'I know where the ring is. Going there now. Don't trust Sehan...'

My fingers furiously typed at the screen before pressing the little blue arrow that would send my text-message to Sophia's phone. She could relay the message to everyone else, while I paid a visit to the Golden Walker's kitchen.

Lizzie and I walked down the stairs as nonchalantly as possible. The living room was empty, and I assumed the rest of the Black Lupis gang were still searching for the ring in other areas of the house, various bedrooms and office-spaces where such a small object could have gotten misplaced. Little did they know that the ring adorned the left-hand of Sehan's blonde bride.

I suddenly understood why Sehan told Savannah to make herself busy in the kitchen. He wanted her, and her ring-finger, to stay out of sight. I told Lizzie not to mention the ring to Savannah, at least not until I had visual confirmation that it was on her hand. I certainly didn't need the Luna to hide the ring somewhere because we scared her with a line of questioning.

We entered the kitchen to find Savannah chopping away at a large slab of beef, cutting the raw meat into little squares that could have gone atop a dish of fried rice and vegetables. If I hadn't been so focused on my mission, my mouth might have watered at the thought.

Savannah smiled, the corners of her mouth practically reaching her ears, upon our arrival. "Hi there! Any luck finding that ring of yours?"

I mirrored her, flashing my teeth in a sickly-sweet smile, "No, we haven't had any luck. I'm starting to think the ring isn't even real."

It took every ounce of my concentration to keep my hazel eyes locked on hers. While I had Savannah's attention, Lizzie would check to make sure she wore the ring. I couldn't let Savannah know that I knew about the ring's whereabouts.

She pouted, putting on a display of disappointment, "I'm sorry we couldn't be more help, Charlie."

For a second, I actually believed her. Maybe Savannah didn't know that her mate had given her a monumentally powerful ring? Maybe Sehan was simply using her as a vessel to carry the witch's talisman? The thought tempted me to simply ask Savannah for her wedding ring.

"Please, don't apologize," I replied, unwilling to break my gaze yet. "But, while the rest of my pack members search, I figured I'd see if I could help you cook dinner?"

Savannah's eyes brightened at the offer, and she gestured toward the sink. "Oh, that sounds lovely! Go wash up, and then you can help with the vegetables! Lizzie, you can help, too."

I kept a smile painted on my lips all the way to the sink, since Savannah had watched my every movement since entering the room. I'll admit, she put on a convincing show, but I could tell that she did not trust me as far as she could throw me. Luckily for me, she had not been watching Lizzie's wandering eyes.

Lizzie met me at the sink, and I turned on the faucet before daring a glance in her direction. My red-haired friend lathered soap in her freckled hands, but she noticed my gaze and nodded once. She had seen the ring. It was here.

My heart accelerated within my chest, and I knew that I needed a delicate plan in order to take the ring from Savannah's finger. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to craft one, so I shook the water droplets from my finger and turned back toward the blonde Luna.

"What are you making?" I questioned, feigning interest.

"Filet mignon and veggies!" Savannah replied, sounding more than a little proud of herself. "And pie for desert!"

Moon Goddess, did she actually enjoy her life as a housewife? I pondered, and took my spot a few feet away by the washed vegetables. A knife already waited beside the onions and peppers.

Lizzie cleared her throat, "What did you want me to do, Savannah?"

Her tone indicated that she'd much rather not be cooking at the moment, and it certainly did not contain a trace of respect for her Luna. I couldn't blame Lizzie. I would have a hard time respecting Savannah, too.

If the young Luna heard the blatant distaste in Lizzie's voice, she made no indication, and simply gestured toward a bowl of apple slices, "Sprinkle some cinnamon over those and then throw them in the oven."

Lizzie obeyed, while I began chopping up an onion with the finely-sharpened blade.

"So Savannah," I ventured, "Things between you and Sehan happened pretty fast, huh?"

I risked a glance over my shoulder, just in time to see her shrug. "I suppose... He stayed at the Broken Valley Pack for a few days after my birthday, arranging things with my father."

I blinked. Had the marriage been arranged by Sehan and Savannah's father? I almost pitied her. "Did you have any say in the relationship?"

The sound of her meat-chopping paused, and I wondered if I'd struck a chord. Her back muscles seemed to tense, and I took the opportunity to glance at her left hand, barely visible from where I stood behind her. A flash of green on Savannah's finger caught a ray of sunlight streaming in from the window, and I swallowed. There it is.

For half of a second, I could have sworn that the ring called to me. Its magic pulsated in my direction, almost as if it planned on teasing me. So close, yet so far. And I couldn't remove my gaze.

Lizzie seemed to notice my blatant stare and let out an exaggerated cough, "Ahem!"

I immediately removed my eyes from the little piece of jewelry on Savannah's hand, blinking my attention back to the onion in my hand. Just in time, too, because my rival Luna turned to face me half of a second later.

Thankfully, Savannah seemed engrossed by our conversation to notice the shift in my behavior. She ground her teeth and shrugged again, "No one forced me to marry Sehan, if that's what you're asking."

"No, of course not," I hurriedly replied, all too aware of the concealed sharpness in her words. "I'm sorry if it seemed that way."

My apology must have calmed any of Savannah's anger, for she quickly continued in a much more care-free tone, "Of course, once he marked me, things between us just became chemical. I could hardly keep my hands off of him!"

Lizzie dropped an apple slice on the floor, and I knew the image of Sehan engaging in any sort of sexual-behavior, especially with a girl like Savannah, made her cringe, too. I tried to distract myself from the thought by focusing on the onion... And the little ring that could answer all of my problems.

