Chapter 9 · Roads in the Moonstone

Cain wants me in the woods at dawn.

I don't ask why. I just go because the bond's pulling at my ribs and I can feel his impatience through it like smoke under my skin. He's standing at the edge of the territory line when I get there, hands in his pockets, jaw tight.

"We need to test it," he says.

I stop ten feet back. "Test what."

"Your shift. Whether I can actually stop it when you lose control."

The air smells like wet pine and old dirt. My wolf stirs under my ribs. She doesn't like the way he's looking at me—like I'm a problem he's trying to solve.

"You already did that," I say. "In the city. Remember?"

"That was reflex. I need to know if I can do it again. On purpose."

I cross my arms. "You want to force me to shift so you can practice shutting me down."

He doesn't flinch. "Yes."

At least he's honest.

I look past him into the trees. The forest is old here, thick with shadows and moss that grows over everything. It's the kind of place where things disappear. I disappeared here once. Three years ago.