Chapter 13 · Trust None of Them

The power dies the second we hit the tree line.

One moment I'm running, three wolves at my back, my mother's voice still ringing—*trust none of them*—and the next someone yanks the plug. The pull toward the door cuts off. The warmth in my chest where those three fragile bonds formed goes cold.

I stumble.

Cain's there before I hit the ground, human again, naked and bleeding from a gash across his ribs. "Ivy—"

"Don't." I shove him off, harder than I mean to. He staggers back. Rex and Aiden shift too, flanking us, and I can feel all three of them staring. Waiting for me to explain what the hell just happened.

I don't have an answer.

My wolf's gone quiet. Not sealed—I can still feel her, a steady hum under my skin—but the explosion of power from before is gone. I'm just me again. Shaking. Cold. Lost.

"The door," Aiden says, low. "You said you could feel it."

"I could." I press my palm to my chest, right over my heart. Nothing. "It's gone."

Rex circles us, eyes scanning the dark.