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“Pretty much.” Bree pulls me closer since my arm is still linked with hers. “All I mean is, you probably think you need to suffer alone or that you don’t deserve our friendship, and I hope you know that’s bullshit, Raina. We’re here for you. No matter what.”

“Too bad Melody didn’t kill her,” a whisper that’s not so subtle carries over to our group.

I glance at the girl who spoke, confusion wrinkling my brow. I don’t recognize her, but her nose is so far up in the air, she has to be a Foundation.

“Bree is right. It’s total. Complete.” Eli swishes his hand, and blood arcs out of the girl’s body, shaping into a wave before breaking and splattering all over her designer outfit. “Bullshit,” Eli finishes.

The Foundation girl screeches and stamps her feet, but my friends tug me away from her. They’re all in different courses, but they see me to the classroom door and watch me get to my seat before they leave. I swear Ever contemplates ditching her own class, though the scowl I send her way has her sighing and heading out.

Warmth stirs in my chest as I wait for class to begin. Addy and I were always protective of one another. I knew I missed having that, but I didn’t truly know how much.

The professor strides in, and for a little while, I lose myself in note-taking, until my mind drifts back to whatever Rowan did. It had to be some type of healing magic, obviously, but I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of someone being able to heal silver poisoning. I switch out of my notes document and go to the digital library and look up healing affinities.

Mages and healing magic.

No, that’s not what I need.

Healing magic in public health.

Also, no.

Shifters and healing.

There we go. I click on that document, skim the abstract, and jump into the meat of the paper.

Shifter healing is similar to mage healing in that they both heal the wounded or sick; but shifter healing is derived from nature, where mage healing is derived from drawing on the Goddess blood in a mage’s body.

Okay . . . that’s interesting but not exactly helpful.

I pull up the search bar and type in silver poisoning. There are a dozen results. Okay, now I’m on to something. I jump to the first one, which speaks to the effects of a shifter being injected or hurt with a silver weapon. Blah blah blah. Okay, next result. The impacts of silver poisoning on a pack. I shake my head. Next.

I sit back, staring at the screen.

In rare circumstances, it has been noted that an alpha shifter can pull the silver poisoning from their mate’s body, their connection with nature allowing them the ability to return the metal to the earth, but this comes at great cost. All recorded cases show the alpha displaying symptoms of silver poisoning, even coming close to death.

Sorry, what? I read the words over and over, growing more confused by the second. I don’t know for certain if Rowan is an alpha, but given how powerful he is, there’s almost no doubt in my mind that he is—but mate? There’s no way. Besides, I’d feel a connection like that, wouldn’t I?

Aside from exchanging some dark secrets, we barely know each other. How can we be mates? No. No. There has to be a different explanation.

As soon as the class ends, I’m up and out of my seat, racing to the door. Rowan should be leaving his class right about now as well. I linger in the hallway, tucked out of sight, and watch as students flood out of the second-year classroom.

The lion shifter never appears.

That bothers me more than I care to admit.

Normally, I try to avoid noticing the vinculum, but every time I spot one of them, I instantly seek out Rowan. It’s been three days, and I’ve yet to spot the burly shifter or the mage and vampire that are usually with him. Which is unusual. He hasn’t been in the baths, and I’ve purposefully gone right around the time we ran into each other last time.

Finally, I decide I’ll have to barge into Carver’s house. I roll out of bed, reluctant as always to leave its plush comfort, and tug on my clothes. The soft workout pants with the Diremount emblem have a hole in the knee. I frown. I had intended for these to last a little longer. It’s small enough I might be able to patch it, though.

I might be too frugal, but I lived for so long with next to nothing that I can’t stomach the idea of spending what I’ve earned on a new pair of pants. Quickly brushing my hair, I toss it up into a messy bun and stuff my feet into my shoes, opening my door, only to stop short.

Ever’s leaning against the frame of my door and straightens when she spots me. She’s been ready and waiting for me every morning.

“You should be asleep,” I chastise.

“Wolves don’t need as much sleep as mages, you know.”

“Still,” I say softly, closing my door behind me. “I think I can manage the walk without any drama, plus maybe Bellamy will be waiting for me.” Though, much to my annoyance, he hasn’t been around. I can’t help thinking his absence has something to do with whatever is going on with Rowan.