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Erik’s jaw tightens. “Not impossible. Just harder.”

I try to picture the route we took. “There were landmarks. Hills, rivers...The air smelled different. Like wet iron.”

Griffin leans closer, interest sparking in his eyes. “You remember that?”

I nod, my heartbeat kicking up a notch. “Yeah. I remember thinking it didn’t smell like a forest near a city. It was rawer. Wilder. And silent. No traffic, no planes. Nothing.”

Erik’s lips press into a thin line. “That narrows it down. Somewhat.”

Griffin glances at him, a flicker of hope lighting up his expression. “You know places like that?”

Erik nods. “Old properties. Private estates abandoned after the last human war. Miles and miles of nothing. Some even off the official maps. But they’re all human-owned.”

I take a small bite of the bread Griffin piled onto my plate earlier, barely tasting it. “They chose it deliberately,” I say. “They didn’t want anyone stumbling onto their experiments.”

Griffin’s hand brushes mine again under the table, grounding me. I hold onto it like a lifeline.

“They didn’t want witnesses,” he says severely.

A shiver runs down my spine. I remember the way the chains holding him down looked, the way he was held prisoner, like he was nothing to them. The way his wolf snarled and thrashed, mindless with rage.

“We have to find it,” I say. “Before they finish the collar.”

Erik nods. “We will. Did you see any of the other kidnapped victims?”

I knew that many shifters had been kidnapped over the course of several years, Erik’s kingdom only having noticedthese disappearances relatively recently, after one of the victims showed up. He was at death’s door.

“I was only allowed in two parts of the facility: the cell where I stayed with Griffin, and the lab. The lab had an attached bathroom I was allowed to use. I saw no sign of anybody else, but the facility looked huge when I finally saw it from the outside. If the kidnapped shifters are alive, they could very well be in there.”

“If you want to send people to look for the place, I’ll go with them,” Griffin offers.

“No!”

The word is out of my mouth before I can stop myself.

The two sets of eyes that land on me have me wilting in my chair. “I mean, you’ve barely recovered, and they were able to capture you once. What’s to stop them from doing it again?”

He looks insulted. “I wouldn’t be so foolish as to—”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” I don’t know why I’m still talking. “The palace is safe. Stay here. Recover.”

Before Griffin can reply, his brother intervenes. “I have to agree with Maya. But not for the same reasons. You’ve just returned. You need to take back the kingdom. I’ll go. Or, once you’re in better health, we can go together with a few squadrons. However, right now, you’re needed here.”

Griffin doesn’t look too pleased with the idea, but I am relieved. I can’t explain the feeling, but the idea of him going back there makes me sick to my stomach. Something about Cassian doesn’t sit right with me, and I don’t think Griffin should go head-to-head with him.

Not yet, at least. He’s not ready yet.

Chapter Seven

Griffin Wild

The ceiling above me gleams with the intricate work of gold and silver. Smooth marble tiles stretch across the floor, cold and pristine, reflecting the ornate carvings in the vaulted ceiling. My bed—massive, heavy with carved posts and embroidered silks—feels like a cage tonight. Too soft. Too stiff. Too foreign.

This room is fit for a king, the king that I supposedly am.

But it may as well be a prison.

I roll onto my side, staring at the balcony doors, the heavy velvet curtains drawn back to let the night in. The palace hums quietly around me—air moving through vents, the faintest echoes of distant guards changing shifts. It’s supposed to be safe here. Untouchable.