CHAPTER 39

It wasn't until then that I finally woke up and realized I was lying in a small, dark cell. Heavy air hung low with the smell of damp rock, accompanied by a hint of something else: a scent both far too familiar, yet somehow too out of place to be captured by my memory. My body was sore all over from the traumatic experience of what Ryder had attempted with that ritual. Despite the pain, I made myself take in the scene around me.

That's when I saw him—the mysterious wolf we had been trying to rescue. He was chained to the opposite wall, his fur matted and his body bearing signs of long captivity. But it was his eyes that caught my attention. They seemed to bore into me with an intensity that felt… familiar.

“Aurora,” the wolf called out, his voice weak but carrying a tone that sent a shiver of recognition through me. “Aurora, is that really you?”

With an effort, I struggled to my feet, my body aching. My heart was racing as I moved toward the wolf chained there.

“Who are you?” I whispe