Chapter One

One Year Ago

“Are you sure this is the best idea?” Coral asked me as we made our way towards a small cabin in the woods. A cool autumn breeze blew, causing the leaves in the trees to rustle and it tossed Coral’s hair. Coral’s striking red hair was nearly glowing in the bright sunshine as it danced in the wind. The red in the leaves falling from the trees matched Coral’s hair. 

Despite walking through trees, the sun seemed to be shining directly on us. It accentuated my sister’s beauty, and she was beautiful inside and out. My sister was a gentle soul. She always thought of others and was concerned about how others felt. She spent time overthinking things and worried often. I attributed most of this to her red wolf. She had been left without good guidance after she first shifted, but had been working hard to better understand her abilities with the little help she did get before we left our pack. Although she had just turned 16 six months ago, she had matured so much over these last eight months.  

While I wasn’t surprised when Coral shifted for the first time and was a red wolf, I was definitely concerned. I knew the risks associated with the red wolves and I was fearful for my sister’s safety. I knew that I had to protect my sister. I was working towards becoming Head Warrior in our pack and I was well aware of my role in protecting Coral. I had heard about guardian wolves and I was certain that I was that for Coral. 

Life at the Silver Springs Pack was never easy. For a while after Coral shifted, it was okay, but after I found Alpha Carlson on top of Coral trying to rape her, we ran. That was a year ago and we had been running ever since. 

“I am out of options. Everyone we encounter seems to know that you are a red wolf without us even saying anything to them. If we are going to make it to the Red Moon Pack, we need to do something to hide your wolf.” I grabbed my sister’s hand and held it as we walked through the trees. I had met a witch, Sarah, while picking up supplies. For some reason, I trusted Sarah and shared with her my concerns. She spoke of Luna Raina and Alpha Callan of the Red Moon Pack with great admiration and offered to help. 

Coral pulled back on her hand and stopped walking. I turned and looked at her. “I understand why it might be useful to hide my wolf.” She stated, taking a deep breath. I knew that she was working to control her emotions. “But why do you have to hide yours? Wouldn’t it be better if you kept yours? For safety?” 

Coral had a good point, but something that Sarah had said told me that I needed to do this with Coral. “Sarah said that she could sense that I was a guardian wolf - your guardian wolf. You know that I think I am your guardian wolf and Sarah told me that she would share more about my role in this when we got to her cabin. I don’t know why, but I trust her, so I think we need to hear her out.” Coral nodded her head and we continued walking through the forest. I totally wished that I had learned to drive and could have stolen a car. No wonder we seemed to be making no progress. 

The cabin came into view and I stopped walking. I looked to the cabin and back to my sister. “Coral, we will both decide what to do here. You know it has been you and me since Mom died. Whatever Sarah tells us, we will both decide what we need to do to stay safe.” 

“I love you, Harley.” Coral replied, pulling me in for a hug. We were all that each other had and I would do anything to protect Coral. Mom died three years ago from a rare illness and dad had died in a rogue attack right after Coral’s third birthday. It had been a rough few years since mom died, but we had been doing pretty well until we had to leave the pack. I was always going to protect my sister and as far as I was concerned, we were never returning to that pack.

Sarah stepped out of the cabin as we approached. “Harley, good to see you again. This must be Coral. So nice to meet you.” Sarah opened the door and invited us in. I could sense Coral’s hesitation and I decided to enter the cabin first. 

The cabin was small and the decor reminded me of what you would see in your grandmother’s house. The furniture appeared old but functional.  I wasn’t sure how old Sarah was, but she was a beautiful witch. My guess would be that she was probably older than I thought but her flowing brown hair and outfit made her appear younger. 

Sarah noticed me looking around and stated, “This is the cabin that many of us unaffiliated witches use when traveling. I was visiting a small coven about two hours from here to gather some medication for my mate, Javy. He is very ill and I am hoping that this medication will help him. I am not sure it will but there aren’t many other options left.” Sarah’s voice caught in her throat, and I could sense that this was difficult for her to talk about. Coral reached out and placed her hand on Sarah’s arm. Sarah seemed to relax from the touch. 

Clearing her throat, Sarah continued. “Anyway, how about we get down to why you are here.” Sarah motioned towards the table, and we all moved and sat down.

“How do you know that I am a red wolf and my sister is a guardian wolf?” Coral asked as she fidgeted in her seat. 

“When I first met Raina, the first red wolf to shift, I couldn’t immediately sense that she was a red wolf. I knew that she was, but I couldn’t sense it. You know how you know that a wolf is powerful? How you can sense that they are an Alpha, a Beta, or even a head warrior, like your sister? Well, over time, the red wolf became the same way. Because the red wolf is so very powerful, it has that same aura about it. I have spent a lot of time at the Red Moon Pack and at the red wolf compound. I know for certain that regular wolves can now sense the red wolf.” Sarah paused, looked over at Coral. “You are much more powerful than you realize. You are a very important red wolf. I can sense your strength. Your abilities are going to be needed soon.” 

I sat back in the chair, looking over at Sarah. There was no reason to doubt what she was saying. “I told you.” I stated, smiling over at Coral. My sister struggled a lot in managing her abilities and I could tell that hearing that was overwhelming her. I looked back at Sarah. “We don’t know all of her abilities yet.” 

Sarah nodded. “The sooner you can get to Raina, the better. Luna Raina has taught every red wolf so far. I know that she can help you.” 

“How do you know her?” Coral asked. 

