.

“Izel, we’re safe. This is—” I paused, realizing what I was doing. Caesaria trusted me not to reveal the truth. No one was supposed to know that Randel was still alive, much less the rogue.

“Um, the rogue—he won’t hurt us,” I said.

Izel took a step back. “Y-you called it Randel. As in Randel, the first wolf. The reason we have the wolf curse.”

“I can explain.” Could I really? “Um, actually I can’t. Not really. Look, it’s really complicated and I don’t know what exactly I can tell you. But all you need to know is that he’s not dangerous.”

“How can you be absolutely certain? I mean, didn’t it attack your father? And kill your sister? And hurt you?” she asked.

“We have no proof that’s the same rogue,” I argued. “And that is what I’m working on to figure out.”

“Well, I know only one way to prove that.” Izel started to walk away.

I hurried after her. “And what’s that?”

“The library. Rosie has been keeping track of all the rogues and the various attacks for a really long time. These logs are in a special place at the library that no one else knows about.”

“And yet you’re telling me. Why?”

“Because you’re the first person I’ve ever spoken to in the valley who doesn’t treat the rogues as our enemy.”

“So you trust me?”

Izel nodded. “I do, yeah.” She pushed open the doors of the library, moving aside the blockade because the Council was still trying to figure out if anything had been taken in the break-in.

“Right back here.” She ducked under the staircase and pried the wood away from the underside of the stairs. From it dropped a small leather-bound book, not unlike the rogue research journals that Caesaria had kept safe in the floor before the attack.

“Wow,” I breathed when Izel handed me the book. I unbound the leather piece holding it together and leafed through the pages. “So this is a list of all the people who have become rogues.”

“Yep. And corresponded with the various rogue sightings.” Izel pointed to one. “This was from when you were attacked a few weeks ago. That rogue specifically had very distinctive markings on its wings. The same markings that were seen on the rogue that appeared right after Lacey disappeared. Not a coincidence.”

“Wait a minute. How do you know the rogue had distinctive markings?” I didn’t even know that, and I was there. All I remembered was its unusual eyes.

“Because of me.”

We turned. Caesaria stood with her hands crossed over her chest and one hip jutted out to the side.

“If you were going to go tracking the rogues, you could’ve come to me first.” She narrowed her eyes in my direction and sent me a look.

“Well, since there’s three of us we might as well work together,” Izel said. “Cae, I didn’t know you had a fascination with rogues too.”

“As part of the Council and a guardian, I do my part,” Caesaria retorted. “You should know that.”

I looked between the two of them, sensing a rivalry. “We don’t have a lot of time here. Should we just get down to business?”

Izel and Caesaria nodded.

“What exactly are we looking for?” Cae asked.

“I want to know more about Randel. His sightings. His markings. Anything that’s written down in the book.”

“Randel was the first wolf, so he should be at the beginning somewhere,” Izel said, flipping through the pages. “Here it is. Piercing blue eyes.”

I nodded. “That’s him. And I’ve only seen those blue eyes twice. My first encounter with the rogue and again—”

“Arwyn!” Caesaria hissed.

“What? The waterfall isn’t a secret.”

Izel nodded. “That’s true. I’ve done a bit of exploring up there myself. Seen the cave and whatnot. I just didn’t know it belonged to Randel until today.”

Caesaria whirled on Izel. “How much do you know?”

“I only know what’s in these books.” She looked at Caesaria. “And whatever secrets you’re hiding, I’m not interested in learning them. So this is my way of saying you can trust me.”

Caesaria sighed. “Ok, fine. Arwyn, what else have you found?”

I stared at the pages in front of me. “Randel wasn’t the one who attacked my sister’s carriage.”

“What?” Caesaria and Izel asked at the same time.

Thoughts began to swim around my head. My heartbeat pounded in my ears. Nothing seemed real.

I pushed the book into Cae’s hands and took off.

Blindly, through my tears I thrashed my way through the trees. I couldn’t believe it. For once, I thought I was finally at peace with knowing the story surrounding my sister’s death. But yet again, I was wrong. It wasn’t Randel. Someone else had killed my sister.

