_Leah's POV_

My mind drifted to Tariq and Susan. What had happened to them? I had counted on their help, but they hadn’t come for me. A memory flashed before my eyes—Tariq, back in the temple, licking my blood off the moonstone crystal. Did that really happen? Or was it just my mind playing tricks? I couldn’t be sure anymore. The stress of everything could have caused me to imagine things. But the image lingered, vivid and disturbing. Why had Tariq acted so strangely that night?

The absence of my wolf made me feel more isolated than ever. Normally, my wolf would have given me the clarity I needed. Without...