Chapter Fifty Four

  While her AJ teetered on the edge of sleep, using Boden as a pillow, Virginia kept watch.

  Just as her AJ had discovered her mind could stay active even while Virginia struggled to stay conscious, so too could Virginia continue to surveil their surroundings while her AJ slept.

  It was important for her AJ to rest. Virginia could sense their night was not over yet. And, even with the pact in place, Virginia did not trust the man next to them—this Eugene Desmond—whose magic could so easily deceive her senses.

  Magic that could turn simple trinkets into weapons.

  Magic that could cloud the mind of those he looked at.

  Magic that could change not only his appearance, but even his scent.

  Or at least his normal scent. The scent of his magic still remained unchanged.

  He was a trickster, if ever she’d seen one.

  Even his name, Eugene—Yu Jing—was misleading.

  But unlike the Trickster, Eugene’s actions suggested a more… benevolent intent. That stone of his had been hard to swallow, but in the end it had helped her ailing AJ. And while his words were confusing to Virginia, they'd given her AJ much needed clarity.

  Yet he had also threatened her AJ when they first met. Had even attempted to shame her.

  Had that all been a bluff—a threat display?

  It was hard for her to tell.

  He was both confusing and hard to predict.

  And she couldn’t trust what she couldn’t predict.

  So while her AJ drifted off in the seat beside him—her face buried in Boden’s fur, both of them drooling—Virginia kept a watchful eye on Eugene.

  Eight eyes, in fact.

  Virginia had shifted her awareness to the not-so-little watcher who’d nestled herself in Virginia’s mane, observing the world through Elmo’s eyes.

  And legs.

  In fact, it was mostly through Elmo’s legs that Virginia now observed Eugene. Specifically, the hairs on her legs—as well as the rest of her body—which created a tactile view of the world from every little vibration.

  Sure, Elmo couldn’t perceive things as far away as Virginia could. But in the close confines of the vehicle they were in, Elmo’s world was far more detailed than what Virginia’s senses would allow.

  With her ears, Virginia could hear the beating heart of another creature. But never had she been able to feel that pulse as it traveled through the body of another.

  Feel every blink. Every subtle twitch.

  Elmo could sense everything about Eugene.

  And all while facing away from him.

  It really put the in .

  Virginia paused.

  The thought had felt foreign to her.

  This… humor.

  This word-play.

  She detested such things.

  Her AJ was bleeding through again. Becoming her Auto-Jane.

  But this also meant her AJ was slipping.

  Virginia turned her attention inward, observing her AJ’s mind ebb in and out of sleep.

  She felt the borders between them—borders already softened by the chimera’s poison—beginning to fade.

  Little by little.

  And then disappear entirely.

  Thoughts and emotions began to flow out of her AJ, spilling into the space between them, before flowing into Virginia.

  And as AJ’s sense of self faded, Virginia’s became more defined.

  More manifest.

  More… Virginia.

  Finally.

  For a while now, Virginia could feel herself teetering back and forth. Gradually coming closer and closer to that precipice. Each full moon allowing her to grow in presence.

  Though growth didn’t seem like the right word anymore.

  Not when she now knew so many of them.

  Perhaps…

  .

  Yes.

  That was a better word.

  Virginia was restoring herself.

  But, until recently, this process had been slow—painfully slow. All because her AJ didn’t know what she was doing. What she was dealing with.

  Didn’t remember what Virginia was.

  But it seemed her AJ was starting to understand.

  That cat… Solomon—who had worked his way so easily under her AJ’s skin—had suggested that she listen to Virginia.

  And her AJ had listened.

  Had started communing with her.

  Feeding her when she found that Virginia was hungry.

  And giving her freedom.

  To run.

  To hunt.

  And to finally cross that necessary threshold.

  Before that, her AJ had believed Virginia was nothing more than an instinctive impulse that she needed to suppress. A piece of herself that she had to keep hidden.

  But now her AJ was starting to see things differently.

  Was starting to acknowledge Virginia’s… individuality.

  She had even given her a name, after all.

  Well—the raven had given her a name.

  But her AJ rather liked it.

  So Virginia it was.

  Virginia Wolf.

  How amusing.

  As if her AJ thought this would make Virginia more… human.

  But, of course, Virginia was not human.

  Virginia was Virginia.

  And Virginia was a wolf.

  Albeit, a wolf that was in the midst of an identity crisis.

