Unknown POVWhen I woke, I nearly leaped in shock. I had tried to keep half awake through the night in case some wild beasts got hungry, but I had fallen into deep sleep somehow without even knowing it. Sighing, I leaped down from the tree and returned to my human form. I thanked the goddess I had passed the night safely, though I slept deeply. I followed the sound of water to a clear stream which I used to rinse my mouth and wash my limbs. The water was a little cold from the recent snow, but it wasn't enough to bother me. After that, I chewed the mint leaves I had wrapped in the folds of my turban. It was time to continue the journey. I couldn't stop the excitement from building in me. I was so close to my dreams now. I had always dreamed about finding a mate, and now, it was about to happen. I just needed to cross the forest and I would be in the capital city. Changing my mind, I wolfed out and ran into the thick forest. Luckily, I didn't encounter any beast big enough to engage

Mia's POVI stood before the tree, sizing it up. It was taller than the ones I was used to, but Maya had said it was time to move on to higher levels, so I guess I have got to climb it."Thinking of ways to back down, you wimp?" Maya taunted from the top branch. Her voice carried down with the wind, giving it a kind of distant halo in the morning air."You know that tactic never works on me, even if it works like hell on Martha!" I called back.Her laughter carried down. "You know that sentence is a lie, even if you have been saying it for two months!"I sighed, irritated. She was right. I keep saying that every time she insults or mocks me, but the truth is that she rarely insults me when it won't hurt. She always picked the right moment when I was feeling frustrated, or very likely to snap, and used the insults to push me to new feats.I wasn't about to tell her that to her face though, even if we both know that. Ignoring her repeated jabs at my inability to transform, and my being

Maya's POVI listened to Mia speak, and didn't know what to tell her. She had valid reasons to be riled up. It turned out that the previous night, she had had a little chat with Mabel, who didn't think she was doing her absolute best.The fact was, Mabel was too hard on Mia. And sometimes, I am tempted to think that I am too. Maybe, I am. But we're all anxious about her, and us as well. She is the only hope we've got if we ever have to redeem our loved ones.All of us in this branch of Sulfur Hands have had our loved ones corrupted. It was another kind of pain, watching our loved ones in a fate worse than death.Our only hope of them ever recovering was in the savior prophesied. So, we're naturally hard on her.I made up my mind to let up on Mia for the next few days though. She needs it. Though the prophecy had clearly stated she wouldn't have a wolf till the blood moon, she still couldn't let go of the mindset that she was inferior to us that already had our wolves."Sorry dear," I

Unknown POVI thanked the lady for her troubles, then walked to the counter."You want more milk?" The bar man asked me in that grating tone. I smiled."I might. Depends on what you can do for me.""Sometimes, I'm lame. And sometimes, I'm blind. Depends on how far your purse is," the man replied without even looking at me.I dug in my sack and found a small horn, which I slapped on the counter. His face lit up, and I finally had his attention."That's a fat purse alright. Are you looking to buy the pub?" he asked me. There was amazement and awe on his face."Nah. Just your time, and network," I replied.He looked at me, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked me.I smiled, then leaned on the counter. "I need to gather some information. Apart from Mia, do you know if there is any other lady that was rejected by her mate this past few months?" I asked him.The bartender's eyes widened with surprise. "You're asking about rejections? That's rare. Most folks are interested in the alpha king

Mia's POVThe first sensation I felt when I woke up was the excruciating pain in my fingers. I winced and tightened my lips, stopping a scream from erupting just in time. Gingerly, I sat up, taking care to avoid leaning on my fingers while pushing myself up with my palms. I walked out of the room and opened the door across mine, where Maya and Mason stayed. Standing at the door, I could see Maya where she was still sleeping peacefully at the other end of the room. I felt pain burn in my heart. There were scratches on her face and other visible parts of her body, and a shallow gash on her forehead. Even as I watched, she turned in her sleep and her eyes tightened in a wince. She must have pressed on one of the many deep scratches that filled her back."Sorry," I muttered to her, though she couldn't hear me. If she hadn't been trying to protect me as she fought the Corrupted, she wouldn't have ended up in this state. When she turned and winced again, I walked across the room and l