Chapitre 24

Astor stood protectively in front of me, his eyes fixed on Beta Talon.

"You," he growled, "you locked her in the dungeon."

"I was only doing what my re-"

Astor charged at him with blurring speed. Alpha Udyr intervened just in time.

"Your right? You locked my mate in the dungeon with these madmen! How so?"

Beta Talon gave me a quick, venomous look. I crouched further into the sheets. He must have wanted to keep his relationship with Lannis a secret, and I was a thorn in his side. Astor growled, drawing his uncle's attention back to himself.

The tension in the room was too much for me.

"Why did you lock her up?" asked Alpha Udyr, standing at his son's side.

"She entered our corridor without permission. I didn't know she was your mate, Astor. I am sorry."

A silence followed.

While his words weren't a lie, they didn't contain the whole truth either.

"If Dana transforms back," Astor said, "she will tell me the whole story. So pray to the moon goddess that it was the same."

His threatening words made my fur wake up.

"That's enough for now," Alpha Udyr replied. "We have more important things to discuss."

"Yeah, we should go somewhere else," Beta Talon said, eyes back on me. He was about to open the door. Astor, on the other hand, was walking toward me.

"I will not leave her alone in this state."

His arms slipped under my body and he lifted me against his chest. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the closeness between us.

"She can't..."

Beta Talon fell silent as Alpha Udyr intervened.

"The connection between two mates is so strong, it makes wounds heal faster," he said absently. His gaze was fixed on the portrait of the blond woman, his Luna. I could feel his quiet longing. He missed her.

Even Beta Talon looked at the picture of his dead sister with awe. Even though he hated me, she seemed to have a special place in his heart. It was good to know that he could feel something like love and pain.

"Come," Udyr finally said.

I had forgotten to count how many days had passed. Astor never left my side, for which I was incredibly grateful. His nearness helped me through the days and nights as my body recovered from the agony of silver.

My wolf was still missing.

So I had recovered.

"This can not continue like that. You must designate a new alpha to be your successor. Otherwise the marble here will soon be red instead of white," said Talon, pacing up and down.

I lay covered on a soft sofa and listened to the wolves' discussions. I had never heard so much about pack politics as here. There had been riots in some corners of Silverblood for the last few days, which were now over.

Some days I would fall asleep from boredom, especially when it came to some trade route or village I had never heard of. Today wasn't such a day.

"I may be reclusive, but I'm still the alpha to my pack," Udyr replied. "And I plan to live a few more years."

I raised my head and stretched my muscles. The pain continued to decrease with each passing day. Astor had forbidden me to run, but I could no longer lie still. Now he was silent, as if contemplating his father's words.

"We have another important issue," said Beta Talon. "What are we going to do with Silver Crown? The mountains will make it difficult to conquer their lands. With an elaborate plan, we could succeed."

"It's not a question of whether we could," Astor replied, "it's a question of whether we should. Silvercrown is peaceful. We can't go much further or it's only a matter of time before Alpha Eros interferes. He won't stand idly by until we conquer Mountainshade too. Attacking Silvercrown is a declaration of war against Iceclaw."

"I agree with Astor," said Alpha Udyr. "We cannot afford casualties. In the current situation, the greatest danger is internal peace. That is what we will focus on, otherwise Silverblood will soon fall apart."

I held my breath spellbound. What do you think my parents would think if they knew I was in a room with the most powerful wolves in the pack, overhearing war talks?

"Well, whatever you say. I'll await the report from Riverclaw and report back to you. Remember the celebrations of conquest in a few days."

With that, Beta Talon disappeared from the room. Relieved, I stretched a second time and pushed the blanket off my body. My fur had recovered well from the silver. I carefully pressed my paws into the cushion and hoisted myself to my feet.

I stood a little shaky, but without help.

"I think your mate is tired of being carried around like a puppy from here," Alpha Udyr said with a weary smile. Over the days I had lost my fear of him.

He was older and a bit taciturn, but when he said something, it was well thought out. I found some of these traits in Astor.

He would be a good alpha even without Wolf.

"I'd better leave you alone."

The door closed behind Alpha Udyr.

Astor and I bathed in silence for a moment. A routine had developed over the days. Waking up, eating, hours of training I could watch and after the meetings we went outside.

"Do you want to try?"

Astor lifted my wolf form and carefully lowered it to the ground. The carpet beneath my paws was soft and I took a few steps forward. It really was like being a puppy again who had to learn to walk.

Slowly but surely, I made my way to the door, which Astor opened. The aftertaste of the silver only rumbled lightly in my bones. My sense of smell had sharpened over the days. I knew the tracks of most of the guards and other residents of the White Palace.

The carpet muffled our footsteps on the way to the stairs. Astor had matched his pace to mine, for which I gratefully nudged him with my muzzle.

When the steps came into view, he lifted my form anyway. I put up some resistance, but that hadn't gotten me very far in the past few days. It was frustrating, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't even tell him how annoyed I was.

We reached the bottom of the stairs and Astor set me back on my own paws. The guards opened the door to the garden for us and the summer evening air blew towards us. I craned my head toward the sun, which was tilting its orange light toward the horizon.

The gravel scratched a bit under my paws, but it was nice to be able to feel nature again. We headed for the wooded area on the outskirts of the palace. The smell of mice, birds and rabbits filled the air around us.

I had hoped that they would take my wolf back, but I was alone. No sudden hunting instinct, no growl, nothing...

And I couldn't even talk to Astor about it.

That was what I missed the most. There was so much to tell, but no way. I'd tried turning back again and again, but the pain had always won out. The last attempt was three days ago when I lost consciousness.

After that Astor had forbidden me.

A breeze blew through my fur, bringing countless new smells with it. We looked at the trees, whose leaves were already turning soft reds and browns.

The summer was approaching its golden end.

I looked back at the palace.

The white marble shone even brighter than usual in the setting sun. I looked at the small opening at the base of the stone. That had been Solana's escape route.

I stomped a little more confidently in my gait toward the grate, but it was firmly sealed. She had been right. It was my fault that she couldn't escape. She had been down there for nine years.

I howled.

Was she still there?

She didn't deserve that, she saved my life. Did Astor know about it?

"Dana," he warned, as if he knew what I was up to. But it had to be done. I hadn't tried in three days and I felt better.

I closed my eyes and focused on my breathing. I haven't been in my human body for far too long. The silver couldn't stop me anymore.

The first bones began to shift and I clenched my jaws.

"Dana, stop it!"

I ignored his words as my joints flexed and loud cracks filled the air. I pressed against the wall that had held me back. The dull throb turned into a wave of pain that rolled over me. A howl escaped my wolf form, which shifted.

"Damned..."

The wall broke. I fell to the ground and gasped. My fur disappeared and my skin lay on the rough gravel. Immediately a white shirt covered me, carrying Astor's scent.

I had made it.

I could still see him crouching next to me and talking to me, but the world before my eyes blurred into nothing.