ng to the earth like a second skin, muffling the sounds of the waking forest. Birds chirped so

fore her-parchments aged to near brittleness, inscribed with faded runes and warnings in a language older than the trees outside. She'd retrie

idn't start

en start wit

ied so deep that even the wit

an

ath layers of protection and erased entries i

cle, whispering the invocation under her breath. The glow of the rune-stone

the door c

now it was Silas. His presence

t a witch mid-ritual,"

ave your door unl

ed, shirt damp from training. His hair was tousled, sh

turing to the book beside her. "I found

careful not to distu

e was a witch named Elandra-centuries ago. She fell in love with a werewolf. But when t

nched. "They cu

ure the world between witches and wolves fore

me etched in ink. "Do you t

tated. "But I think that's

f it wasn't heavy-it was charged, like the mom

call it the Hollow. My father said the first Alpha was burie

ckened. "Then tha

-

is... unpredictable. No one goes there u

ce the answers we need are buried there, I'll take the risk.

ct and trust. But then he nodded

-

t thickened into a heavy veil. Silas led the way, his senses sharp, eyes scanning for danger. Rowan fol

a twisted corridor of trees. The temperature dropped

ng before a clearing ringed with

g something buried deep below. At the center stood a crumbling stone pedestal, vines curling ar

on her skin reacting to the old

ushing the hilt of the blade str

n the stone. "Let the past speak," she whispere

ind s

o a chorus of whispers only she could hear. Me

. Blood debt. Lov

a council of elders. A werewolf lay chained at her feet, wounded, but defiant. The council's judgme

ion sha

back, bre

her. "What

ed her a traitor. She begged them to spare him. They didn

his," Silas mutter

urning in her chest. "Then we'll en

hanged. The trees hissed, and a shape ste

a

as cold. "You sh

heart pounding. "We're t

left buried," Gage growled. "This

en them. "Enough. S

him. "And you trust h

" Silas said. "And she's the only

ng. With one last look at Rowan, he t

w was sti

r him. "He's goin

ightened. "He

I need time to translate what I saw. There's more buried

unreadable. "Then we protec

his eyes.

at p

d, softly,

g to Ashbourne, Rowan felt something

o