Not paying attention to where I was going, I ran right into someone’s chest. Their rough hands grasped my shoulders to help steady me. When I looked up, I found myself staring into Raydir’s green eyes.

“Ray.”

“Arwyn.” He frowned. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

I buried my face in his chest and breathed in his scent. After our time apart, he still brought me comfort. “My sister. The rogue…the one I told you about—Randel—he isn’t the one who killed my sister.”

“Wait, what?” He took my hand and led us over to one of the benches in front of the fire pit by the front of the Grand Cabin. “Take a deep breath then tell me what happened.”

I took a shaky breath and repeated what I’d learned from the book at the library. “After all this time, I finally know the truth.”

“That’s good, right?”

“Maybe. But it still means that whatever—whoever—killed my sister is still out there.”

“I know.” He rubbed his fingers over the back of my hand. “But we’ll figure it out together, I promise. Bella was my family too.”

“She loved you, you know? She told me once that she thought of you as her annoying little brother.”

Raydir raised his eyebrows. “And she didn’t find you annoying?”

I laughed and swatted at his arm. “She did. I was the ‘extra annoying’ little sister.”

“I would agree with that. You were always very annoying.”

“Hey!” I protested, pushing him away. “You were the annoying one. Do you remember what you said to me that day when we acted out my Chosen Ceremony? ‘You’re not a girl, you’re my best friend.’ So smooth.”

“I was nine!”

“So was I but I knew better. Plus, I made it so obvious I liked you and you just didn’t get it at all.”

“Again, I’d like to plead nine years old.” His lips twitched up into a smile. “Anyway, you know I’d do anything for you, Arwyn. If you need anyone to find out who really did this, just let me know.”

I nodded. “I will. Thanks for everything, Ray.” I wrapped my arms around him in a hug.

He pulled me close and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “You will always be my everything, Arwyn. Even just as friends, you are my always and forever.”

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

I sat on the couch flipping through the book about powers from the valley. Just like the book about the rogue, this book had information recorded in much the same way. It discussed the powers of each individual in the valley and dated all the way back to what I presumed was the first group after the rogue.

My finger trailed over the information scratched into the page just as the door to the cabin opened.

“Hey, what are you still doing awake?” Darius asked with a grin. He walked toward the couch and leaned over to give me a kiss.

“Just doing some research.”

“Mm. You want tea or anything?”

I shook my head. “I’m good. Where have you been? I didn’t expect you back so late.”

“I was out. Just Council stuff but I’m in for the night,” he replied, grinning.

I smirked. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

Darius’ grin widened and he scooped me into his arms. I shrieked and dropped the book of research as he brought us into his bedroom and laid me down. His lips grazed over my cheek and his fingers worked at the laces on my nightgown. I curled my fingers through his hair.

“Clearly, yes,” I murmured against his mouth, trailing my hands down his chest.

He broke the kiss so I could help get his shirt off of his head. It got stuck halfway, so I ripped it and tossed it to the side.

I giggled. “Sorry about that.”

Darius smirked. “Maybe I should just not wear shirts when I’m around you.”

“That might be smart.” I tilted my head to the side to give him access to my neck. Darius continued to kiss me, leaving a trail down my body as his fingers rubbed circles on my hips. “Gotta let me admire those sexy abs.”

“I love you so much,” he murmured against my skin.

“I love you too.” I sat up, pressing my elbows into the bed. “And yes.”

He wrinkled his nose. “Yes to what?”

I traced my fingers along his chest. “Yes, I’ll move in with you. I thought about it, and you were right. We spend so much time together already, it might be easier if I move in. Plus, it’s been a little cramped with Caesaria because she has only one room.”

“So are you saying you want to move into the other bedroom?” he teased, tickling my sides. “Because it’s sounding like you want to move in for the space. And not for, you know, me.”

I swatted at his arm. “Of course I want to move in for you.” Carefully, I flipped us so I was on top. “But I might take over your bedroom if you’re not careful.”

“Oh yeah?” He grabbed my hips and flipped us again, his lips dipping down to kiss the valley between my breasts. “And what makes you think I’d let you do that?”

I bit my lip to keep a moan from escaping, letting my body give in to his every touch.. “Because you love me and wanna keep me around.”

