Page 37

When I open my eyes, I’m back in human form, curled into a ball on the floor and naked as the day I was born. I bolt upright, covering myself, and look around quickly. I’m still alone.

It’s strange to be in this unfamiliar room without anything on. Harek and my father could return at any moment, so I need to find clothes now.

This is a bedroom, and the closet is in front of me. I leap up and fling open the door. I’ve never seen so many clothes—not even in the room at Vivvi’s. The mother I knew only ever wore simple clothing, and she had only a few outfits. It’s hard to believe all these brightly colored shirts, pants, and dresses belonged to her.

Who was my mother before she met Gunnar? And why did she let him change her so much? Those are questions for another time. I need to get dressed before anyone returns for me. They’re bound to be concerned since I just shifted for the first time, and not even near the full moon.

I flip through the items, ultimately picking a shirt and pants that look comfortable and are in more muted tones than the rest of them. They’re a perfect fit, just like Einar predicted, and the fabric is as soft as the clothes Vivvi provided me.

Once dressed, I finally relax. If Harek and my father return, everything will be fine. But now I can indulge my curiosity. This was my mother’s room—or at least where she stored her things. If I want to find out about her life before Skoro and Gunnar’s iron fist, this is the place to look.

I take in a deep breath and catch the slightest whiff of a floral perfume. But that’s impossible. If she left here more than twenty years ago, no scent could linger that long. Though everything I thought was true about life has been proven wrong in the last week, so perhaps traces of her are still here after all this time.

Sniffing, I follow the trail. The floral scent grows stronger until I come to another closet at the other end of the spacious room. Without thinking, I open the door. A strong whiff of the flowers hits me.

A large chest takes up most of the space. It has a wolf print etched into the rounded top.

My heart races. Will the contents answer my questions? Tell me everything I need to know about my mother’s past?

I reach for the latch, pull it up. Hesitate for only a moment before opening the lid. The floral perfume is even stronger, and suddenly I see why.

Dried teal roses cover the top of the wooden chest. Carefully, I remove them one by one. They aren’t fragile, like I’d expect. Something round and black appears underneath, more revealing with each flower pulled away.

A shield. It has an intricate wolf head carved into the middle, taking up most of the space, and the edges have fancy designs. My pulse drums in my ears as I pull the shield out of the box. It hums in my grasp, vibrating slightly.

That isn’t even the strangest part. The dried roses come back to life, slowly transforming into silky petals and sharp thorns.

My breath hitches, and once all of the flowers have fully returned to normal, the back of the shield calls to me. I find it hard to pull my gaze from the carved wolf on the front but force myself to turn it around. The words on the back take my breath away.

For some reason, I feel compelled to read them aloud.

The Secret Keeper’s Shield.

It protects the bearer of the secrets.

The bearer protects those entrusted to her.

If you can read these words,

You are her.

A bright light shines from the etchings, and a warmth runs through me. Then new words appear underneath the original ones. I voice those as I read them, too.

You have been entrusted with much.

Your blood carries the necessary magic.

Follow it, protect those in your care.

Be brave, be strong.

You have no other choice.

Everyone depends on it.

My hands shake, and I set the shield back in the chest. A lump forms in my throat, and I can hardly breathe. What is the Secret Keeper, and what does this mean for my future?

Did my mother keep the secret she was meant to? Or did she run from what the shield expected from her? Is that why she didn’t tell me about any of this?

It has to be. She kept everything important from me. Who my father was. What legend says our destiny is. That we’re werewolves. And that she was the Secret Keeper… and so am I.

This might have been what she was running from, and not my father. Or it could have been a combination of both. It sounds like there is only one Secret Keeper—just like there’s supposed to only be one hunter.

I can’t possibly be the only one of two different types of fae.

Knock, knock.

“Are you ready?” Harek asks from the other side of the door.

I gasp for air. How am I going to explain this to him?

“Hold on!” I call.

If I’m the new Secret Keeper, does that mean I have to hide this from Harek? The last thing I want is to keep anything from him, especially after everything we’ve been through.

What if this could put him in danger? If that’s the case, there’s no way I can tell him about this. Not yet. I have to find out more. I have to keep him safe.

But first, I need to put everything back in the chest. I turn toward the flowers and shield.

The chest is closed, and neither the shield nor the flowers are out. I open the lid. Everything appears as it did when I first opened it.

This is my secret. It only wants me to know.

My mother was also sworn to secrecy. That’s why she didn’t tell me anything.

All secret keepers are meant to discover what that means on their own, without the help of their predecessors. I don't know how I know this, but I do.

“Eira?” Harek calls.

I slam the closet door shut.

What am I supposed to tell my best friend, the person I love the most?

Nothing , a voice whispers in my mind that sounds eerily like my mother. Tell no one .

It looks like I’m keeping this to myself.

I take a few deep breaths before opening the door.

Harek’s eyes are wild. “Are you okay? You’ve been in here so long. The first shift is always the worst.”

“I’m fine. Really, it wasn’t that bad.”

“How is that possible?”

I shrug. “How did I shift this far from the full moon?”

He frowns. “That’s what worries me.”

“I’m also a hunter. That must be it.” Or the fact that I’m not only a werewolf and a hunter, but also a Secret Keeper—whatever that entails.

Harek wraps his arms around me. “I always knew you were special, but there’s never been anyone like you.”

“You have no idea,” I mumble.

“What?” He steps back and gives me a puzzled expression.

Guilt stings for keeping this from him, but what other choice do I have? It seems clear my mother sent me on a mission to finish what she, or possibly another of our predecessors, began.

Harek brushes some hair from my face and leans closer. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just trying to make sense of everything. Do you know why I shifted?”

“Honestly, that’s the first time I’ve seen a non-moon shift happen. I can’t blame you if you don’t believe me.” He frowns and looks away. “But it’s the truth.”

I cup his chin and guide his head until our gazes meet, then I lean closer. “I believe you, and I think you’re right. One of my parents’ abilities must have something to do with it.”

His brows draw together. “ One of them? Your ability to shift must have something to do with your hunter line.”

My pulse drums in my ears. After being so upset with him for hiding things from me, I can’t keep this from him. My mother would understand.

Unless of course that wasn’t her voice I heard.