Thor

eaving a strange, hollow clarity in its wake. The air still tasted of ozone and spent fury. The eyes of the pack members we passed were different no

he pack fading behind us. I stopped, leaning a ha

I said, the words feeli

o buy his way back into your good graces. It's what weak Alphas do. They think power and territory can mend what t

in my mind, a loose thread on a tapestry I'd never been able to see

ly for the first time. "Not really. Not for the bond. H

ken bond. It felt like a failed business transaction. Like he'd acquired an asset th

olf crowned with thorns-flashed behind my eyes. And a name, a whisper of a name that vanished like smoke

s. "Whatever it is, we'll figure it out," she said, her voice firm, pulling me

ht. My focus had to shift. From the Alpha who broke m

ich opened into the large hall leading to Kaelen's office. And we hea

us!" a woman's voice,

o know who their Luna i

arved into the stone wall, just a few feet from the office door, which was ajar by a

hen standing still. The other was a woman I didn't recognize, fierce and lean, with dark hair and a warrior's stance. They stood bef

to the hall. "The Mate Bond... it's active? Kael

s a bitter pill in my throat. I was the subject of the pack's biggest

you brought a rogue into the packhouse, that she's staying in your wing. They're co

do this again," she pleaded, her voice dropping, thick with a shared, terrible memory. "Not like when you were eightee

ost

t my arm, her own eyes wide with shock. We stared at each other, the same horrified realization dawning on us both. Kaelen's closest advisors, his family, were com

echoed in the sudden, heavy silence from the office. Through the crack in the door, I could just see the