Chapter 2

Keira POV

I was still leaning against a tree trunk trying to wrap my head around everything. I clutched my bloodstained skirt tightly and forced myself to focus on the voice inside my mind.

“Who are you?” I asked, my voice shaking despite my effort to stay calm.

“And what are you doing in my head?” I added in confusion.

"I am the wolf spirit bound to your bloodline," the voice answered. "I have always been there, dormant. Your will to survive woke me."

My fingers tightened in the fabric. “That doesn’t make sense. Wolf spirits don’t just appear out of thin air.”

"I did not  just appear," it replied. "I awakened."

I swallowed hard. “Why now?”

"Because you were dying and refused to surrender," it answered. "Because if you die, I will cease to exist as well."

“So we’re trapped together.” I asked rhetorically to be sure that I understand everything.

"Our fates are linked," the spirit confirmed. "One cannot survive without the other."

A sharp throb tore through my abdomen, dragging my attention back to the wound. Warm blood continued to seep through the cloth I had wrapped around myself earlier to apply pressure on the wound.

"Your injury is severe," the wolf spirit pointed out. "But it is not fatal."

Relief flickered briefly before fear replaced it. “It feels fatal,” I whispered. “I don’t know how to treat something like this without my equipment and herbs that I am used to. I’m not equipped for it. I can barely think straight or function right now.”

"You are panicking," the spirit replied evenly. "That will worsen your condition."

“I’m alone,” I said, my voice breaking. “And even as a healer I have no fucking idea what to do.”

"You will not be alone," it said. "I will guide you."

I pressed my forehead against the tree bark and closed my eyes. “Why should I trust you?”

"Because I am the wolf of the first-generation werewolf ancestors," it answered. "I was a healer long before your kind learned to write their knowledge down."

“A healer?” my eyes widened.

"Yes. That is why you have the gift too. It was naturally passed down."

I hesitated only a moment before nodding. “Tell me what to do.”

"You need hemostatic herbs," the spirit instructed. "The bleeding must be controlled properly."

I pushed myself, my legs trembling beneath me. “Where do I find them?”

"Follow my direction," it said. "Move slowly." and all you have to do is follow my lead.

Each step through the woods sent pain radiating through my body, but I followed the guidance carefully, scanning the forest floor as instructed. When I found the herbs it described, I dropped to my knees and gathered them with shaking hands.

“Is this enough?” I asked.

"Yes. Crush them."

I did and my hands were slick with sap and blood. When I pressed the mixture against my wound, pain surged through me. It was sharp and overwhelming. I bit down on my sleeve to keep myself from screaming.

“Don’t pass out,” I muttered to myself.

"Stay focused," the wolf spirit urged.

The bleeding slowed. I tore strips from my skirt and bound the wound tightly, using the same techniques I had been trained in since childhood. My hands moved on instinct, even as exhaustion threatened to drag me under.

When I finished, I leaned back, to catch my breath.

In that moment, the memory was when the memory hit me.

Lois’s face twisted with hatred. Her voice screaming that she was the fated mate. The cold certainty in her eyes as she stabbed me again.

A chill ran through my body. My hands shook as I clenched them into fists.

“I trusted her,” I said quietly.

"Betrayal from kin leaves deep scars," the spirit replied.

As I lowered my hands, I noticed the warmth lingering on my fingertips.

“That feeling,” I murmured. “That wasn’t me.”

"No," the wolf spirit said. "That was my strength flowing through you."

Before I could respond, a howl echoed through the forest.

My head snapped up.

"We must move," the spirit warned. "The scent of blood will draw wild wolves."

“I can’t fight,” I said.

"You won’t have to," it replied. "There is a cave thirty steps away. It will serve as a shelter for you."

I forced myself to stand up again. My vision blurred, but the warmth returned, spreading through my limbs and keeping me upright.

Step by step, I moved forward, counting under my breath.

Weakened by blood loss, I relied entirely on the warmth flowing from the wolf spirit to keep moving forward.

She had just reached the cave entrance when a lone wolf emerged from the shadows, its body low to the ground, eyes fixed on her abdomen. A low growl rumbled from its throat as it stepped closer, drawn unmistakably by the scent of fresh blood.

My heart slammed hard in panic. I backed up instinctively, my heel scraping against stone as I pressed myself closer to the cave wall. My body screamed for rest, but fear cut through the exhaustion sharply.

“I can’t run,” I whispered.

"You don’t need to," the wolf spirit said. "Stand still."

The wolf prowled closer, lips peeling back to reveal sharp teeth. My legs trembled, but I forced myself to remain upright, my hands curling into fists at my sides.

"Close your eyes," the spirit instructed. "Focus on me. On your will."

“I don’t know how,” I said through clenched teeth.

"You already do," it replied. "You survived betrayal and death. This is nothing compared to that."

I swallowed hard and shut my eyes. I focused on the steady warmth inside my chest, the presence that had carried me this far. I pictured it spreading outward, not violently, but firmly.

"Now push," the spirit said. "Do not shout. Do not move. Just will it."

Something shifted.

The warmth surged through me, pressing outward like pressure beneath my skin. The air around me felt heavier and denser. I opened my eyes just as the wolf halted mid-step.

Its ears flattened and the growl faltered.

The animal stared at me, uncertainty flickering across its features. It took a cautious step back, then another. Its tail tucked low, and with a sharp whine, it turned and bolted back into the forest, disappearing between the trees.

My knees nearly gave out.

I slid down against the cave wall, breathing hard with a racing heart.

“It worked,” I whispered.

"Of course it did," the wolf spirit replied calmly. "That was intimidation. Mine, carried through your will."

I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to steady my breathing. “I didn’t know I could do that.”

"You don’t know many things about yourself," it said. "There is much you were never told.”

The cave was quiet now, the forest beyond filled only with distant night sounds.

“Why did your sister want you dead?” the wolf spirit asked.

I closed my eyes slowly. “She said I took what belonged to her.”

“Did you?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “Derrik was chosen as Alpha and I was bonded as his mate. The bond appeared on my wrist. Everyone saw it.”

“And your wolf?” the spirit pressed. “What did you feel?”

My mind drifted back unwillingly.

The day Derrik was crowned Alpha. The cheers. The heat of the crowd. The moment he’d stepped forward and taken my hand.

“There was nothing,” I said quietly. “No pull. No resonance. I thought it would come later.”

“And your sister?”

I frowned. “She was watching us. Not angry. Not shocked. Just… focused. Her eyes looked strange.”

"Strange how?"

“Like she was waiting for something,” I said. “Like she already knew how it would end.”

The pieces began to settle into place, slow and heavy.

“Maybe,” I murmured, “this wasn’t sudden. Maybe she planned it.”

“Perhaps the bond was never what you believed it to be,” the spirit said. “And perhaps the Alpha was never meant for you.”

My stomach churned violently. I leaned forward, gagging, barely managing to swallow back the nausea.

“This was a lie,” I said hoarsely. “From the beginning.”

The thought made my skin crawl.

Before I could spiral further, the wolf spirit spoke again, “There is something else you need to know.”

I stiffened. “What?”

“You are pregnant.”

The world stopped instantly at the sound of that.

“What?” I whispered.

“You heard me.”

I shook my head violently. “No. That’s impossible. I’ve never slept with Derrik. I’ve never slept with anyone. I’m a virgin for crying out loud.”

“Your body says otherwise,” the spirit replied evenly.

My thoughts scattered. My chest tightened as panic surged through me.

“That can’t be true,” I said. “I’m still a virgin. I’m a healer and I should have seen the signs if I am truly pregnant.” I repeated in denial.