Chapter Fourteen

My father skidded to a halt at the edge of a small clearing with a stump in the center. I slid off Loki’s back and he trotted off to shift. He walked back to me and gestured to the center. “Go sit.”

I nodded and walked into the clearing. The tree’s shadows were still deep, as the sun has just breached the tree tops. I shivered, not from the cooler temperature since wolves burn hot, but from the feeling of woods. It felt like something was here. Something was waiting for this moment.

I turned to face my dad, and he was still at the edge of the clearing. “Why are you still back there?”

“This isn’t for me, it’s for you. I have already done my time in this place.”

“Your time? What are you talking about?”

“This is a sacred place. The clearing here holds our family’s power, and it’s warded against it.”

“Against it? Dad, what are you talking about?”

“Just listen. Sit down on the stump.” I sank to the top of the stump and then looked back to my father. “Take your shoes and socks off, then p