I finished slicing the onion and turned around to face Savannah, "I don't doubt it. Things between Nolan and I are awfully... chemical, too."

The lie slipped off of my lips with ease, even though I struggled to maintain a straight-face while speaking. 'Chemical' was the last word I would use to describe my relationship with Nolan, but Savannah did not need to know that.

"I bet," Savannah mused, and a whimsical smile appeared on her too-pink lips. "I remember being so jealous of you when he danced with you at my birthday party. Of course, he'd danced with me a few times before that, but..."

My grip on the knife tightened, knuckles bleaching around the handle. Rise above, Charlie. Of course Savannah would try to get under my skin. I had never had a pleasant conversation with her in the past, so why start now?

I opened my mouth, prepared to retaliate with a few choice lies about my 'chemical romance' with Nolan, but a little chime sounded from within my pocket, and I paused. The phone in my pocket dinged as it received a few more texts, and I cursed myself for not silencing the volume.

I made no move to grab the cellphone. I couldn't risk answering the phone and somehow alerting Savannah that I knew that she possessed the ring.

Her baby-blue eyes narrowed, "Aren't you going to check those messages?"

"No," I answered quickly-- too quickly.

"If it is that Dylan guy again, tell him that I'm not interested in going out on a date!" Lizzie chimed in, offering some sort of explanation for the string of texts. Moon Goddess, bless her.

"Ooh, Dylan is the hot one!" Savannah replied, momentarily distracted by a conversation with Lizzie.

I took the chance to pull the phone from my pocket. At least ten messages lined the screen from Sophia:

'GET OUT, NOW.'

'CHARLIE, WHERE ARE YOU?'

'WE NEED TO LEAVE.'

My heart stopped in my chest. What the hell is happening? I scrolled through the messages, but Sophia offered no explanation as to why I needed to leave...

'I need a few more minutes...' I typed, fingers shaking. I just needed a few more minutes.

I pressed send, and, not even two seconds later, I received a reply:

'WHERE ARE YOU? -N'

Oh, gods, Sophia had given the phone to Nolan. If he came to the kitchen, he would bring Sehan with him, and my chances of retrieving the ring would be shot. Nolan couldn't know my location. I shoved the phone in my pocket.

My fingers fumbled with the kitchen knife, while my pulse quickened and shot adrenaline all over my body. This was our only chance to get the ring. I wouldn't waste it. I needed her to tell me about the ring on her finger.

"So, tell me about how Sehan proposed!" I interrupted Lizzie and Savannah's conversation a bit too forcibly, making every effort to hide the shake in my voice.

Lizzie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and even Savannah seemed taken aback by the demand in my voice. Moon Goddess, I'm going to screw this up!

"Uh, well, he took me out to a little pond and--" Savannah began, but a shrill ring from my pocket cut her off.

I ignored the call, but Savannah wouldn't continue. She gestured toward my pocket, suspicion clouding her gaze, "Why aren't you answering that?"

"It's a spam call," I lied through my teeth. A few seconds later, the ringing stopped. I knew the sound had been heard by Nolan, and he'd be arriving in the kitchen at any moment. I prompted Savannah further, "You were saying?"

She opened her mouth to continue her story, but before any sound came out, her eyes glazed over. Someone was mindlinking her. Sehan.

Something was happening in the other parts of the pack house, and it could not have been good. My window of opportunity was closing with every passing second, especially if Sehan planned on warning his mate.

I let out a string of curses in my mind, desperation clawing at my mind to think of something-- anything-- to get that damned ring.

Lizzie looked between Savannah and me. "What the hell is going on?"

Savannah's eyes unglazed, and she immediately glared in my direction. Shit!

Savannah's left hand rested on the edge of the counter, and the little silver ring gleamed on full display. I acted before I could even think about the consequences.

I lunged forward with the kitchen-knife in hand, faster than Savannah could react to my movements, and brought the blad of my knife down across her knuckles. Blood sprayed across my face as I cleaved four of Savannah's fingers off of her hand, each one pattering to the kitchen floor like heavy rain on the sidewalk.

The blonde screamed in absolute agony, clutching her mauled hand to her chest in several moments of shock. Lizzie screamed and backed away from the crime scene, where I had already swooped to the floor.

I scrambled in Savannah's blood for a moment, the nauseating scent of blood collecting in my nostrils. But it did not take long for me to find it: the severed finger with a glinting emerald on its shaft.

Yes! I nearly screamed, but Savannah was already recovering from the initial shock of my attack, and I knew I had to escape. I had to find Nolan. Quick. By the time I left the kitchen, the front entrance to the house would be covered by Golden Walker warriors. I needed another way out. Luckily, I'd grown up in this house.

"Are you coming?'" I demanded to Lizzie, but I didn't wait for an answer. I slid across the sticky wet that now pooled at my feet and rushed toward the kitchen doors. To my own surprise, Lizzie followed suit, leaving Savannah to bleed alone.

"The back exit!" Lizzie whisper-yelled, and I nodded. We scrambled toward the back hallway, which was hardly ever used by anyone but the pack's cooks and maids. I could hear a commotion from the front of the house, the noise of shouting mingled with the blood rushing in my ears.

I reached the back door in record-speed, pushed the heavy-door open, and burst outside. The hot, midday sun blinded my eyes at first, shining like a spotlight down on two escaping criminals.

I blinked in an effort to recover my vision, and froze when I saw what now greeted me. A wolf. Huge and black, with a scar plaguing one side of his face. I recognized this wolf.

Dominic.