was afra

it clea

uiet kind. The kind that lived behind clenched jaws and careful word

e veins across the stone floor, spreading outward from where I had stood.

laughed

ha hadn'

on my glowing hands like he was staring at a ghost

ble..." h

chest. The bond was still fractured, bleeding raw energy into my veins.

t my whole

ton

oing unnaturally through the hal

lpha f

ion sent a ripple

ad fast am

Alpha. "You said the boy was fatherles

snapped too quickly. "Sh

rred, alert

, "does his blood respond to an Alp

len

hit me lik

mord

new what

rbidden.

his sides, knuckles whitening. For the first time, he looke

lled me when I was b

s snappe

," I continued.

urs e

a step back, the

" he growled. "A m

each word sharp, "died

went dea

torches se

drained of color. "Al

rt, brittle, wrong. "I

er whispered. "You

lt it

that was

-soake

an kne

s burning w

with fear in his heart and

ped up as the

you couldn't," I said slowly.

breathing t

t on. "You knew wh

ded through

ha command slamming in

ed to their k

excep

me like a storm

sent the Alp

rs stared

ly. "You've been afraid

realization dawning. "The old leg

dropped to a whis

o l

r said, trembling. "The one chose

olf h

nd shook

a fell to

when I u

r wasn't

n't a s

n a wolf bound

somethin

eared so much they eras

d I'd awake

ooked up at

hoarsely, "that you wou

cut throug

scr

rl-the mate I had rejected-arch backward a

ond sc

e hall shattered t

er than time ech

ir has

has hi