My legs burned—a mixture of pain and adrenaline. I could feel my heart drumming against my chest as I tuned out the footsteps closing in. I needed to focus on what was in front of me. I knew if I didn't, I'd panic and trip. Hell, I knew this was going to be an unfair match up the minute I took off. Which was why I took off. Bennett and these wolves had years of experience in running. They probably knew these woods like the back of their hands.

"You won't be able to make it back to Calamitous. But the woods are basically your short cut to the tunnel. Take this route there." Amaury's voice was the distraction I needed. The paths between the trees were thinning and felt suffocating. Damn, I didn't know how far I was from the tunnel, from Calamitous, or if I was even climbing up the mountain away from Havford yet.

"Erebus wolf closing in from your right." I peeked to my right, noticing the blur Amaury pointed out running alongside me through the trees. Shit. "Keep going. I'll be your eyes and ears. Don't let them distract you," he added. I gruffed in response.

If anything, I was more worried about my thoughts distracting me.

"Bennett is running behind us. The Erebus wolves are trying to circle around. Their strategy is to cut in front of you and block your path. Don't let them," Amaury instructed. I kicked my hind legs harder, trying to increase my speed.

Building the momentum was the easy part. Keeping it up? Not so much. I could feel the dirt kicking off my paws as more power rushed into my steps. My panting was loudest to my ears, meanwhile my doubts and concerns were loudest in my mind. Why? That was all I could think to myself. Bennett and Vincent were friends—close friends. Bennett had defended Vincent even from childhood, and never once showed an ounce of resentment or hatred.

Could the throne have truly been the cause for Bennett's betrayal? No, but then how did Bennett's mother come into play? Come to think of it, there was so little I knew about Bennett's upbringing besides his stolen crown, as a lot of the people of Calamitous liked to phrase it. It was all they ever talked about when Vincent and Bennett were mentioned in the same breath. Maybe there was some jealousy to be held then, or perhaps something else I wasn't seeing.

"Genesis, look out!" Amaury's warning sunk into my brain far too late. I registered the dark blur ramming into my side as one of the Erebus wolves. With so much impact, it nearly caused me to topple over. But I found my footing just before my body hit the ground; not without the sacrifice of my ankle and unfortunately, my rib cage. I gasped for air; a long, strangled whimper fused with my breath as my body flung into the nearest tree.

"Genesis!?" I tuned out Amaury's scream as a loud crack pulsed through my ears. Pain surged through my body, and I realized the source of the crack was my bones that hit the tree. I didn't have time to react properly though. Had I stopped to grieve my—probably—broken ribs and twisted ankle, I'd have given the wolves a chance to catch up again. So, I sucked in my tears, bit back my whimpers, and scrambled to run straight again.

My vision blurred with more unfallen tears as the sharp tips of my bones poked my insides whenever my feet hit the ground. It was an incredibly crucial pain that made me want to curl up into a ball and dry heave. Fuck, this hurt. So much.

"Genesis, if you can move your upper body, take a sharp turn right." I took a shaky breath, then followed Amaury's instructions again. The next several minutes were the most painful minutes of my life. I took every turn Amaury told me to make, accomplished every action he told me to, and tried my best to lose my pursuers until the tunnel came into view.

I ran deep into the tunnel, only stopping when I was hidden in the darkest parts, deep enough not to be seen. My chest was winded, and as a result, short breaths exited my mouth. As my body regressed back into human form, I crouched into the fetal position on my side. An inhuman noise left my mouth—something like a call for help through my pain.

"Breathe, Genesis. Breathe for me please." He sounded just like Vincent. As soothing as that was, I struggled to follow his commands. I gave myself another minute or two to catch my breath. Still, I could hardly speak. I sat up and shimmied into my cloak the best I could. Both my right ankle and my left rib cage were red and swelling. I hissed when the cool air caressed them.

"It'll heal," Amaury tried to assure me, "it'll heal."

"Not fast enough." I gritted my teeth and coughed. "I can barely see anything!" Being unable to see in the dark was expected. However, even the darkness was blurry.

