Chapter 3

The forest felt different in the pre-dawn hours, shadows deeper and more menacing than they had any right to be. I moved through the underbrush with practiced silence, my basket already half-full of healing herbs that would serve a dual purpose in the coming days. Wolfsbane for fever—or for coating blades. Nightshade berries for sleep remedies—or for ensuring a more permanent rest.

I'd been studying both sides of the herbal coin since my return, memorizing which plants could heal and which could kill. Knowledge was armor now, and I intended to be fully protected.

The sound of voices ahead made me freeze, my wolf's enhanced hearing picking up the low murmur of conversation near the old oak grove. I crept closer, using the massive tree trunks as cover, until I could make out the speakers clearly.

Elder Elias stood with two of our senior warriors, Garrett and Marcus, their faces grave in the filtered morning light. The tension radiating from their small group made my stomach clench with familiar dread.

"The border patrols have confirmed it," Garrett was saying, his weathered hands gesturing toward the eastern territories. "Foreign hunters, at least a dozen of them. They're not just passing through—they've made camp."

My blood turned cold. Hunters. In my previous life, their presence had been the perfect cover for Lucien's betrayal. Who would question silver wounds when known hunter activity had been reported in the area?

"How long have they been there?" Elias asked, his voice carrying the weight of his years.

"Three days, maybe four," Marcus replied. "They're being careful, staying just outside our territorial markers. But they're watching us. Waiting for something."

My fingers tightened around the handle of my gathering basket until my knuckles went white. Three days. The same amount of time I'd been back in this life. Coincidence? I didn't believe in those anymore.

"There's more," Garrett continued, and something in his tone made my skin crawl. "We received word yesterday. Lucien is returning."

The name hit me like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs. Even hearing it spoken aloud sent phantom pain racing through my chest, the memory of silver piercing my heart so vivid I had to press my hand against my sternum to convince myself the blade wasn't there.

Elias nodded grimly. "I expected as much. The pack council requested his presence to discuss border security and potential alliance negotiations with the neighboring territories."

"When?" Marcus asked.

"Within the week. He's bringing a small delegation with him."

I bit down hard on my tongue to keep from making any sound, the metallic taste of blood flooding my mouth. A week. I had less than a week before my murderer returned to our territory, before he looked at me with those lying eyes and spoke with that honeyed voice that had once made me believe in forever.

The conversation continued, but I barely heard the rest of it over the roaring in my ears. My wolf was agitated, pacing anxiously in my mind as she sensed my distress without understanding its source. She remembered Lucien as safety, as home. She didn't know he was death incarnate.

I needed to leave. Now. Before my composure cracked completely and gave away my position.

But as I took a careful step backward, a twig snapped under my foot with a sound like a gunshot in the quiet forest. All three men turned toward my hiding spot, their expressions instantly alert.

"Who's there?" Garrett called out, his hand moving instinctively to the knife at his belt.

I had no choice but to step out from behind the oak, forcing my face into a mask of innocent confusion. "I'm sorry," I said, making my voice slightly breathless as if I'd been hurrying. "I was just gathering herbs for the healing stores. I didn't mean to interrupt."

Elias's sharp eyes studied me intently, and I fought not to squirm under his scrutiny. "Aria. You're out early this morning."

"The best herbs are gathered at dawn," I replied, lifting my basket as evidence. "Before the sun wilts them."

It was true enough, though not the whole truth. I'd been unable to sleep, haunted by memories and the growing certainty that time was running out faster than I'd hoped.

"Of course," Elias said, though something in his expression suggested he wasn't entirely convinced. "Just be careful, child. The forest can be dangerous, especially with... recent developments."

I nodded obediently, playing the part of the sheltered young wolf who didn't understand the gravity of what she'd overheard. "I'll stay close to the settlement."

As I turned to leave, I caught sight of another figure emerging from the tree line on the opposite side of the clearing. My heart stuttered as I recognized the familiar silhouette—tall, broad-shouldered, moving with that predatory grace that marked him as a born warrior.

Damien.

His dark eyes found mine immediately, and I saw the exact moment he registered my presence. His nostrils flared slightly, catching my scent on the morning breeze, and something shifted in his expression. Concern? Suspicion? I couldn't tell, and that uncertainty made my skin crawl.

He approached the group with measured steps, but his gaze never left me. "Elders. Aria." His voice was a low rumble that seemed to vibrate through my bones. "Everything alright here?"

"Just discussing border security," Elias replied smoothly. "Nothing that concerns our young herb gatherer."

But Damien's eyes were too perceptive, too knowing. I could see him cataloging every detail—my pale complexion, the slight tremor in my hands, the way I held myself like I was preparing to bolt. He'd noticed my reaction to whatever he'd heard of the conversation.

"You look upset," he said directly to me, ignoring the social protocols that should have kept him from addressing me so personally in front of the elders. "Did something happen?"

The mate bond pulled at me, urging me to step closer, to seek comfort in his strength. But all I could see was the family resemblance in his features, the echo of Lucien's face in the strong line of his jaw.

"I'm fine," I said, my voice coming out colder than I'd intended. "Just tired. I should return home."

I turned to go, but his voice stopped me again.

"Aria."

The way he said my name—like a caress, like a prayer—made my wolf whine with longing. But I couldn't afford to be weak. Not now. Not ever again.

"I really do need to go," I said without turning around. "The herbs won't preserve themselves."

I walked away with measured steps, fighting every instinct that screamed at me to run. Behind me, I could feel the weight of Damien's stare, could practically hear the questions forming in his mind.

Let him wonder. Let him suspect. As long as he didn't know the truth—that I was already planning for war—I could still maintain the element of surprise.

But as I reached the edge of the clearing, I couldn't resist one glance back. Damien stood apart from the others now, his attention still focused on my retreating figure. Even at this distance, I could see the intensity in his gaze, the way his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as if he was fighting his own instincts.

The mate bond stretched between us like a golden thread, beautiful and terrifying and utterly unwanted. In my previous life, I would have treasured such a connection. Now, it felt like another trap, another weakness my enemies could exploit.

I forced myself to look away and continued walking, my mind already turning to the tasks ahead. Tonight, I would venture deeper into the forest to gather moonflowers—a rare bloom that only opened under the full moon's light. They were said to enhance a wolf's natural abilities, and I had a feeling I would need every advantage I could get.

But first, I had studying to do. Poisonous herbs didn't learn themselves, and I intended to become an expert in both healing and harming.

After all, knowledge was the only weapon I had left.