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"For a tiht be able to understand the lonely yearning that co unique There are many other wolves, but none quite like him And he sees the layers of the world in a fashion ordinaryall the empathy inside him, and I learned quickly that he could never truly know me I believed no one ever would, until I found you"

"Even though I’m an ordinaryordinary about you, Mr London And that’s enough fishing for coht that there’s no one like you"

"I’ve never h there have been pretenders" She trailed off, looking out to sea once more

"What happened to the pretenders?" Jack asked, not sure he really wanted to know

"Time carried theht be like me" She turned to stare at him "And then tell me where she lives"

On that hot beach where palainst the island, Jack London recounted his time in the frozen, haunted north He told Sabine details that he had not yet found the courage to tell anyone else, even his good friend Merritt Sloper--about his time with Lesya in her cursed forest; his encounter with her mysterious father, Leshii, the tree spirit who had eventually saved Jack’s life; Lesya’s past victi wood of unnatural trees; and his final confrontation with the legendary Wendigo, the creature he had overco the tale was a catharsis, and by the time he had finished, it was dusk

Sabine stared at him with an expression he had never seen in her eyes before There was a that had nothing to do with Jack the h

"You sound a little like

"No," he replied "I’m only a man"

"There can be no ‘only’ about you, Jack," she replied "Your story is unbelievable, and yet I believe every word"

"You’re only the second person I’ve told," he said "Probably the last Anyone else would think me mad"

"Perhaps," Sabine said

"She’s not like you, you know" Even , and a chill of fear

Sabine only glanced at hi her face

"I ht have had"--he paused, searching for the word--"talents that most people could never understand But she was insane She told me that her father had mated with a human wo To say you’re like her is like saying I am similar to--"

"At least she knew of her parents," Sabine said "I have no concept of ever being born"

Her words hung in the air, floating like sparks A silence fell between the a fire When the fla, Sabine’s face caught the light, and he saw that she atching him

"Thank you," she said

"For what?"

"For not fearing me"

Her words had such sadness that he studied her ave ithin her Sabine sagged just a little, and she wiped tears fro for her

"I’m so sorry," she whispered, the words barely audible

Jack felt a chill pass through hi about?"

A quiet sob racked her body, and then she inhaled sharply, getting control of herself She glanced at hiaze The corners of her uish it tortured him to see

"It’s"My fault you’re here"

"Of course it’s not," Jack said "Yes, I wanted to get you off the Larsen But even without my fear for your safety, I had to escape or Ghost would have killedaway tears as she glanced at hiaze "It’s in with My fault that Ghost attacked your ship"

Jack exhaled, understanding at last "It’s all right You were doing what you had to do to stay alive You guided him to the Umatilla just as you had to so many other--"

Sabine threw up her hands, sorrow and truth spilling out of her "I didn’t guide hiuided him to you!"

"What?" He could only stare "You mean Ghost chose me somehow? Why?"