"I have to wait for Finn,

" August smiled, pulling back on Sage's hand.

"Then I will wait, too,

" he said simply and started jumping on the path to make the bones crunch under his feet. He was more like a pup tonight than she had ever seen him, and it made her happy.

"Did you know that your sister had left to go find Livvy?

" she asked as she watched him playing. It distracted her from the creeping fear of increased silence that had surrounded them.

He paused his jumping and nodded.

"You did?

" she said, surprised.

"Why didn't you tell me?

"

"I couldn't tell you. People would go after her,

" he explained before jumping some more.

"How did she know where to find her?

" August asked, but this time he just shrugged. He didn't seem to want to talk about it.

This added to the mystery of Selah and Sage's background before they came here as strays. But perhaps it wasn't even about that. Maybe Selah had learned something working at the council.

"Did Selah work with Zoe?

" she tried this time, the possibility suddenly dawning on her.

"Yes,

" he said simply, jumping further back down the path to try getting all the bones that were available to break. It reminded August of popping bubble wrap, only this was more… morbid.

Selah worked with Zoe. That made sense, but even Zoe seemed unable to tell them where the alyko were. So there must be more to it.

Before she could think more on it, a rustle in the woods captured her attention, and she flinched, anticipating another swinging figure to bump into her. But this time there was nothing. What was taking Finn so long? He said it would be quick.

"Sage, I want you to go back,

" August told him, trying to keep her voice even. He kept jumping, so she walked the short distance to where he was and crouched down, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He turned to face her and then his eyes went wide when something caught his attention in the distance.

"Luna, run,

" he whispered, grabbing her hand and tugging her to follow him as he took off with her down the path toward the pack house.

She tripped after him, attempting to turn around to see what had caused him to panic, but he was going too quickly and in trying to keep up, she didn't see anything. This dress was not made for running, that was for certain.

———————————

Zoe had slipped the black dress on that she had originally tried on at the treehouse. Now she felt like an entirely different person wearing it.

She looked in the bathroom mirror at her bruised, swollen face and sighed. She had done and said so many stupid things in her time as Zosime, but now she recalled wearing this dress and suggesting to Lucas that she was interested in intimacy from a scientific perspective. Ugh. How humiliating.

How was it possible to have been so different just a few days ago? It was like being intoxicated with… knowledge and curiosity and yet being completely detached from reality. And now she was steeped in reality, and it demanded she answer for those past actions.

The dress left her too exposed. There was too much skin showing. She was already going to be baring the truth about some of the horrific things she had participated in here, she didn't want to be exposed physically as well.

She crouched down to look through the case of clothes that had been brought for her, wondering if it would be inappropriate to wear one of her lab coats over the dress if she couldn't find anything, when the splintering sound of ice erupted into the quiet room from the doorway. She froze, arms suspended over the mussed clothes.

"No,

" she whispered to herself, eyes going wide with instinctual fear to the familiarity of that sound and what it meant.

The ground beneath her turned glossy and slick, and she shot up, slipping and catching herself against the bed when the door jolted away from its frame and slowly creaked open.

He was standing there in the doorway. The ancient one who had done this to her.

"You dressed up for me,

" his smooth, amused voice shattered the silence, and she gulped, swallowing against the dryness in her mouth. She didn't dare respond. She couldn't even blink. He was here, which meant he had come for August and any other alyko he could find. And that included her.

His footsteps were slow and sharp against the icy floor he had created, and Zoe pressed herself against the bed watching him approach. His face seemed to soften as he finally stood before her, eyes narrowing at the damage she had taken to the face from Andreas' bite.

"Zosime,

" he said, drawing her name out on his breath as he reached up to touch one of the stitches, running his thumb along the crescent sutured line.

"You were not taken care of. It is time to come back with me.

"

Her heart was thudding in her ears, but she nodded silently, accepting that this was what must happen now. There was no fighting him.

Approaching footsteps were coming from the hall, and they both turned their heads to the sound. It had to be Lucas. More than fear for herself, she now was terrified about what this creature would do to the lycan male who had watched out for her.

"Zagan,

" she said, drawing his attention back to her with those dark eyes. He gritted his teeth, wrapping his long slender fingers around her neck.

"That name is not to be spoken, Zosime. Have you forgotten?

"

Fear. She was oozing fear just as everyone else did in his presence, but there was a flame of rebellion he caught and narrowed in on. This was no longer his Zosime. Andreas' bite had released her from that, but she was stronger than the alyko he had known before. His lips curled in amusement.. He was pleased that he would have this one back.