He kissed me again. “Indeed I do.”

“You’ll never catch up to me!” I called out, laughing.

Darius was chasing me through the woods by the lake after a picnic lunch. He made me feel like a little kid again, and I loved it.

I clutched at the skirts of my dress to make it easier to run. The wet grass squished beneath my bare feet.

“Gotcha!”

I shrieked as he clasped his arms around my waist, but gave in as his lips found their way to my neck.

“Darius, you make me crazy for you,” I breathed against his cheek. The stubble along his jawline tickled my skin.

He let out a low seductive growl. “And you make me crazy hard.”

Darius pushed my back up against the tree as he kept one hand around my waist with the other grazing through my hair. My white corset dress barely could contain my breasts as they threatened to burst forth from the fabric.

His hand then moved from my hair and slid up my bare thigh, right where the fabric of the dress separated into a slit. His fingers slipped the knot away from my waist to loosen the skirt.

I let out a moan and my breaths came out in short spurts as his fingers traveled higher.

“Dar,” I breathed. “I want you so bad right now.”

Darius and I were kissing on the couch. Same dress. He was shirtless and his fingers roamed over the bare skin of my back, tracing patterns as he kissed me.

I closed my eyes and let my euphoria take over. My hands pressed against his bare chest, feeling his muscles ripple underneath,

“Traitor…” a disjointed voice whispered. “He doesn’t really love you. It’s all for show.”

I tensed, trying not to let the paranoid voice inside my head distract me from my current pleasure with Darius.

A few seconds of silence and I ultimately decided to stay in the moment with Darius. The voice was just my imagination playing tricks on my subconscious.

But as I captured his bottom lip between my teeth, flashes of destruction and books thrown carelessly around a blurry room invaded my vision.

Then something caught my eye within the images.

A curse that befalls the one who rejects their Chosen…a secret betrothal…only safe escape. Beware the Blood Moon...

Jasper

The words I remembered clearly from the rogue journals.

I bolted straight up in bed, my heart beating fast. Darius stirred next to me, a frown appearing on his face.

“Ar, you ok?” he murmured, feeling around for me. His fingers rubbed small circles on my arm as he pulled me close.

I rolled onto my back. “Have you ever had dreams?”

“Yeah. I’ve dreamed about meeting a girl, falling in love—” he stopped when I hit him with a pillow.

“I don’t mean those types of dreams.” I clasped my hands over my stomach. “I mean the type of dreams that feel so real and then you wake up and you don’t know what’s happening anymore?”

“Yeah, I’ve had those too.” He pulled me closer, kissing the top of my head. “But the thing to remember is they’re not real. And when you wake up, reality can set in and you can know you’re safe here with me.”

I draped an arm over his chest and laid my head down as his chest rose and fell. I hope you are right. And I hope my nightmare was just that…a nightmare.

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

“So I’ve missed this,” Caesaria said a few days later when we were out at the archery range. “I’m glad you asked me to come out here.”

“Yeah, well, I needed a break.”

Cae glanced at me. “I thought things were good with you and Darius?” She aimed her bow at the target.

I sighed. “They are more than good. Things with Darius are fantastic.”

“So then the sex must be out of this world.” Izel stepped up and shot her arrow.

I rolled my eyes. “You two.” I set my aim and let the arrow fly. “I’m happy, seriously. Darius makes me really happy. But what about you, Iz? Anyone in the valley catching your eye?”

Izel laughed. “Nah. Because the only guy I have eyes for has eyes for someone else.”

I set my bow down. “Who?”

“Izel is sweet on Raydir,” Caesaria teased.

My eyes widened. “You like Raydir?”

Izel pushed Caesaria lightly. “And I thought that was supposed to be our secret.” She sighed. “Yes, I like him. A little. It’s fine though because I know he’s still in love with you.”

“Izel.” I clapped my hands on her shoulders. “We’re not together anymore. I’m okay with it. I’ve moved forward with Darius. Ray is free to move forward too. And if it’s you he’s with, that’s even better.”

“You really mean it?” she asked, tucking her hair behind her ears.

“Of course! Look, if you’re into him, I say go for it. He’s a great guy. But I will say, if you hurt him, you’ll answer to me.”

