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“The royal families have controlled the three kingdoms for far too long,” Cassian tells me. “They claim that the land won’t thrive without them, but if we engineer a special kind of wolf, we could break their power.”

“Engineer a wolf?” I ask dazedly. “You want to create a shifter? How?”

The smile on Cassian’s face is chilling. “In humans. That’s what Mathew has been working on. For so long, my kind believed only in wolf spirits, magic, and the Goddess.” He gestures widely with his arms. “But science…Science is a kind of magic. We can create the existence of a wolf inside of a human. It will take a few sacrifices, but it’s all for the greater good. How has your current specimen been reacting?”

He’s talking to Mathew, who grins. “Quite well. I’ve been monitoring her for months now. It’s been working nicely.”

Horror pierces me. “Me? You’ve been experimenting with this drug on me?!”

“And it’s working,” Mathew reminds me proudly. “I gave you the last dose in your coffee today.”

“You’re crazy!” I try to scramble away from them, but Cassian is behind me in an instant, forcing me back into my chair.

“Sit down.”

“The disease,” I whisper, comprehension dawning. “You’re trying to target the royal family and the nobles.”

“Well, we can’t really pick and choose who it affects. It’s airborne, and it seems some shifters are immune to it. We’re currently working on a third version, one that will be able to target the rest.”

“Phase one was a test,” Cassian explains, returning to his seat. “Separating shifters from their wolves, leaving them weakened but alive. Phase two is more permanent. Phase three will be the final one.”

My stomach drops. “You’re going to kill them.”

“Not all at once,” Mathew says, as if this is somehow merciful. “The disease will spread slowly, allowing time for us to collapse the royal families. Once that happens, only shifters who are willing to follow the new leaders will be allowed to retain their wolves. You’ve been very helpful in creating the antidotes for us, Maya. And you’re going to keep helping us.”

My mind races, searching for a way out of this nightmare. “What makes you think I would ever help you?”

“Oh, I think you’ll find we can be very persuasive.” Cassian’s smile turns cold. “Mathew?”

Before I can react, Mathew grabs me by the hair and pulls my head back. He has a small vial in his hand, and he pours the liquid in it down my throat.

I don’t get the chance to struggle because he pinches my nose shut and covers my mouth, forcing me to swallow.

As soon as he releases me, I begin coughing, gasping for air. “What the hell was that?”

“Just a little something to make you compliant.” Mathew pats my cheek.

“Griffin will find me,” I say, trying to sound confident and not let the fear show through. “He’ll tear you apart.”

Mathew laughs, a sound I once found endearing that now sends shivers down my spine. “The wolf king? He doesn’t even know where you are. By the time he figures it out, we’ll be long gone—with you securely in our possession.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” I reply, desperately playing for time. “He’s protective of what’s his.”

“His?” Cassian raises an eyebrow. “From what I’ve heard, he rejected you quite thoroughly. Left you alone when your mother died. Danced with another woman at his coronation.”

Each word is like a knife, reopening wounds that had just begun to heal. “You don’t know anything about us.”

“We know everything about you, Maya,” Mathew says softly. “We’ve been watching you for months. Your drinking. Your isolation. Your grief. You’ve been destroying yourself quite efficiently without our help.”

I flinch, the truth in his words cutting deeper than I want to admit.

“You know what’s truly fascinating?” Mathew asks, watching me closely. “The connection between humans and shifters. The biology of it.”

I hesitate. “What do you mean?”

“Haven’t you ever wondered why some humans are naturally drawn to shifters?” Mathew continues, eyes gleaming with intellectual fervor. “Why some of us, like you, seem to understand them so instinctively?”

“I’m a scientist,” I reply cautiously. “I observe. I learn.”