  Despite the recent milestone, Virginia could feel she was not quite whole yet. That part of her… self was still buried somewhere in her AJ’s mind. In a place where her AJ buried many things.

  It puzzled Virginia that her AJ would suppress herself like this.

  And it frustrated Virginia that she’d been caught up in it.

  But then again, she was dealing with a human.

  And this was such a human thing to do.

  Humans were like other beasts. While beasts were what they were, humans had the ability to be something they were not, and to think in ways alien to them.

  A peculiar skill—but one that allowed them to discard tooth and claw, and develop an even more dangerous weapon.

  An imagination.

  And, sure enough, her AJ was very imaginative.

  Her mind was flexible in ways Virginia’s was not, and had quickly learned to grasp the power Virginia had given her—figuring out how to reshape herself, how to commune with other beasts, and even how to thwart the powers of others.

  If anything, the only thing that had stopped her AJ from figuring it out sooner had been, well…

  Her AJ.

  Her belief in herself, in her Virginia, and in the power they now possessed.

  But what Virginia found most peculiar was how her AJ tried to make space for both of them in her mind.

  Had figured out a way to swap places with her without the two of them mixing.

  But why make space for two when you could be one?

  Especially when they’d make such a great huntress together.

  And who wouldn’t want to be like that?

  Hadn’t that been what her AJ wanted?

  To be more like Virginia?

  Virginia loved being Virginia.

  More than her AJ loved being AJ.

  In fact, Virginia wasn’t even sure her AJ liked herself all that much.

  Which was a shame.

  There was so much Virginia had come to like about her AJ.

  Virginia stopped to peer into her AJ’s mind, which had gone quiet with dreamlike tranquility.

  And, in that space, she had gathered the minds of Boden and the chimera, lulling them into a peaceful sleep.

  With Elmo’s sight, Virginia watched as the chimera outside their door knelt down, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

  Her AJ had made it seem so… natural.

  A pack needed more than fangs and claws.

  It needed a unifying force.

  But while Virginia could lead a pack on a hunt, she couldn’t hold it together.

  At least, not for long.

  She needed the help of another. And she found the perfect candidate.

  So it frustrated Virginia that her AJ clung so desperately to staying human. Especially when she could make a much better wolf.

  And it wasn’t like her AJ lacked the means.

  Or the desire.

  Just as her AJ could peer into the chimera and see him for what he was, so too could Virginia peer into her AJ.

  She had seen that there was much they had in common—more than her AJ was willing to admit.

  Or ready to accept.

  Except… in a way, her AJ already had.

  Even if she could not remember, Virginia knew her AJ had already accepted her.

  How else would the two of them have been able to bond?

  But Virginia thought she understood now.

  Now that her AJ’s mind was open to her.

  Now that Virginia was able to tap into the knowledge and insight her AJ possessed.

  Able to use these words that allowed her to express thoughts with more… ease.

  Even if it was unsettling for Virginia.

  Unlike her AJ, Virginia—the real Virginia—did not express herself in words.

  Words were cumbersome.

  Inefficient.

  Too open to misunderstanding and manipulation.

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  Turned your mind into a riddle that hid you from yourself.

  Not like instinct.

  Like raw feeling—those pure and immutable forces of being.

  Hunger.

  Anger.

  The drive to hunt.

  The drive to… be.

  They didn’t need words—not when they translated so readily into action.

  But Virginia could see the utility of words.

  See how they allowed her to express such complex thoughts with more clarity than raw emotion and instinct would allow.

  But clarity brought an unfamiliar discomfort.

  Not shame—Virginia was not ashamed of her actions.

  But perhaps… regret.

  Yes.

  That was the word.

  Regret, because Virginia could finally see the rift between her and her AJ for what it was.

  Why her AJ was afraid of her.

  Virginia had wanted her AJ to know her.

  To feel her.

  The real her.

  To know what it felt like to be Virginia—fully restored.

  To hunt together as one.

  Two kindred spirits, each possessing a piece the other lacked.

  Becoming not just whole, but more:

  A pack unto themselves.

  But once had been enough to terrify her AJ—enough that she couldn’t bear to remember the experience of that first night.

  The memory shrouded like a mirror tucked away in some forgotten back room.

  As if it hid something worse than a simple reflection of oneself.

  Which… Virginia thought was pretty silly.