Izel blushed. “Noted.”

“Oh just as an extra thing, if you and Ray start to get serious in any way, we’ll have to work out a system while I’m still staying with him because I’ve already dealt with the whole ‘roomate having her boyfriend stay over’ situation and it’s not fun to walk in on,” Caesaria added.

“Hey!” I protested, swatting at Caesaria as she notched another arrow.

Izel smirked and flicked her fingers when Caesaria released the arrow. The wind blew the arrow to the side, missing the target. I laughed, and she bumped me with her hip.

“What was that for?” Cae protested, pouting playfully.

Izel shrugged. “A gust of wind or something.”

“Not fair. Alright, it’s Arwyn’s turn.”

I stepped up and raised my bow again. “You know I could do this with my eyes closed looking away from the target.”

Caesaria smirked. “Only because Darius was an ass the day you met him and showed off his archery skills.”

“Day after,” I corrected, letting the arrow soar and embed into the target. “And even though he was an ass in that moment, he’s grown on me.”

“Obviously. Is that why you’re becoming a show-off too?”

I laughed, twisting my hand toward the water and soaking them both. “You know I’m just that good at archery.”

Izel wiped the water out of her eyes. “I guess we deserved that. Alright, well if you’re sure you’re okay with me and Ray, we actually had plans for lunch today.” She glanced at me and bit her lip. “Are you sure—”

“Izel, go before I change my mind!” I pushed her shoulder lightly. “I’m serious. Go have fun.”

“Okay, okay! I’m going.” She gave us each a hug. “See you later.”

I watched her walk away and couldn’t help the small pang of…was it jealousy? Could it be jealousy that I was feeling about Raydir moving on?

No. I was happy with Darius. That dream was just that—a dream. It didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t. My mind had just been playing tricks on me…right?

“So now that Ilaria is gone, you can tell me how you really feel.” Caesaria turned to me. “Your ex is going on a date with a new friend. You have to feel something about that.”

I took a deep breath. “I told you. I’m fine. And because you’re Ray’s guardian I know you’re only trying to protect him, but the person you should be talking to is Ilaria. Ok? She’s the one pursuing him right now. I’m fine with it. I’m with Darius. We’re happy.”

“I know you’re happy, but—”

“But nothing, Cae. Everything is finally feeling somewhat normal. And for me, that’s a great thing.

“You know the Alignment is tonight.” She slung her bow over her shoulder and went to retrieve her arrows.

I nodded. “Yeah.” I thought about my nightmare. Right, the Alignment. Of course, it all made sense. It was just my mind trying to psych me out.

“Arwyn, you’re going to that far off place again,” Caesaria said. “You’ve been off for a few days. You wanna talk about what’s going on?”

I opened my mouth to speak.

“Don’t you dare say ‘nothing’ because I can sense your feelings, okay?” She smirked at my silence.

I sighed. “I had a dream. Or rather, I had a nightmare. Nothing new, I’ve had nightmares before. But this one was different. It felt so much more…real.”

“Real how?”

I rubbed my fingers up and down my arms to get off the invisible goosebumps that started to creep against my skin. “There was a voice.”

“Creepy.”

“Not like that. Well, actually, not that far off. But the voice was telling me that Darius didn’t really love me.”

“It’s probably just the Alignment playing tricks on you.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought at first too. But then I heard these words.” I took out a folded piece of paper from my pocket, which contained the garbled bits of words from my dream.

“Th-that’s from—”

“The rogue research, I know.”

Caesaria sank to her knees in the grass and I joined her.

“What do you think it could mean?” she asked.

“Well, I hope nothing. But something inside of me is saying that he could be the culprit.”

She shook her head. “No. Darius—he wouldn’t do something like that, ever. He knows…he would never hurt either of us.”

“And he has no idea about your ancestry?”

“No. I never told him. Arwyn, listen to me”—she narrowed her gaze—“there is no way that I can believe Darius is behind this. It’s the Alignment. It has to be. I can’t believe anything else.”

I nodded. “I know. I don’t believe it either.” But I’m worried we may be wrong. “C’mon, we better head back. There’s a lot of prep we have to do before tonight.”