"Where are your glasses?" Amaury asked when he realized they weren't on my face.

I felt around my cloak as if somehow they'd magically appear in one of my pockets. "I think they might've fallen when I shifted and ran. Dammit! They're back near that stupid cottage."

"We need to figure out a way for you to get out. You'll catch frostbite if you sit here for too long like this. It's freezing out here," Amaury said, then swore under his breath. As much as the idea of freezing butt-naked in the wilderness scared me, I had a bigger matter to get off my chest.

"Who the hell was that!?" It was hard to keep my voice low when I was so riled up. "B-Bennett and that woman! Who the hell was she? You knew her. You said her name!"

"Sophia. . ."

A cool draft swept through the tunnel as Amaury spoke her name.

"I remember now," he started, quietly. "The night I was stabbed. I remember seeing her there. I was in that very same location that night. It was an ambush, I think. I wasn't supposed to be there and see what I saw. I had no idea Bennett was following me.

"When I left Calamitous that night, my goal was to look further into the shadow rumors. The next thing I recall is that cottage and Bennett stabbing me from behind. Sophia then commanded that damned shadow to attack me. I tried to flee and that's how I stumbled upon you."

"And that's when Bennett stumbled upon us. . ." I said, my voice barely audible.

Hell, I spared him enough time to cover his tracks.

"But Sophia—that night, I thought maybe my eyes must have been playing tricks on me."

"But why? She's Bennett's mother. You recognized her, didn't you?"

"Because Sophia's dead," Amaury emphasized. "At least, she was supposed to be. . . She was banished for practicing black magic within pack grounds. A very long time ago. And she was. . . She was reported dead a few months after her banishment. It was . . . suicide." Silence.

I didn't know what to say.

So, I ended up whispering the first thing my brain latched onto, "Black magic?"

"The very black magic we're up against," Amaury confirmed.

"I-I"—I was struggling to wrap my head around this—"Amaury, this is a lot."

"I know," he sympathized.

I tugged at the ends of my cloak, then squared my shoulders and puffed my cheeks. Amaury and Hudson's words were connecting like various threads in my head. "Amaury, Hudson mentioned banishment running in your family. Um, back when he was spreading rumors at the pack. Is this. . . Does she have anything to do with that?" I needed to understand.

Amaury's silence was more powerful than his words. By now, I knew when he was silent, that meant he was trying to approach the discussion with care. It was just a brief moment of hesitation but it told me enough—Hudson's words were indeed directed at Sophia's banishment.

"Bennett's family doesn't have the most pleasant history among Calamitous," Amaury sighed through his revelation. "Things were already . . . tense when Vincent showed up. When Vincent's mother abandoned him in front of Calamitous, my father made one of the riskiest decisions to take him under his wing. He knew not everyone would approve.

"I'm sure you know all about the rumors—how Bennett was supposed to be next in line for Alpha after me because of his father's title within the pack. There was a lot of bitterness to be held when news spread of Vincent's arrival. Sophia, however, was the most bitter of all. But that's not where her banishment began. Genesis, how much do you know about Beta Jared?"

"Um, I know that he's Bennett's father and he was beta when Amaruq served as Alpha."

"Hmm, right. And did you know he passed away when Bennett was sixteen-years-old?"

"What?" I blurted, eyes widening. "You mean he's not even alive!? I-I thought—"

"It's okay. It wouldn't be common knowledge to you. You have much to learn."

"It's just," I paused, my face screwing in confusion, "no one's ever mentioned that. I've just heard about who he was. Not really much about his position currently. What happened?"

"He died of natural causes. No one expected him to pass so soon."

"Oh. . ."

Amaury sighed again, continuing, "After Beta Jared's passing, it was brought to my father's attention, by multiple witnesses, that Sophia was hoarding potentially harmful stuff. So, my father called for a thorough inspection of her home, and found books upon books of dark spells."

