Celena’s POV Rose’s words pierced my heavy despair like moonlight. Maya had rejected me, but Rose... she said she had a way! And she looked so confident, so lively. She was a good witch, having healed many in the pack before, well-liked by everyone. I trusted her. My heart beat a little faster with this new hope. Maybe... maybe I could truly escape this damn wolf instinct that always pushed me toward Jacob. I followed Rose to the small room where they prepared the ritual. I watched her rummage through dried herbs, oddly colored stones, and a jumble of small animal carcasses. I watched her prepare with eager anticipation, feeling my breath lighten slightly. Just as Rose was fiddling with those items, muttering incantations, and preparing earnestly, the door slammed open. Maya stood in the doorway, her face ashen. She shot Rose a fierce glare, then dragged her out without a word. The door slammed shut behind them, and I could faintly hear their hushed, urgent arguing outside. My heart sank. What was happening? Had this method failed too? Maya’s POV I was furious! Rose, that impulsive fool! I sensed her channeling magic, preparing some ancient-looking ritual I’d never seen before, and the target was Celena! Linking it to her earlier inquiries, I instantly realized what this idiot was trying to do! I stormed in and yanked her away just before she could get Celena to recite that ridiculous nursery rhyme spell. "Rose! Are you out of your mind?!" I dragged her into a corner of the hallway and growled in a hushed voice, "What are you doing? Trying to trick her with that outdated forest witch fairy tale? That’s a bedtime story for little witches!" "I’m not deceiving her!" Rose stubbornly stuck out her chin. "I just want to give her some hope! Let her have something to do and look forward to! This must be better than her being like a wandering soul all day long, right? Maya, no one can suppress a werewolf’s Wolf unless they kill her! We both know that! Since we can’t tell her the brutal truth, why can’t we use a harmless story to make her feel better for a little while?" "Harmless? How do you know what you’ll summon? Even if the odds are one in ten thousand!" I was so angry my chest felt tight. "We can’t risk her safety!" "Then what do you suggest? Watch her wither away?" Rose retorted. We stared each other down, neither willing to budge. The familiar tension between sisters hung thick in the air. "Enough!" I finally cut through the pointless argument. "We’ll go find Lily. She’s the Alpha’s mate and Celena’s friend. Let her decide."