The smell is everywhere. Blood. So much blood it pierces through the crisp winter air, making my stomach turn. The pristine white landscape ahead is no longer—violent arcs and puddles of blood mix with churned patches of snow, depicting the aftermath of battle.

The sled slows as we approach. There are a few unmoving wolf bodies on the ground. They aren''t ours.

Except one, further off, surrounded by Lisa and the others.

"Lisa!" My voice cracks as I jump off the sled and rush toward my best friend. She sits motionless, the head of our fallen wolf in her lap. "Are you okay?"

It must be Mira she''s holding.

My guards fan out around us, creating a protective circle. Vanessa rushes to the nearest injured wolf, her medical supplies already in hand. Not sure what she can do for what''s clearly a broken leg, but this is her field of expertise.

Mine is... well, I don''t know.@@@@

First, checking on Lisa. Then, figuring out what the hell we''re going to do.

"I''m fine." Lisa''s surprisingly calm, but it doesn''t seem right. More like she''s detached from reality. There''s no emotion, no sense of self in her words. Lifting her arm, where her brace glints in the light, she says simply, "She didn''t stand a chance."

Who? Mira?

Another betrayal?

No. Selene''s voice is clipped and tight. These ashes were a body once.

Oh.

So Lisa...

Killed them.

Good riddance.

Yes.

But there must be something wrong, because Selene seems upset.

I''m not sure yet, but they smell wrong.

Sister Miriam might know, but she''s impossible to reach.

We haven''t heard from her in months. I don''t even know if she''s alive.

Lisa''s vacant stare pierces my heart as she continues stroking Mira''s fur, lost in her own world. My knees sink into the snow beside her, but she doesn''t acknowledge my presence.

"Lisa. We need to get you somewhere warm."

No response. Just that mechanical petting motion, over and over.

"Please." I touch her shoulder again, squeezing gently. "You''ll freeze out here."

"She told me this morning." Lisa''s voice cracks, barely a whisper. "About the baby. Her last present from her mate. He died, too."

My throat tightens. The tears come hot and fast, blurring my vision. Two lives lost, not just one.

"Why was she out here? Why was she guarding me? She was pregnant. If I hadn''t come along, maybe she wouldn''t have been here, either."

Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I pull her close. She''s trembling, though whether from cold or emotion, I can''t tell.

"I killed her." Lisa''s voice breaks. "Marisol. I burned her alive and I''d do it again. What does that make me?"

"A survivor." The word comes out fierce, protective.

Kellan adds, "You protected yourself and your people. You did a good thing."

Lisa shakes her head. "I enjoyed it. Watching her burn. I wanted her to suffer. But she didn''t even scream."

My heart aches. I know that feeling, that mix of satisfaction and horror at your own capacity for violence. The way it haunts you afterward. I can still feel the power of my magic as I took down vampires. The same beings who terrified me long ago.

Now I know I can stand up to them, but there are nightmares all the same.

"She was pregnant." Lisa''s shoulders shake under my arm. "Mira was pregnant and I couldn''t save her. I was right here and I couldn''t—" A sob tears from her throat. "I should have been faster. Should have seen her coming. Should have—"

"Stop." I pull her closer, pressing my cheek against her hair. "This isn''t your fault. None of this is your fault."

Her body shudders as the tears finally come, harsh and raw. I hold her tighter, letting her cry against my shoulder.