  It was like jumping at your own shadow.

  How could you fear what you were?

  What you were meant to be?

  Virginia supposed that her AJ just needed a little time.

  Time to rediscover herself.

  All Virginia needed was to be patient.

  And a good huntress was always patient.

  In the meantime, Virginia would just have to accept that her AJ would think her actions rash.

  And that, despite Virginia accomplishing the very thing she’d set out to do—locating and retrieving Boden, their wayward pup—her AJ would find the means unjustified by the ends.

  And Virginia understood why.

  Because, to protect one member of her pack, Virginia had hurt another.

  Hurt JT.

  Virginia found she now regretted her decision. But she just hadn’t thought of him as pack material at the time—more as an obstacle in the way of getting what she wanted.

  But now, with the power of her AJ’s hindsight, Virginia could see him in a different light.

  Could see what her AJ saw in him—what she wanted from him—and found that she wanted it too.

  Sure, he was human.

  But so was her AJ.

  Perhaps there was something she could do for her AJ.

  Find a way to amend things between them and JT.

  Or, at the very least, a way to compensate her AJ for making her suffer through the consequences of Virginia’s actions.

  Virginia had gotten them entangled in the machinations of other hunters.

  Which, ironically, was the very thing that had estranged her from her last pack.

  They too had thought her reckless.

  But Virginia still couldn’t see how she could have done anything different.

  Then and now.

  It was—as the humans say—hard for an old dog to learn new tricks.

  Once she saw a path, she took it. No questions. No hesitation.

  So Virginia had figured it was better that she set out on her own—a lone wolf following her own path.

  A , as it were.

  The thought tasted of her AJ’s humor.

  It seemed her AJ was rather fond of this title.

  She had used it before.

  It was some kind of word-play about debt.

  A truly human creation, indeed.

  Virginia supposed she’d let it stick. It wasn’t like she was alone anymore. She’d found herself an AJ—a witch who had yet to ignite her spark. A spark she was willing to share with her Virginia.

  And now they were starting a pack of their own. A pack was growing, thanks to her AJ.

  Sure, Virginia was still prone to her same bad habits. But, thankfully, she had her AJ to help iron out the wrinkles this time.

  In fact, their hunt for food earlier had been an astounding success in large part due to her AJ.

  Virginia supposed that stealing food from humans didn’t quite qualify as a hunt, but it had still given her the same satisfaction.

  Besting humans always gave her satisfaction.

  And, despite what her AJ might think, it had been a necessity. You couldn’t protect your pack on an empty stomach after all.

  But perhaps Virginia had gone a little… overboard.

  She just hadn’t anticipated human cuisine to be so enticing.

  To bring fire to flesh seemed like just another act of human excessiveness.

  Because why would you need to prepare food that could be eaten straight from the bone?

  Fresh from the kill?

  Virginia hated fire.

  Hated all the imaginative ways humans had learned to employ it.

  And, more than that, she hated to admit how good it made their food taste.

  But, alas, the results had spoken for themselves, and now Virginia had a craving.

  She and her AJ.

  Try as she might to hide herself behind her words, Virginia knew her AJ had also enjoyed it.

  And, for a brief moment, the two of them had taken such pleasure in each other’s company.

  And it had been so effortless.

  Virginia hadn’t needed to push or pry—merely to allow her AJ to be tempted, and then help her AJ pursue said temptation.

  Perhaps that was a better way to bridge the gap.

  She could wait for her AJ’s desire to bubble back up to the surface—as all repressed things inevitably did.

  Just let the things her AJ buried unearth themselves.

  And, when they did, Virginia would be there.

  Helping her AJ act on those desires.

  And it wasn’t like this was a momentous task for Virginia.

  If anything, she relished the idea.

  She and her AJ basically wanted the same things after all:

  Food.

  Companionship.

  Adoration.

  Copulation.

  The essentials of life itself.

  Under their meek facades and careful words, humans were still beasts.

  Beasts who knew the power of restraint.

  But beasts nonetheless.

  So, if her AJ could just loosen those restraints, it would be easy for her to forget herself—

  To stop being AJ and become just more… Virginia.

  That was what her AJ wanted after all, wasn’t it?

  To fold her AJ into herself?

  To predate her?

  Albeit in a more... intimate way.

  Besides, it wasn’t like Virginia could restore herself by just consuming regular flesh after all.

  Her kind had to feast on something more… spiritual.

