Isla POV
I'm in my car, speeding toward the old guesthouse, when my phone rings.
Grandmother.
"Don't you dare go alone," she says before I can speak. "That's exactly what they want."
"They have Mira—"
"They have a PHOTO of Mira. There's a difference." Her voice is sharp. "Isla, you're thinking with your heart instead of your brain. That's how people die."
I grip the steering wheel tighter. She's right. I know she's right.
But it's my daughter.
"What do you suggest?" I ask through clenched teeth.
"Let me send backup. I have twelve warriors who can be there in twenty minutes—"
"I don't have twenty minutes! The message said 8 PM. It's already 7:45!"
"Then wait. Make them sweat. Show up at 8:30. On YOUR terms, not theirs."
Everything in me screams to ignore her advice. To run in there and grab Mira and run.
But I didn't become a billionaire CEO by being stupid.
"Fine," I say. "But I'm calling Darius. He offered to help."
"The Rivers Alpha? Good choice. He's honorable. And he's been in love with you for six months, so he'll fight like hell to keep you safe."
"He's not in love with me—"
"Oh, child. For someone so smart, you're remarkably blind." She hangs up.
I immediately call Darius. He answers on the first ring.
"I'm already on my way," he says. "Elena told me where you're going. I'm bringing five of my best fighters."
Relief floods through me. "Thank you."
"Isla." His voice gets softer. "I meant what I said. You won't face this alone."
Something warm blooms in my chest. It's been three years since anyone made me feel protected instead of weak.
"The meeting's at 8," I tell him. "But my grandmother thinks I should arrive late. Show strength instead of desperation."
"Smart woman, your grandmother. I'll meet you two miles from the guesthouse at 8:15. We go in together."
I hang up and force myself to slow down. To think.
Who sent that photo? The same person who contacted me three years ago? The mysterious ally who promised information about Mira?
Or is this Vanessa, using my daughter as bait?
My phone buzzes. Another text from the unknown number:
Tick tock, Isla. Every minute you're late is another minute your daughter suffers. Are you really going to risk her life to play power games?
They're watching me. They know I'm not there yet.
I text back: If you hurt her, I'll destroy you in ways you can't imagine.
The response is immediate: Big words from a woman who abandoned her child three years ago. Mira cries for you every night, you know. Wonders why her mommy doesn't love her enough to come back.
Rage explodes through me. My hands glow silver, cracking my phone screen.
I didn't abandon her. You poisoned her against me.
Did I? Or did you just give up too easily? Either way, 8 PM means 8 PM. Not 8:30. Not 8:15. If you're not here in exactly seven minutes, I'll assume you don't actually care about your daughter.
I floor the gas pedal.
Grandmother's voice echoes in my head: "Don't let them manipulate you."
But it's working. They know exactly which buttons to push.
Another text: Six minutes, Isla. Hope you drive fast.
I'm flying down the highway now, going ninety miles per hour. The old guesthouse is still fifteen minutes away.
I can't make it in six minutes. It's impossible.
Unless...
I pull over to the side of the road. Close my eyes. Feel the silver power humming under my skin.
Grandmother spent three years teaching me what I am. What I can do.
Morvens aren't just stronger than regular wolves. We're faster. More powerful. And when we shift...
I haven't shifted in three years. Haven't dared to, afraid of what I might become.
But my daughter needs me.
I get out of the car and run into the forest beside the road.
My wolf surges forward eagerly. Finally. Let me OUT.
The shift hurts less than I remember. My bones crack and reform. My skin ripples with silver fur. When it's done, I'm not a normal wolf.
I'm huge. Twice the size of a regular shifter. My fur glows faintly silver in the darkness.
This is what I really am. What Vanessa's curses hid from me.
I run.
The forest blurs around me. I'm moving faster than any wolf should be able to move. Trees flash past. The wind screams in my ears.
Four minutes later, I burst into the clearing where the old guesthouse sits.
The place where my marriage died.
The place where Mira called Vanessa "Mommy" for the first time.
I shift back to human form. My dress is shredded, but I don't care.
The guesthouse is dark. Silent.
Too silent.
"MIRA!" I scream. "Baby, I'm here! Mommy's here!"
Nothing.
I run to the door and kick it open.
The room is empty.
No Mira. No Vanessa. No mysterious contact.
Just a phone sitting on the table, screen glowing.
I walk toward it slowly, every instinct screaming TRAP.
The phone has a video queued up. I press play.
Mira's face fills the screen. She's not tied to a chair. She's sitting in what looks like a nice bedroom, playing with dolls.