"Dark spells? I don't understand. Was she banished for the books alone? Alpha Merrick mentioned that magic wasn't banned universally, right? Even you had at least five spell books stored in your office." I felt the need to point that out. Calamitous must have been one of those packs who hadn't banned magic in law. Unless Amaury's status granted him that access—or he never had permission in the first place. After all, one of his spell books was gone.

"Yes, but not black magic. Black magic is a specific form of old magic. He mentioned that too, did he not?" I nodded and bit my lip. "Black magic is dangerous and harmful. Even more so than magic as a whole. And that is because nothing good ever comes from it. Oftentimes, black magic is used for self-serving matters.

"Violence and bloodshed. Sometimes, they're even used as an easy way out. But using that kind of magic always comes at a price. My books may have contained a few dark spells—that I now know of—but I wouldn't have been allowed to perform them even if I wanted to. Black magic has always been forbidden in our pack."

I nodded my head in understanding yet again, frowning. "So, she was using black magic to do what? It couldn't have been this. Not yet, right?" I waved my hands, gesturing to the plague of shadows we had running rampant thanks to her.

"My father saw that the spells linked back to necromancy. It seems in her state of grief, she tried many times to bring Beta Jared back from the dead. But after a while, it grew into more than that. There was a lot of curiosity and greed, dare I say.

"My father gave Sophia many chances to clean up her act. He did not want to ban her. She, however, left him with no further choice. It was either he banned her or he put the entire pack at risk for her selfish deeds. Unfortunately, she was banned when Bennett turned eighteen."

"And as a result your father made an enemy he has no idea about. . ."

"Amazing, isn't it?" Amaury laughed. But it sounded more like an acceptance of defeat. "I truly believe this isn't just my father's doing though. It may have been the action that stirred the kettle. But this feels more like a long-welcomed breaking point. A call for destruction, perhaps."

"What do you mean?"

"From Beta Jared's death, to her banishment, and now this. It appears she is taking her frustration out on her kind." When he said it like that, I'd admit, it sounded very extreme. The issue was between her and Amaruq. To drag her species and mine into it—whether she intentionally or unintentionally meant to include us—was insane. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe it had everything to do with her kind, and the way things were.

But mass death? Still insane.

"Amaury," I chimed in a different direction, trying to lessen the tension, "do you think she's the one who has your book?"

"Think?" I imagined Amaury shaking his head as he said, "there's no doubt in my mind that Bennett is the reason you and Vincent couldn't find my fifth book. He more than likely stole it for her. He's in and out of the office a lot."

"Wait, you said that you now know of. So, you never knew one of your spell books contained black magic such as this? Is that what you meant?"

"Not exactly," Amaury hesitated, more than likely sporting a frown on his face, "If I'm being honest, I never got around to learning about all the spells. I mostly focused on protection spells." I imagined a younger and more eager Amaury excited to provide security for his pack, and he fit the image well. 

"So, how the hell did she and Bennett know about them?"

"My guess is, Bennett has been in that office a lot more than we know. It wouldn't surprise me if she asked him to read through my books. Sophia is very familiar with dark magic. I think she'd know the spells at first glance. Bennett is merely the pawn playing messenger."

"What happened to all the books she owned?"

"They were confiscated when she refused to stop."

"Do you think anyone from Calamitous is still hunting for Bennett?" They'd left early this morning but I knew they sometimes searched in rounds. If I was lucky, maybe they were on their last round right about now. Surely, someone would have stumbled upon me. That was if Bennett hadn't found me first, or if they hadn't found him.

He and the Erebus wolves had to be lurking somewhere in the area still. I figured they were trying to sniff me out. It wouldn't be long before they found me. All of those natural odors had to have worn off by now. Probably having been drowned out by the scent of my sweat—a faint smell that was most likely left in the wake of my escape. I could only pray for survival.

"Let's hope so." This was the third time Amaury sighed in less than ten minutes. I could practically hear the stress pooling from his tone. Even in death, he couldn't rest.

My frown deepened. "I still can't believe Bennett would betray Calamitous like this. . ."

"Neither can I." Amaury's growl caused my body to flinch and my jaw to clamp shut. "And I'd like to know why," he said.