Rhydian;

I let out a breath as I walk.

The canopies of trees and the darkness around them offer some semblance of sanctity as I walk.

As I get farther andfather away from Gravemaw... from the whispers, and all the work, I feel mybhear relax.

Moonlight spills over my skin, and my wolf stretches gleefully inside me.

It’s been so long since I let him out. Maybe I should take him on a run tonight.

My thoughts, however, pause when I pick up something in the air.

My wolf stirs in forced submission, and my heart sinks as the realisation begins to sink in. It’s subtle at first, but then it grows into that shiver that flows so deep in my bones every time she’s near.

My mother is here.

I stop to listen, but I hear nothing. So, I decided to look.

The clearing ahead is dimly lit by moonlight spilling through the trees. At first glance, it looks empty... Until the shadows shift.

My blood goes cold, and my throat goes dry.

There’s a massive silver wolf standing half-concealed among the trees. Her coat catches the moon like polished silver, and she’s crouched low, body coiled, and has her gaze locked forward with terrifying focus.

She’s stalking something.

My heart slams against my ribs as recognition takes root.

I know that wolf.

Every scar on her flank... The way her ears angle slightly back when she’s calculating. The controlled stillness that makes her look carved rather than alive.

Mother.

My breath sticks to my throat as I watch her.

What the hell is she doing?? I knew she was up to no good!!

I follow her line of sight, with dread pooling in my gut, but I pause when I see that the person she is watching... is Alana.

Why is she spying on Alana?

Alana is alone in the clearing, seated on a fallen log, with the glow of moonlight washing her pale skin. She looks... irritated. Annoyed in a way that looks wrong on her.

I’ve never seen Alana with such a contemptuous expression.

She mutters under her breath... sharp, clipped sounds that don’t carry words. Her movements are impatient as she digs her hand into a small pouch and pulls out a handful of nuts.

She eats them quickly... almost even aggressively, like the act itself is an outlet for something simmering under her skin.

I frown.

Maybe I don’t fully know Alana, but this doesn’t seem like the kind of mood one would casually find her in. Besides, what could possibly have her so upset?? And why is Mother watching her?

Suddenly, the prickle along my spine intensifies, and my eyes widen.

I look back at her hidden wolf, but she’s gone.

Not retreated or shifted position... She’s gone.

Nowhere in sight.

I freeze for a moment, trying to assure myself that I didn’t imagine seeing her. She was truly there. But where did she—

Before I can ponder on Mother’s disappearance, Alana suddenly stands.

She wipes her hands on her skirts, mutters something final which I can’t hear, and then walks out of the clearing in the most unladylike manner I’ve ever seen her move.

The moment she disappears between the trees, the air changes, and a voice breaks the silence.

"Are you going to keep hiding, or are you finally going to come out?" The voice says from behind me.

I whip around in startled speed and come face to face with my mother.

She steps out of the shadows while adjusting the sleeve of her dress with infuriating composure, and I frown.

Her gaze lifts to me... sharp, assessing, and already stripping me bare.

However, before she speaks, I do.

"You were stalking her," I note flatly, and she tilts her head, studying me.

"And you were watching me," she replies.

"Which means neither of us is innocent." She adds with a shrug, and I roll my eyes before turning away from her.

I step fully into the clearing, with my arms folded across my chest.

"What are you doing here?" I demand, and her eyes flick briefly in the direction Alana left, then return to me.

"Ensuring my instincts aren’t lying to me," she says, and I scoff.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I respond, but she ignores the jab.

"You’re getting sloppy," she replies softly, and I pause.

"Your presence masking is better than most, but not perfect." She adds, and my jaw tightens.

"If I could sense you," she adds with voice dropping slightly as she also steps onto the clearing, "there’s a chance Bram could too." She adds, and my heart pulls to a painful stop.

My eyes widen as I stare at her.

"...Bram?" I repeat with more fear than I’d like, but she doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t even try to take what she just said back. She just gives me a nod, and that sends me over the edge.

I cross the distance between us in three strides, with fury and disbelief crashing together in my chest.

"What do you mean!? You don’t get to say that name here! Not after—" I begin, but she cuts me off.

"After what he and I did?" she interrupts calmly, and I pause. My claws itch as I glare at her, and I know I need to take a step back before I do something I may regret for the rest of my life.

"You’re playing a game," I accuse harshly.

"You’re trying to get inside my head," I add, and her gaze hardens as she looks at me.

However, this look is not the usual one she gives me. This is not cruelty or... mockery.

She’s being serious.

"I’m not trying to get into anyone’s head. I’m trying to get out of mine! I just watched her eat," she says, and my anger bleeds into confusion.

"...What?" I question, and she sighs before gesturing to the log.

"Those nuts. You saw them, didn’t you?" She asks, and I raise a brow as I stare at him.

Why the fuk is she talking about nuts? What do they have to do with anything??

"Didn’t you?" She probes, and I snap.

"Yes, I saw her eat some nuts. So what!?" I demand, and she gives me a look.

"So Bram was addicted to those same nuts," she replies, and I freeze.

"He was obsessed. He ate them when he was agitated. When he was thinking. When he was masking himself as something he wasn’t, because it was one of the only things that kept him connected to his truth and gave him any semblance of anchoring. I know because I spent months working with him. I know him better than you do." She replies, and ice crawls up my spine.

"And Alana has never really liked nuts." She continues, and I swallow.

"The girl preferred fruits. Sweet things. I know because I paid attention, and I had spies fixed on both her and Elian. I know a lot more about them than is comfortable. So I know for a fact when she is acting funny or when she’s been completely replaced by someone else." She concludes, and I swallow hard.

My mind races as thoughts and theories begin to fall into place.

The discomfort I feel when Alana is near... The familiarity that makes my skin crawl. The way my instincts snarl without a clear target.

Bram.

She’s really Bram??

It... it makes no sense...

I step back, shaking my head in disbelief.

"No," I whisper as I stare at Liandria.

She’s behind this, isn’t she? She brought him back.

This is some grand scheme of hers, isn’t it??

"You don’t get to bring him back into my life like this! You’re behind this, aren’t you!?" I rage, and her expression softens just a fraction.

"I didn’t bring him," she says softly, like she’s afraid I won’t believe her, but also at peace with it.

"I only followed a trail you’ve been circling since the day she returned." She adds, and I fall silent as I stare at her.

At the woman who ruined so many lives, broke my childhood, and sharpened me into something hard and dangerous.

Can I trust her?

Or is this just another manipulation?

"You worked with Bram," I say slowly, and she exhales through her nose.

"That is an understatement." She replies, and I grit my teeth.

"And yet you want me to trust you?? Why are you telling me this?" I reply, and her jaw drops.

"Why not go to Koda? Or Queen Cassia?" I add, and she sighs.

"Because you’re the only one who knows what Bram feels like!" She snaps, and I pause.

"And because you already suspected." She adds, and I fall silent.

She’s right...

I hate that she is.

I drag a hand down my face, breathing hard, and I don’t know what to do.

"If you’re wrong... and you’re trying to make me see ghosts—" I begin, but she cuts me off.

"Then you’ll walk away, and I’ll have confirmed my own paranoia." She finishes as she holds my gaze, and I huff a breath.

"But if I’m right, and that is really Bram... I believe you have some scores to settle."