Fawn

the sun. The world narrowed to the pressure of his fingers on my chin, the bottomless black of his eyes. My wolf had gone so still inside me she mig

he way Baron Stone's men looked at us. It was colder. More unnerving. It was the look of a craftsman inspecting a tool, checking for flaws, calcula

brushed his knees. A greasy smile stretched his lips, showing too many teeth. "An excellent choice, Your Majesty. Of course. She i

s gaze shot past my shoulder, into the great hall behind us. I knew without looking what was there: a massive, age-darkened map of the terri

He turned away from me with an air of finality, as if the transaction was complete. With a flick of his wrist, he dismisse

brand. *This one*.

! I knew you'd appreciate the finest stock!" he crowed, grabbing my arm. His grip was

y other arm, and I was half-dragged, half-marched away from the balcony, away from the Alpha King, who never looked back. The last thing

uieter stone corridors of the packhouse. The guards said nothing, their silence more menacing than any

smelled of dust and old fear. Then, he shoved me. I stumbled across the threshold, my bare feet hitting the cold stone floor hard.

one. In

feet of the other girls. The sound of their soft weeping. But they weren't in the corridor outside my door. They were being her

ut the distant, muffled sounds of the packhouse. I ran my fingers over the surface, searching, desperate for any wea

ered through. The crack gave me a skewed, limited view of a stone courtyard below, lit by

their thin tunics providing no protection from the night's chill. They huddled together, a small, pal

nother. The sound vibrated through the stone, up into the door I was pressed against.

m the group, her terror overriding her paralysis. She took

She fell to her knees in the

tore through the night. It wasn't a scream of surp

e courtyard was filled with the low growls of unseen wolves. The ech