Gray Valley

s i x t y - t h r e e

"ANNA, I NEED YOU TO FIND SOMETHING FOR ME."

Anna was still at Bryan's side with Martyn. "Find what?"

"A book at the Pack House... Ibrida Lupus."

"Ibrida Lupus... Is it written in Latin?"

"It is."

"But, Weslyn..." Her eyes were laced with confusion. "You can't read Latin."

I sighed. "I know I can't read Latin, Anna."

"So, why would you need a Latin book?"

"Weslyn..." Bryan winced in pain. "Are you alright?"

"I'm alright, but..." I was hesitant to continue. "Can I have a word with you, Anna?"

She nodded. And within moments, we both stood at the entrance of the cave.

"Ibrida Lupus..." she told me. "Is a Latin phrase that translates to Hybrid Wolf. But you don't know Latin..."

"I spoke to Liam," I murmured.

"And he told you about the book?"

"We need the book to save Blayze."

"Save?" she asked. "But... His wound is healing."

"As his Brown Wolf half is stronger than his Gray Wolf Half... The process of healing will probably kill Blayze."

"Kill?" Anna's voice was a mere whisper. "The process will..."

"Blayze and Liam exchanged blood," I explained. "And that blood from Liam, would enhance Blayze's Gray Wolf half... Liam told me that, because his blood ran through Blayze's veins, he could be saved... But only with that book." Her eyes met mine. "Can you find it alone?"

"You want me to find it..." she repeated. "Alone?"

"I didn't want to tell you about this, in front of Bryan and Martyn... Because, if they knew why I needed the book, they would want to go to the Pack House, with you, to find it. And I need them to stay here, at the Safe Place. Bryan is wounded and Martyn needs to protect the Pack... So-"

"I will find the book."

There was something, in the tone of her voice, that told me she was prepared to do anything, to find the book... Anything.

"Anna..."

By now, the Pack House was probably filled with Brown Wolves.

"What is it?"

If Anna was prepared to do anything... She would put up a fight. And if the Brown Wolves knew who she was, she could be wounded... Or even killed.

"Promise me you'll protect yourself, Anna... Even if it stops you from finding the book. "

"I promise." She smiled. "But... I'm a Brown Wolf. So I'm not bound by the Promise Code"

"Anna-"

"Finding the book is my priority, Weslyn... So I will find it."

Within moments, she shifted into her Wolf form and ran into the forest; leaving me, alone, at the entrance of the cave.

As I turned back to the members of my Pack, the mark on my neck began to burn... And began to activate.

Why?

As far as I knew... My marks would only activate, when I was consumed by anger. Or...

I frowned, as I remembered how my Mark activated when I met Mary, in the forest.

In that moment, I was not angry... If anything, I was more afraid. But, Mary was... Mary was angry enough to murder me.

Maybe, that was it... I realised. Maybe, my mark could also activate, when others were angry. Maybe...

Maybe, the members of the Pack were angry.

But when my attention returned to them, I realised that wasn't it.

They were not angry. They were afraid; frantic; apprehensive... But, not angry.

It wasn't anger...

My mark responded to something else.

My mind flashed to the first time the mark had began to burn. The first time... When West had planned to summon the Angel to break the Soulmate bond between Liam and I.

I had been angry. But, more than that...

I had wanted to kill him. I had wanted to kill him for trying to hurt Liam.

That was it...

Kill... The instinct to kill. The instinct that Werewolves - both Gray Wolves and Brown Wolves - had... Instinct.

My mark was activated by the instinct of a killer.

And because of that... The Safe Place was no longer safe.