"Hi, Mommy," she says to the camera. "I don't know if you'll see this. Daddy says you don't want to see me anymore. But Miss Moira said that's not true. She said you never stopped loving me."
Miss Moira. My grandmother.
"She said you had to go away to get strong. To become who you really are. So you could protect me better." Mira's eyes—Killian's gray eyes—fill with tears. "I'm sorry I was mean to you. I'm sorry I called Vanessa Mommy. She did something bad to my brain. Made me forget how nice you were."
My own tears are falling now.
"Miss Moira says you're coming back soon. That you're a queen now. Is that true? Are you really a queen?" She smiles a little. "I hope so. I want a mommy who's a queen."
The video cuts off.
A new message appears on the screen:
The photo was fake. Mira is safe with me at the Morven estate. I needed to get you here alone. We need to talk. Turn around.
I spin.
A woman stands in the doorway. Not Vanessa. Someone else. She's tall, elegant, with dark hair and knowing eyes.
"Who are you?" I demand.
"Someone who's been protecting your daughter for three years. Someone who works for your grandmother." She steps into the light. "My name is Selene. And I'm the one who's been feeding you information about Vanessa."
"You sent me the video three years ago. The message about the Tech Summit."
"Yes. Because Moira couldn't contact you directly without breaking the spell on your awakening. But I could. And I've been watching Mira the whole time, making sure Vanessa couldn't hurt her worse."
My brain is spinning. "Why the fake kidnapping photo? Why terrorize me?"
"Because we needed to see if you'd come. If you still cared enough to risk everything." Selene's face is serious. "Mira needs you, Isla. But she needs the real you. The strong you. Not the broken woman who ran away three years ago."
"I didn't run away—"
"Yes, you did. You ran because you were hurt. That's human. But now you need to stop running and fight."
"Fight who? Vanessa's in prison—"
"Vanessa escaped this morning. That part was real." Selene pulls out her phone and shows me security footage. Vanessa, blasting through magical prison walls with dark power. "She's stronger than before. And she's coming for Mira. For real this time."
Ice floods my veins. "When?"
"We don't know. Could be tonight. Could be tomorrow. But it will be soon." Selene's eyes are fierce. "Your grandmother wants you to come to the Morven estate. Meet your daughter properly. Build a relationship with her before Vanessa attacks."
"And if Vanessa comes while I'm there?"
"Then we fight. Together. The whole Morven Pack against one psychotic witch." Selene smiles grimly. "I like our odds."
Behind me, I hear cars pulling up. Voices shouting my name.
Darius and his fighters.
And someone else.
Killian.
I turn. Both Alphas are running toward the guesthouse, their wolves probably freaking out because I disappeared.
They see each other. Stop. Their wolves bristle with dominance.
"What is HE doing here?" Killian snarls, pointing at Darius.
"Helping Isla. Unlike you." Darius steps forward. "What are YOU doing here?"
"That's MY mate—"
"EX-mate," I correct coldly. "Who I rejected three years ago."
They both turn to look at me. Killian's face crumbles when he sees me.
"Nora—Isla—are you okay? When you disappeared from the summit, I thought—"
"You thought what? That you had the right to worry about me?" My voice is ice. "You lost that right when you chose your mistress over your wife."
"I was wrong! I know I was wrong—"
"And that changes nothing." I look at Darius. "Thank you for coming. But this was a false alarm. Mira's safe."
"Then where is she?" Killian demands. "If she's safe, I want to see her—"
"She's with MY family," I say. "Where she should have been all along."
"You can't keep my daughter from me—"
"Watch me."
Killian's Alpha power explodes outward. Every wolf in the clearing—except me and Selene—drops to one knee.
Including Darius.
"I COMMAND you to tell me where my daughter is!" Killian roars.
The command hits me. Slides off like water.
I smile.
"Still doesn't work on me, does it?" I let my own power rise. Silver light fills the clearing. "Want to know why? Because I'm not just some weak Luna you can order around. I'm Isla Morven. My bloodline is older than yours. Stronger than yours. And I don't take commands from ANYONE."
My power pushes back against his. Everyone else scrambles away as the two forces collide.
Killian's eyes are wide. "What are you?"
"Everything you were too blind to see."
Before he can respond, Selene's phone rings. She answers, listens, and her face goes pale.
"Isla. We need to leave. NOW."
"Why?"
"Vanessa just attacked the Morven estate. Your grandmother is fighting her, but she's not strong enough alone." Selene grabs my arm. "Mira's there. And Vanessa's goal is to kill her."