  And her AJ would be nourishing indeed.

  But the sad fact remained that even if Virginia had wanted to consume her AJ—to hunt her—she couldn’t have.

  No.

  Wounded as she had been that night, it was Virginia who had been at her AJ’s mercy.

  Virginia who had been subject to her AJ’s will.

  To her AJ’s compassion.

  Compassion that Virginia couldn’t help but reciprocate.

  Now she was stuck.

  So it was ironic that her AJ now believed herself the one cursed—when Virginia was pretty sure it was herself.

  Deprived of her strength, Virginia had now been cursed to a fate worse than death.

  A fate that inevitably befell all her kin who found themselves trapped in the human world.

  .

  Even now, Virginia could still feel her… self being eroded away.

  Her claws, her fangs, her senses—her instincts—all becoming dulled and diluted.

  She was slowly being turned into something she was not.

  Something she had never meant to be.

  Even AJ had noticed this. Had enabled this.

  Had even called her the auto-dog.

  That was her curse. Her punishment. Branded onto her.

  But for what exactly?

  Hubris?

  Arrogance?

  For Virginia being Virginia?

  She still wasn’t sure what she’d done.

  Well—technically she knew what.

  Just not why.

  As for the how…

  Magic.

  How she hated magic.

  How she especially despised those who could wield it better than her.

  But that was yet another thing she and her AJ shared in common.

  Both their hatred.

  And their fear.

  And just as her AJ feared losing herself, so too did Virginia.

  That was why she had to hunt.

  Why she was compelled to flee the human world of lights, of sounds, and concrete edifices.

  To seek the forests where she could be herself.

  To remember what it was like to be a predator.

  To resharpen her instincts.

  To be alive.

  To be a huntress.

  And to, one day, restore herself fully to the wolf she once was.

  And perhaps even become something more in the process.

  A leader of her own pack.

  One where she needn’t worry about her actions being questioned.

  Where she could be who she was.

  She who was a wolf.

  She who was a huntress.

  She who once commanded awe and respect of all denizens of the forest.

  She who—

  Found herself nuzzling Boden’s tummy absentmindedly.

  And enjoying it a little too much.

  She could feel herself being drawn into the calm, warm waters of her AJ’s mind.

  But, as inviting as they were, Virginia knew the truth.

  Knew the currents that hid just beneath the surface.

  How easy it would be to get swept up into them.

  To drown in them.

  And the thought sparked such joy within her.

  She had to be careful: her AJ’s imagination was an insidious one.

  For proof she need look no further than the chimera who’d already been so easily ensnared by it.

  Whose mind now pooled within the waters of her—their—AJ.

  It was clear her restoration was not without risk.

  Virginia and her AJ were already tangled together—two currents in the same stream, braided so tightly it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

  Constantly pushing and pulling.

  Back and forth.

  Like tides in sync with the moon.

  It seemed it was only pure stubbornness that kept one of them from absorbing the other—two bucks with horns locked, neither able to move the other.

  Nor able to separate.

  A balance that would maintain itself until one of them chose to yield.

  Perhaps this was for the best.

  Perhaps her AJ was right to keep their minds separate.

  But while her AJ had been able to forget, and Virginia struggled to remember, Virginia could still recall how she felt that first night.

  That feeling of completeness.

  Virginia wanted to feel that again.

  To be made whole.

  Even for just a little.

  More than that, there were benefits to being more complete.

  Had the two of them started the night with a more unified mind, they certainly wouldn’t have come into conflict with each other.

  Because, regardless of whether her AJ became Virginia, or Virginia became her AJ, they would have heard the same thing.

  They would have heard Boden beckoning to them.

  And they would have followed their instinct to heed it.

  Her AJ couldn’t yet sense all the things that Virginia could.

  But thanks to the raven, she’d still figured most of it out.

  Her AJ knew that Boden could sense the fate of others—with a penchant for those fated for misfortune.

  But Virginia knew a deeper truth.

  More than sensing it, Boden could taste.

  Taste fate—for all its curious flavors—on the skin of those he licked.

  He could smell it too—but the taste was better.

  And while one might think misery to be a bitter flavor, Boden found it rather savory.

  Yet if someone’s fate tasted flat, Boden could choose to… spice it up.

  Twisting it ever so slightly.

  Garnishing them with misfortune.

  Because nothing enriched the soul like a little adversity.

