Brennan held him up as he cursed loudly, attracting the attention of Briccia and old Lidora.

The priestess’s eyes turned as blue as her wolf’s as she examined the wound.

“Silver bullet,” she murmured. “Do you feel very bad?”

“They wounded her... they wounded Rhiannon...” was all Aidan could mumble, his eyes wild.

“Calm down, she’s healing,” Briccia assured him, and his face took on a strange calmness. “But this is only the beginning. This means they’re already hunting her.”

Aidan’s jaw tightened, feeling Akela howl inside him in despair. Briccia placed a hand over his wound and his eyes clouded over completely, losing all the brightness that her wolf's eyes had given her.

“I’m so sorry to tell you this, but you’ll have to take sides,” the girl whispered in a sad voice. “The war is about to begin... and I’m afraid you won’t make it in time for the first battle.”

And indeed, hundreds of miles away from them, the first hunt led by King Caerbhall against the resistance had already begun.