CHAPTER 91: NOT UNDER HIS WATCH

"Where are we?"

The moment the shadows around us vanished, I found myself atop a high cliff in a secluded place, with nothing beyond but tall trees and a pit far below. The moon was rising above the horizon, and it reminded me of the night I left the Levian pack.

Only this time there was no Finn, no town on fire, no wolves at my heels. Just me and Rion in the middle of the night.

We were definitely not anywhere in Undercity. I was sure of that. After all, the Undercity had no skies.

"I’m glad it worked," Rion muttered with a proud smirk.

My brows furrowed. "What worked?"

"It’s my first time traveling this far with my shadows and bringing someone with me."

So this ability was still in its experimental stage? That explained why he hadn’t used it before.

He could have saved himself the trouble of crossing other lands’ borders when he came to rescue me from Finn. But since he didn’t, it only proved his lack of mastery over it. And the distance from the Northern Region to the Levian pack was vast.

"What if something had gone wrong? We could have just traveled on foot," I glowered at him, my gaze accusing him of putting my life at risk.

"Even if this place is only a hundred miles from Undercity, it’s not very convenient to get here on foot. Besides, I know you’re tired from your training sessions today."

I stepped away from him, and farther from the cliff edge, terrified I might trip and fall. I still vividly remembered how I fell last time, and it wasn’t the best experience. I wouldn’t recommend doing it for the second time.

Then I turned my gaze back to Rion. "Thanks for your concern. Since you knew I was tired from my lessons and training earlier, you could have spared me from this little trip."

"But you just ate cookies and drank milk. It’s unhealthy to sleep immediately after eating," he said like this was him doing me a favor. "Besides, I told you this would be quick."

I sighed. What could I do now, anyway? I was already here.

"So, what do you want me to do?"

Rion stepped closer. A ghost of a smile touched his lips, one I didn’t dare trust.

What is he thinking?

Another step. His breath fanned my face, warm and sweet. The small of his neck was dangerously close, I could see the tiny rise and fall where his jaw tightened.

My pulse thudded in my throat, and for a stupid, traitorous second I wanted to lean in, close that last sliver of air and drink him in. He smelled like rain on stone and the kind of danger that made my skin prickle.

Stop. Stop. This wasn’t the right time to think about his scent, you fool! Focus on the cliff, focus on footing... anything but him.

"What—AHHH!!!"

I screamed at the top of my lungs as I spiraled down from the cliff after Rion shoved me, his smug smile cutting the night like a scheming devil.

Wind clawed at my nightdress and whipped my hair into my mouth. Leika’s curses swallowed by my own panicked noise. The world became a smear of stars and tree trunks and cold air that slapped my face raw.

Is he trying to get me killed?

But that’s against the bargain!

"Calm down and let yourself feel the danger,"

I heard his calm voice in my head. "Your wolf instinct is always to protect you. Embrace the danger, reach out to your bond, and grasp its power. Once you feel even the faintest thread of it, hold on and never let go."

I closed my eyes and tried to do as he instructed. My heart hammered in my chest, as if it might explode at any second.

But no... nothing was happening. I could hear Leika’s voice, urging me on, but I couldn’t feel her power at my fingertips. It was beyond my reach, it seemed.

Rion’s voice came again. "Concentrate. Think of what matters. Do you want to die here without avenging your mother’s death? Without killing the person who made your father a scapegoat?"

That was the trigger.

Anger surged through my veins, forcing me to connect—to reach that pool of power deep in my soul, to Leika, my wolf. It shimmered and burned, and I felt it flood my blood as it embraced me.

Just before my frail human body could hit the rocky ground, my eyes flared gold and my body shifted. Leika and I becoming as one.

We twisted in the air and landed on our feet without breaking a bone. Our legs felt stronger thanks to weeks of training.

Power thrummed through my veins, and a growl ripped from my throat as a swirl of shadow unfurled in front of me.

Shadows uncurled around Rion. He stared at me, the reflection of my white wolf flickered in his crimson eyes.

One corner of his mouth lifted. "Hmm, not bad."

We growled and bared our teeth. Leika seemed to agree we should snap his head off. I was really considering it. With my wolf power fueling my fury, at this moment, I felt like I could do it.

But before I could decide, my limbs shifted, and in an instant I was human again.

"You still couldn’t hold it, I see," Rion said, nodding with a bit of disappointment. "But after what you did, I’m sure you now know how it feels to reach out for it when needed. Remember that feeling. The wolves inside us—their number one instinct is to protect us, and so I thought you needed to feel real danger so you’d know where to reach for the bond."

"What if I had failed?" My fists clenched at my sides as my strides ate up the distance between us. I planted myself right in front of him, gritting my teeth. "You could have killed me!"

His expression barely changed.

"There is nothing in this world that can kill you, Vivien. Not under my watch."