  Virginia figured that this was why his master had sent him out: to help a man who was both trickster and hunter track down a group of interlopers—these Green-flames—whom his master deemed a threat.

  To find them and, when he did, invite misfortune upon them.

  And so Boden had.

  But when he had called out, it hadn’t been upon fate.

  Or upon his master—this… Sandy.

  He had called out to her.

  To Virginia.

  Inviting her.

  Inviting

  Virginia grimaced.

  She still didn’t understand why her AJ enjoyed these… puns. This verbal pestilence.

  But, to her horror, the more she let the thought nestle in her mind, the more enamored with it she became.

  It seemed to her that Boden held nothing but admiration for Virginia, and had elected her as his favored misfortune.

  To be both huntress and harbinger of consequence.

  Virginia—who had shown Boden how to hunt just the night before.

  Virginia who would express such joy at the fine scout he had become.

  Who, between her curse and her AJ’s bad luck, reeked so strongly of misfortune that it flavored the fates of everyone around them.

  The flavor of .

  Curses, she was becoming more and more of her AJ by the second.

  Virginia dashed the thought, and instead returned to the memories of Boden’s exploits—memories he had relayed to her.

  After following his master’s falcon to the man known as Eugene, and having stolen his lunch—stolen food always tasted better—Boden had accompanied the man whose fate was quite flavorful.

  And tonight, just as the night before, when the man he was accompanying got too close to their prey, the prey struck back.

  But this time, Eugene had been more cautious.

  He was—as the humans liked to say—once bitten, twice shy.

  He’d locked the two of them in the shipping container they’d been searching, before the Puppeteer’s thralls—along with the dogs they’d cursed—could descend upon them.

  Still, the thralls had trapped them inside.

  So here too, as in the warehouse with the chimera, Eugene had tried to give the thralls “the slip,” and attempted to escape through the Slip he’d discovered in the container.

  A Slip that, like the one her AJ had shown him, had also been sabotaged.

  Boden could taste the misfortune about to befall Eugene.

  Knew he was going to lose another person he’d grown fond of.

  But Boden didn’t know how to tell him that—couldn’t communicate with him like he could with Virginia or her AJ.

  So Boden had howled.

  Which he only ever did when things were already dire.

  Typically, Boden would never howl.

  Or bark, for that matter.

  Usually he either whined or made playful noises.

  Bad things tended to happen to those around him when he raised his voice.

  But when bad things were already in the works, he saw no harm in spicing things up a little.

  So he did.

  Twice.

  Once to get Eugene’s attention—Virginia’s as well.

  And twice to keep it.

  Eugene hadn’t let him howl a third time.

  Virginia suspected this meant the good detective understood what Boden was.

  Knew what would happen if he let Boden howl a third time—the misfortune it would invoke upon those who heard.

  Not that Boden had any intention of doing that.

  He rather liked Eugene—and found his flavor to be fine as is.

  But Eugene had no way of knowing this.

  So the good detective had spent the rest of his time with his hand clamped around Boden’s muzzle, which Boden gladly licked—letting his chest rumble in warning every time Eugene tried to pull away.

  Eugene had even tried to pacify him with treats. Which made the effort all the more worthwhile.

  But all he was really doing was stalling for Virginia.

  Waiting for her to arrive.

  Waiting for her to howl the third and final time. And set events into motion.

  The memory of Eugene’s startled terror at the sound of her howl gave Virginia immense satisfaction—to see the look on his face.

  With her howl, she’d drawn the attention of the Puppeteer and his thralls—thralls her AJ quickly dispatched.

  This, in turn, forced their prey’s hand—flushed him out of hiding—only to be snared in a trap laid by another hunter.

  This Kirkland.

  That’s what this whole thing was:

  A game of hunters hunting other hunters.

  A dangerous game indeed.

  And now Virginia was on the board.

  Kirkland had eliminated the hunter called Bourdeaux.

  And Virginia had subjugated another.

  Subjugated Eugene Desmond.

  Boden had helped by drawing Eugene into her orbit, forcing him into a standoff.

  And when Eugene had tried to collar her, to humiliate her, she and her AJ had punished him for his arrogance.

  Garnished him with misfortune.

  Along with several bruises that, interestingly, still showed up on his new face. And the discoloration from his broken nose was beginning to set under his eyes like the markings of a raccoon.

