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I’m about to go investigate when she stops me. “Let’s just get out of here. It’s nothing. It must be some wounded animal.”

I shake her off. “I don’t think so.”

Her desperation to stop me can only mean that she’s trying to hide something.

Is it Sophia? Does she have Sophia stashed in this place?

I ignore her protests and follow the source of the sound. The muffled groaning is getting louder as I reach a small house. Opening the door, I see a sparsely furnished room with a table and a chair, and a bed in the corner. On that bed is a familiar figure.

“Is that Noah?” I narrow my eyes.

Tina immediately steps in front of me, spreading her arms, protectively. “You can’t hurt him!”

“Hurt him?” I push her aside to go see what is going on. A horrible smell reaches me and I cover my nose. Noah’s face is pale, and there’s a large hole in his stomach that is rotting away.

“How is he alive?” I ask in growing shock.

When Tina doesn’t reply. I look at her. “What happened to him?”

When she speaks, her voice is trembling. “You’re right. I saved you because I need your help. I need Sophia to heal him.”

“Heal him?” I stare at her. “What happened to him?”

Tina grits her teeth, tears in her eyes. “Karina. Karina happened to him. She needed help getting access to the South Alliance. She told Noah that we could join hands. I was against the whole thing from the very beginning. I don’t trust that woman. But he wouldn’t listen to me. He went and helped her out, and in return, she injured him and had one of the witches cast dark magic on his wound. It will never heal. I can’t interfere because the spell is cast by another witch. But Sophia can. She can get rid of the dark magic so that he can heal.”

I stare at her and then look back at Noah, who is writhing in bed. His eyes are dull, and he doesn’t seem to be completely conscious. “Why would Sophia help either of you? You betrayed her and you hurt her mother. She doesn’t owe you anything.”

I’m about to walk out when Tina stops me. “She would never have found you without me. This place, this entire town has been sealed by a dark witch. That’s why nothing lives here. I was able to get in because I followed Karina’s people here. I watch them bury you here. Even if something happened to Karina, Sophia would never have been able to find you. She’ll help me. She’ll help me because I’ll bring you back to her.”

“She can save Noah so that he can turn around and stab her in the back again?” I demand. “I will not let Sophia help you. Let him die.”

Tina crumples to the ground, clutching onto my legs, tears in her eyes. “Please. She’s my only hope now, Alex. Don’t let him die. I can’t live without him. He’s all I have.”

I stare down at her, shocked. The woman I remember was too prideful to beg. But the woman in front of me is broken. “I can’t lose him. I don’t know life without him.”

“I won’t…”

“I can help you get to Sophia. She’s in danger. I can help you” She looks at me, pleading. “Just tell her to save my mate. We’ll go away from here, somewhere far away. You’ll never hear from us again. Just don’t let him die. I can’t see him suffer like this. It’s killing me.”

I want to walk away from her, but her words make me pause. “What do you mean Sophia is in danger?”

Tina’s eyes are wet. “Karina is trying to capture her. She’s attacking the humans as we speak. And Sophia went to stop her. You don’t know what Karina has done. Nobody can stop her now. She’s going to destroy Sophia. I can get you to her. I can help you save Sophia. In return, you have to convince her to save my mate.”

There’s no time to consider my options. “Fine. I’ll talk to her. Take me to Sophia.”

I pull her to her feet. “Let’s go.”

“Y-You’ll have to shift. It’s not that far from here.”

I do as she says. Tina closes the door behind her before getting on my back. She begins guiding me. As I run through the forest, it occurs to me that she’s lost a lot of weight. She’s a shell of the psychopathic witch I remember. But love does do strange things to people.

It doesn’t take me long to smell the blood. How close were we? An hour or two away?

Screams, howls. There is the smell of blood and something else in the air.

I shift back when I see the wolves all over the forest, battling each other. Among them are white wolves and brown one. Why are the Central Alliance and the South Alliance here?

Tina touches my shoulder. “Walk. They won’t see you.”

I can hear her murmuring something under her breath. She’s using magic.

We walk through the battle and I suddenly hear Karina’s voice. “Kill the Silver Wolf’s mother.”

The sky is burning. Arrows of fire fly into it.

I remember the marble in my pocket and it feels heavy. I can feel its weight against my leg. Reaching into my pocket, I see Sophia. She’s falling on the ground. She’s in a terrible state, anguish in her eyes.

I smash the marble on the ground and I step away from Tina. Suddenly, my line of sight is blocked by multiple figures who appear in front of me. I push past them, and as I do, Marlene is on my right.

“We were waiting for your summons.”

Her eyes are harsh but mine are on Sophia.

“Alex?”

There is such heartbreak and fear in her voice, that I abandon everything and rush to her side. Cradling her in my arms, I watch her break. “Is it really you? I’m not imagining things?”

I kiss her fiercely. “I’m here.”

She grips me by the front of the shirt. “I knew you would be fine. I knew you were coming for me. You always come for me.”

The faith and conviction in her eyes make me want to hold her close and never let go.