Chapter 16
But as I reached for the cake, my fingers brushed against the edge of the commission folder still lying open on my workstation.
The photograph of that wine–stained gown caught my eye again, and something stirred in the depths of my memory–not the recent pain, but something much older, much more mysterious.
The red stains on white fabric reminded me of something else entirely. A red hooded cape, torn and bloodied, from a lifetime ago when I was just seven years
old…
I’d never told anyone about that day in the woods behind Grandma Nessa’s estate during one of our childhood visits. How could I? Who would believe that littl Alina Darkwood had once encountered the legendary black wolf from the old stories?
“Grandma,” I said softly, accepting the cake with a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Do you remember the old stories about the black wolves? The ones from the ancient packs?”
Nessa’s eyes sharpened with interest, her witch’s intuition always finely tuned.
The Blackhaw Pack legends? Alpha Damian Shaw? Oh, my dear, those are more than just stories. Why do you ask?”
My wolf stirred uneasily in my chest, memories flooding back unbidden.
I remembered being seven years old, racing through those woods in my little red cape, falling and scraping my knee. Then the massive black wolf that had emerged from the shadows–not to hunt me, but to heal my wound with gentle care that defied every terrifying legend.
whispered. “What if it’s about someone who watched from the shadows for years? Someone who… protected without being asked?”
Nessa’s eyes widened slightly. “Girl, what aren’t you telling me?”
set down the cake and walked to the window, looking out at the moonlit forest beyond. “I think I met him once. The black wolf from the legends. When I was
ust a child.”
The sharp intake of breath behind me told me everything I needed to know.
Alina Darkwood,” Nessa said slowly, her voice carrying the weight of ancient knowledge, “Alpha Damian Shaw is not a name spoken lightly. He’s the original lack wolf, the one from whom all the dark legends spring. Two hundred years old, they say. But he vanished from supernatural society decades ago. If what ou’re suggesting is true…”
Then he’s been watching me grow up,” I finished. “And I think those clients trying to restore my mother’s gown–the one with nerve damage, the one covered n burn scars–I think they’re connected to him.”
Tessa’s face had gone pale. “The stories say he rejected his destined mate decades ago. That he’s lived alone ever since, becoming more beast than man. But if
e’s found another…”
What do you mean, another?”
Sometimes the Moon Goddess grants second chances, dear. Especially to those who’ve suffered greatly.” She paused, studying my face intently. “There have een whispers in the supernatural community. Stories of the black wolf’s pack desperately searching for someone. A young woman who supposedly… escaped im.”
My blood ran cold. “Escaped?”
Not escaped,” Professor Nessa corrected quickly. “More like… ran away after a misunderstanding. The rumors say she was very young when they first ncountered each other. Some even say she wore a red cloak and showed no fear of the legendary beast.”
The moon cake fell from Professor Nessa’s trembling fingers, hitting the floor with a soft thud as the truth crystallized between us.
Outside, somewhere in the darkening woods, a wolf howled–low, mournful, and achingly familiar.
by wolf perked up for the first time in years, recognizing something she’d been waiting for without me even realizing it.
Chapter 16
“The commission,” I breathed. “He’s not trying to restore just any gown. He’s trying to fix what his rejection broke. But if there was another woman…”
“Then she would be grown now.” Professor Nessa said softly. “No longer the fearless child who once showed kindness to a monster, but a woman who learned to live without the protection she never knew she had.”
I thought of the descriptions my colleague had given–the Alpha who couldn’t speak properly, hands trembling with what could be regret or injury. The other, hidden beneath coverings that might conceal not just scars, but shame.
“They’re both broken,” I realized. “Whatever happened between them, it destroyed them both.”
F
“Oh, my dear child,” Professor Nessa breathed. “What have you stumbled into?”
But I was already reaching for my coat, my heart racing with a mixture of anticipation and an inexplicable sense of destiny calling. After years of healing from human betrayal, perhaps it was time to face a truth that had nothing to do with my past and everything to do with ancient promises made in moonlit forests.
“I’m going to find out,” I said, my voice steady despite the trembling in my hands. “And this time, I’m not running away from anything–or anyone.”
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