Page 84 of The Secret Keeper's Daughter

“I know.”

“This is the worst news.”

He lifts a brow. “Worse than finding out you have to kill your father?”

“He’ll probably kill me. I bet every other hunter has trained for that battle for their entire life. I’ve been scooping manure.”

“Then we’ll train together. I’ll teach you everything I know about the bow and arrow.”

I sigh, feeling more defeated than ever. “He’s probably over three hundred years old. I don’t stand a chance.”

“He’s also weakening, and you’re getting stronger. That’s an advantage.”

“Did you forget the part about me having no experience?”

“This book and the rumors both confirm that he’s losing his strength.”

“What if I don’t want to kill my one remaining parent?”

Harek frowns. “You know the answer to that.”

“He’ll kill me.”

“Right, and I’m not about to let that happen. He’s going to have to get through me first. We could wait until the full moon and fight him then.”

“That’s it!”

He nods. “He won’t be able to stand against two wolves, especially if one is the hunter.”

My mind spins, putting all the pieces together. “There’s never been a werewolf hunter before. That will be my advantage.”I push the chair back, a renewed sense of courage running through me. “Now we have to find him.”

“Not so fast.”

“What?” I turn to him.

“You need to go through a shift before even thinking about something like this. The first is always the hardest because it’s so weird.”

“Okay, I’ll shift on the night before the full moon and then fight him the next night.”

“It takes time to adjust. You might feel sick after your first time turning.”

“I already feel sick with the evil souls fighting inside of me.”

“How about we finish reading this book before we make any decisions? There’s a lot to consider, and you aren’t even sure you want to fight him.”

“I am. He’s had his chance at life, and now it’s mine.”

“What happened to you not wanting to be an orphan?”

“If the choice is between him and me, I choose me. He clearly didn’t want anything to do with me, so why should I care about him?”

“Are you sure?”

I square my shoulders. “Yes, but first I need to find out more about my sword. Once I get it back, I need to know how to get these souls out of me. I also have to find out how to keep from absorbing anymore.”

“Okay, then. Let’s do this.”

We start flipping through more pages. I can’t wait to be able to manage my true nature on my own.

---