  Which was fitting, really—raccoons were quite the tricksters too.

  Could have been worse. It was only by the grace of her AJ’s restraint that Virginia hadn’t subjected him to more than a tender beating.

  Though, not so gracious as to deny Boden a thorough tasting.

  And while Eugene hadn’t intended to deceive her with his… deathmask, Virginia had been able to demonstrate that any action to deceive her, or her AJ, would be met with consequences.

  It was important to establish boundaries after all.

  To keep a trickster like him under her paw.

  Sure, he might have fooled her once—or twice—with his tricks.

  But he was ultimately no match for her.

  Not this close to the full moon.

  When she could so readily manifest herself.

  When, under its light, she could once again wield some of the strength that had been taken from her.

  This left but one issue.

  The chimera.

  This Sylvester.

  Her AJ had communed with the beast and seen the soul within—seen a foal in need of guidance.

  A child forced to grow up too fast.

  A creature her AJ couldn’t help but sympathize with.

  But that didn’t change the fact that the beast was fully grown.

  A beast that had, well… frightened Virginia.

  There were pleasures that could only be experienced in corporeal form.

  And there were consequences.

  Being dismembered was one of them.

  And Virginia wasn’t keen on going through that again.

  So despite the childish nature of the chimera, her AJ didn’t have the luxury of coddling him.

  Sylvester would have to accept that he wasn’t a foal anymore.

  Yet, in Virginia’s eyes, her AJ was a poor disciplinarian.

  Despite the authority she could exert on their pack, she insisted on letting them walk all over her.

  So if she let her AJ be AJ, they were bound to get crushed.

  Or worse.

  Virginia knew if she didn’t set boundaries, things could quickly escalate with a creature like Sylvester.

  And unless her AJ was okay with experiencing a little dismemberment during a bout of play-biting, Virginia would have to help her AJ guide Sylvester.

  Teach him discipline.

  Show him tough love.

  After all, the best discipline was not devoid of compassion.

  And what better way to teach discipline than with a group hunt?

  Hunting was a good bonding exercise—and a constructive way to build character.

  It was also a necessity if Virginia was to remain the way she was.

  Two birds with one stone—as the humans liked to say.

  It didn’t really matter what she hunted, so long as it united her pack.

  So long as it allowed Virginia to be Virginia.

  But she already had the perfect prey in mind.

  These interlopers.

  The Green-flames.

  Why?

  Well… Virginia wasn’t too concerned about that.

  They were in her territory.

  Using magic.

  Spreading curses.

  Kidnapping infants—human and beast alike.

  That was more than sufficient for her.

  As for what they’d done to earn the ire of her AJ’s Sister, Virginia figured that it must have been for similar reasons.

  If anything, her AJ should be a little pleased by this—the whole thing had a bit of a ring to it.

  Hunters becoming the hunted.

  These interlopers being subjected to the very nightmare they’d created?

  There had to be some word-play potential.

  So, surely her AJ was on board with the idea.

  Because why else would she be bonding Sylvester and Boden together in her mind?

  She had to realize what that would enable Boden to do.

  The misfortune it would allow him to invoke.

  The thought excited her.

  Everything was coming together so neatly.

  Her pack.

  The hunt.

  It amazed Virginia that her AJ had managed to recruit such talent so quickly.

  Misery did indeed attract company—an interesting company at that.

  All she really had to do was wait patiently and let the pieces fall into place.

  And if it turned out this wasn’t her AJ’s intention… well.

  That was unfortunate for her AJ.

  And for the Green-flames.

  Because Virginia could now see the board.

  The entire board.

  And it was looking good.

  Virginia could only hope her AJ would enjoy hunting as much as she would.

  It would be more fun—more fulfilling—were they to do it together.

  Perhaps there was something Virginia could do to tempt her AJ—her AJ whose mind was so open to Virginia right now.

  So ready to be seeded with a thought.

  One that might open her up to the idea.

  Her AJ was already at her limits.

  Her restraints beginning to slip.

  It wouldn’t take much more.

  Just wait for the right moment—and nudge her over the edge.

  Awaken something she’d kept buried.

  Something… primal.

  The timing couldn’t be better.

  The full moon was almost upon them.

  The perfect time for a hunt.

  The perfect time for the two of them to lead their new pack.

  To hunt down these Green-flames—and any hunter that got in their way.

  And bring misfortune upon them all.