Chapter 4 SAVED BY SHADOWS

Time slowed.

I saw the arrow coming straight at my chest. Its silver tip flashed under the blood moon, bright and cruel. Every wolf knew what silver did. A shallow cut burned for days. A deep wound could stop healing. A strike to the heart meant death.

I could not move.

But someone else moved for me.

Prince Kiran appeared out of nowhere. One second there was empty air... the next, his hand shot up and caught the arrow inches from my body. Smoke rose from his palm where the silver burned his skin.

He did not even hiss.

"Thane... get her into the carriage. Now."

Thane was on me before I could blink. He grabbed my waist, lifted me like I weighed nothing, and pushed me into the black carriage. I fell hard against the velvet seat.

"Stay low," he snapped. "And for once in your life, listen."

He slammed the door.

Outside, he shifted.

It happened in a blink and still felt like forever. Bones cracked. His shoulders widened. Golden fur burst through skin. His human cry broke into a fierce wolf howl. Then a giant golden wolf landed on the ground and ran toward the trees.

Another arrow flew.

Caspian shifted too. His body arched, then twisted. Silver white fur rippled over hard muscle. In seconds, a huge silver wolf stood between the carriage and the dark. He swiped the arrow from the air with one clawed paw.

"Kiran," his wolf voice growled into the night, "there are more."

"How many?" Kiran asked.

"Six... maybe seven."

"Flush them out."

I pressed myself to the window, my breath fogging the glass.

The courtyard became war.

Thane tore through bushes and low branches, forcing the hidden attackers into the open. Caspian cut them off before they could run. Kiran did not shift at all. He moved like a shadow with a heartbeat. A blade flashed in his hand. One assassin fell. Then another. Then another.

I had never seen anyone move like him.

Fast... silent... merciless.

A scream split the air.

One man broke from the treeline and ran toward the outer gates.

Thane's golden wolf leaped and tackled him to the ground. The sound of bone hitting stone made me flinch. The man tried to crawl, but Thane pinned him with one massive paw and bared his teeth over the assassin's throat.

"Alive," Caspian barked as he shifted back. "We need him alive."

Kiran dragged the man upright by his collar. Blood ran down the attacker's face. His black mask hung half torn.

The moment I saw him, my stomach dropped.

"Marcus."

All three princes turned toward me.

"You know him?" Caspian asked.

"He's one of Silver Crest's inner guards," I said. "A Delta. He has served my father for years."

Marcus looked at me and laughed through broken teeth. "Still calling him your father?"

Kiran's eyes narrowed. "Who sent you?"

Marcus spat blood onto the ground. "Kill me. I won't beg."

Kiran smiled, and the expression was somehow worse than anger. "I wasn't asking for begging."

Thane shifted back, breathing hard. "Trust me... talking is easier."

Marcus's jaw tightened.

Caspian stepped closer. "You attacked royal heirs. That is treason against the Crown. Under kingdom law, your pack can lose title, land, and protection for this."

Marcus looked at him with empty hate. "Then let it burn."

My skin went cold.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

His gaze snapped to me. "It means the white wolf should have died before she woke."

"What white wolf?"

He laughed again. "You still don't know what you are. They kept you stupid too. How useful."

Kiran struck him across the face. "Answer properly."

Marcus coughed and lifted his head. "The Silvermoon Prophecy. When the white wolf rises under the blood moon... the kingdoms crack, the infected spread, and the true Luna stands at the center of ruin."

Thane frowned. "That is an old story told to pups."

"It is older than your kingdom," Marcus hissed. "And tonight proved it true."

I stepped out of the carriage before anyone could stop me.

"Cassia..." Caspian warned.

"No." I pointed at Marcus. "You look at me like I'm a monster, so explain it. What am I?"

Marcus stared at me with real fear now. "A beginning... or an ending."

The words crawled over my skin.

"Who ordered the attack?" Kiran asked again. "Alpha Aldric?"

Marcus smiled slowly. "Your prince nose should smell the truth by now. Aldric is strong in his own hall... weak outside it. Someone above him wanted chaos tonight."

"Who?" Caspian demanded.

Marcus opened his mouth.

Then his whole body jerked.

I gasped.

Black veins shot under his skin. Foam spilled from the corner of his mouth. His eyes rolled white.

"Poison," Kiran said sharply, dropping him.

"A bite capsule hidden in the molar," Caspian muttered. "Assassin training."

Marcus shook once... twice... then went still.

Dead.

For a second no one spoke.

The night felt huge and empty around us.

Thane rubbed a hand over his face. "Wonderful. We get prophecy and no answers."

"We got one answer," I said quietly. "Someone wanted me dead before I left Silver Crest."

Caspian looked at me, his gaze sharp. "Yes."

I swallowed. "Because of this prophecy."

"Most likely."

"And because I shifted."

Kiran wiped the blood from his blade. "A white wolf hidden inside a servant girl is dangerous enough. A white wolf tied to old royal blood is worse."

I stared at him. "Royal blood?"

He said nothing.

Caspian sighed. "Every great pack answers to the Crown. But once, before the current kingdoms, there was another line. Older. Sacred. The Silvermoon line. Their Luna was said to guide not one pack, but all wolves."

Thane looked toward me. "Most people think that bloodline died long ago."

"But it didn't," I whispered.

"No," Caspian said. "It looks like it didn't."

My legs suddenly felt weak. "My whole life... they knew?"

"Maybe not everyone," Thane said softly. "But your father did."

I almost laughed at that word. Father.

"He let them hurt me."

"He did more than that," Kiran said. "Those runes on your shoulders were not small magic. Someone powerful bound your wolf, your scent, and most likely part of your healing."

I stared at him. "That's why I never shifted."

"Yes."

Rage rose hot and fast through my chest.

I welcomed it.

Caspian studied me carefully. "We leave now. The capital has records, historians, healers, and the King's guard. It is the only place where we can learn what you are before someone else tries to kill you."

I lifted my chin. "If I go with you, I want something."

Thane gave a short laugh. "You negotiate quickly."

"I learned from cruel people."

Caspian folded his arms. "What do you want?"

"When this is over..." My voice shook, but I kept going. "I want revenge. Not tears. Not apologies. Revenge. On everyone who knew and kept me broken."

Silence.

Then Thane smiled first. It was not playful this time. It was fierce.

"I like her."

Kiran mounted his horse. "Good. Maybe she survives long enough to be useful."

Caspian's mouth curved slightly. "Get in the carriage, Cassia. We can discuss revenge later."

The road swallowed us soon after.

The carriage rocked over roots and stone. My body ached. My shoulders burned where old magic had once held me down. I could still feel my wolf inside me now... awake... pacing... listening.

I must have drifted for a while, because the next thing I knew, a whisper brushed through my mind.

Someone is behind us.

I sat bolt upright.

"Stop the carriage!"

Outside, wheels ground against dirt and came to a halt. A second later Kiran appeared at the window.

"What happened?"

"I feel someone," I said. "A rider. Not far."

His expression sharpened. He lifted his head and scented the wind.

"She is right," he said quietly.

My heart kicked hard. "Another assassin?"

Kiran did not answer.

Caspian rode up beside him. "Who is it?"

Before either prince could speak, a horse burst from the trees.

The rider wore a dark hooded cloak. Moonlight struck silver hair spilling from beneath the hood.

My breath caught.

The rider slowed... reached up... and pushed the hood back.

I stared at a face that looked like mine... only older, wiser, marked by pain I somehow recognized.

Her eyes met mine.

Then she smiled.

"Hello, daughter," she said softly. "I've waited nineteen years to find you again."