The lead wolf stepped closer, and Elara's heart stopped beating. Her father's voice came from its mouth.
"Why did you let me die, sweetheart? Why didn't you save me?"
"No," she whispered, backing away. "You're not real." But the wolf looked exactly like her dad when he changed. Same gray hair with the white patch on his chest.
Same kind brown eyes that used to read her bedtime stories. Except now those eyes glowed silver like moonlight. "I waited for you," the wolf continued in her father's gentle tone.
"I called your name as the rogues tore me apart. But you never came." Tears burned Elara's face. She knew this wasn't really him.
Her dad died three years ago defending the pack borders. She'd been only fifteen, too young and weak to help. But seeing his face made all that pain come rushing back.
"Don't listen," Kael said sharply, ice forming around his hands. "It's the trial. They're not real." But then another wolf emerged from the darkness.