Sarah smiled. “I met Luna Raina almost 20 years ago. She was 18, had just found her mate, Alpha Callan, and was in a difficult place. There were significant risks to her life and she had already been kidnapped once. And on top of all of it, witches were trying to capture her for nefarious reasons. Over the years, I have visited the compound many, many times. That is actually how I know that the ability to feel the red wolf has changed. When I first met Raina, I knew she was different but I couldn’t feel her wolf - her true power. I could feel your power for ten minutes before you arrived.” Sarah stated, motioning towards Coral. 

I nodded my head, Sarah confirming what I was afraid of. We had been running for the last year but it wasn’t doing us any good. Power hungry wolves had been seeking us out and didn’t even have to see Coral to know where she was. 

“Okay, I understand why we might need to hide my wolf, but why Harley’s wolf?” Coral asked, always the one to get straight to the point. I liked that about her. 

“Well, besides the fact that she was going to be the head warrior, she is one of your guardian wolves. Guardian wolves are more powerful than regular wolves. So, other wolves can sense them.” Sarah motioned to a tea kettle. “Some tea?” She asked and we both accepted. 

“I know that it is dangerous for us both to hide our wolves, but I am afraid for the alternative. We have been trying to get to the compound for a year now. I feel like we are so close but still so far away, and it is pissing me off.” I chuckled and shook my head. 

Sarah laughed at my statement. “You will fit right in with the other guardian wolves. It must be a personality trait of the guardian wolves. Sarcasm. And the female guardian wolves are fierce. You are fierce, girl. You and your sister are both beautiful but almost opposites. Coral’s hair is a beautiful shade of red while yours is so dark. Like opposite ends of the same beautiful coin."

After talking for a few minutes, I could sense that Coral was getting anxious to figure out what we needed to do. I had no doubt that her wolf had been debating with her for the last ten minutes about what the right thing to do was in this situation. Unfortunately, I didn’t think that there was a right answer. 

“Before we get too far into this discussion, I want to tell you that I am going to help you get to the compound. But I need some time.  Javy is really sick and I need to get this medicine to him. We are also about a three to four hour drive from the compound. I am concerned to hear about someone so actively chasing you. I want to reach out to Alpha Callan and Alpha Michael to discuss having a group come and get you both. There are a lot of rogues in this area. I don’t want to risk you guys walking there.” Sarah paused and took Coral’s hand. “I am sure your wolf doesn’t want this, but if we can stop others from sensing your wolf, we have a better chance of getting you to the compound safely.” 

Coral looked over at me. I could see the concern flitting across her face. She took my hand in hers, letting out a deep breath. “If this is what we need to do, then we can do it, but I want to know the plan for getting us to the Red Moon Pack.” 

“I need a few days to get back to Javy, get him this medication, and contact Alpha Callan and Alpha Michael. Let’s plan on meeting back here in five days. I don’t doubt that as soon as I reach out to Alpha Callan and Alpha Michael, they will mobilize a group to come get you. You are welcome to stay here the entire time if you would like. There is protection around this house, so it would be safe.” I noticed how Coral visibly relaxed as Sarah spoke. 

I smiled at Coral before turning my attention back to Sarah. “What does the hiding of our wolves entail? I will be honest, my wolf is not happy about this but understands it is necessary.” 

“I will put together an elixir, if you will, that will help to hide your wolf. Your wolf will be there, but I have been told that it is like your wolf is blocked behind a wall. You won’t be able to shift or talk to your wolf.” Sarah took a sip of her tea as she spoke, brushing a loose hair from her face. 

“How long does it last?” I asked. I did not want to lose my wolf forever. My wolf shivered at the thought of that. 

Sarah put her mug back down and spoke. “How long it actually lasts is not specifically known. The reason for that is that I will provide you with another elixir which will give you your wolf back. Before you leave to go to the compound, I will give you the elixir and you can take it once you get there.”

I shook my head in agreement and after Coral agreed, Sarah went to the small kitchen and gathered up the ingredients for the elixir.  My wolf, Senna, sighed and I could feel her trepidation. 

‘We can’t protect Coral if we can’t shift.’ Senna stated, pacing in my head. 

‘I know. But I also didn’t realize that others could sense us like they could. We could run forever but until we can get to the compound, we aren’t safe.’ I sighed and looked over at Coral. I knew that she was having a conversation with her wolf. Her wolf was quite boisterous and opinionated, in many ways the opposite of Coral. They were an interesting balance and I hoped that as she learned more about her red wolf that they would improve their relationship with each other. 

Sarah approached with two mugs. “Here is the elixir to hide your wolves.  I am finishing up the elixir to get the wolves back. It needs to cool completely. I would recommend taking this,” she stated, motioning to the mugs, “and going to get whatever you need to get before coming back here. I will leave the elixir in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.” 

My sister and I took the mugs from her. I could feel my wolf pacing. She was not happy and I was right there with her, but I knew that there wasn’t anything else we could do. All that we could was put our faith in Sarah and that she was going to follow through with getting in contact with Alpha Callan and Alpha Michael. 

“I would feel much more comfortable if you both waited here for me to return with the group from the compound. Do you have things you need to get?” Sarah asked. I continued to look at the mug, trying to decide if this was the best option. 

Coral took a sip from her mug. I knew that she needed to drink this but I still had concerns about me. “Yes.” Coral stated as she took another drink. “We took some family items with us when we ran. I would really like to get those back.” 

Sarah nodded her head. “How far away is your camp?” 

“About 20 minutes. We can go and get all of our items now. Then, we will come back here and wait for the group to come from the compound.” I stated before motioning towards the mug. “How long does this take to work?” 

Sarah shrugged her shoulders. “I am not sure, but no more than thirty minutes. I have never seen it take longer than that to work. 

I looked at the mug and sighed. I didn’t want to, but I drank it anyway.