Chapter 18.2

I gave the man two sharp barks, and he glanced up, meeting us with eyes exactly as bright as the wolf’s.

“Hello?” he said with a curious smile.

His hair ran in gentle, honey-colored waves down his homespun tunic, and his beard was bushy and long. But I would recognize that face anywhere.

My throat tightened, and the backs of my eyes stung with tears. It really was him.

The first thing I did was close the door shut with my nose, encasing us both in what was now a darkened hut, lit only by the stove. When I turned around, Dad’s friendly features morphed into a frown. He probably thought I was some kind of freak.

“What is the meaning of this?” he asked, sounding stern. It was the voice he’d used whenever he was about to give me a reprimand, but to my ears, it sounded like home.

I shifted and remained on the floor, my features obscured by a curtain of honey-blonde hair, confident that Healer Iaso’s amendments hadn’t gone soul-deep, and he stepped back.

“Who are you?” he whispered.

I raised m