Fane

s blown wide in a way that had nothing to do with the dim light of the room. Theron's chin was a heavy, propri

d out my cheeks, the tremor in my hand as I touched the pendant. H

red, his voice a low vib

time making herself small, was silent. Not submissive. She wa

lt into his possession. I gave him nothing. The si

fted his head.

g to cut through the grime on my window, and the pack wo

ack, steering me, guiding me toward the central courtyard where the pack gathered for morning distribution. I kept my eyes down, focused on

ions died. Eyes swiveled toward us. I could feel their stares like insects on my skin. He ign

ross the sudden silence. He gestured to the cra

a soft, internal light even in the morning sun. Gasps rippled through the crowd. Moon-petals were legend, a rare herb from the southern

granite, was standing before a young warrior. Zhiwen Lee. I knew him vaguely-quiet, diligent, never caused any trouble. The enforcer's hand shot

infraction. Theron didn't even glance that way. His gaze was fixed on the glowing herbs, a look of bored ind

" I whispered, the words esca

ut at me. A flicker of something-annoyance? Contempt?-cr

n said, his voice fl

me forward to accept his lavish gift. I pulled away from his touch, just a fraction of an inch, but it was enough. The beaut

had flinched from his touch. He closed the door behind us, and the sound of the lock clicking into pla

find some piece of solid ground in this

elt, "I'd like to take on a pack role. Something stab

work of the pack. It was a lifeline, a way to steer the co

wrong thi

the relaxed lines of his body tightening into something predatory. My talk of pups, of a futur

es. His hands clamped down on my hips, fingers digging into the bone hard enou

w vibration against my skin. "Our

a normal life as a direct rejection of him. My own wolf screamed a silent w

mbling, fear finally shreddi

ips didn't loosen, but the crushing pressure eased. I watched his expression flicker-th

hand through his hair. His

Dark things." He looked at his own hand, flexing his finge

goddess help me, a part of me felt it. A flicker of compassion for the monster who claimed he fought himself for my sake. It lef

in my eyes. He alw

, his voice softening, becoming

odding, too diso

iar forest rushing past, but it felt alien, like the wall of an enclosure. He dro

said. "Kael Sterling. He's here

d not

"For taking an interest in things that don't belong to him. Particularly marked females." He glanced at me, hi

trickled do

, his voice laced with false reason. "It would make you

, making himself the onl

gued, my voice small. "An Alpha c

ad no humor in it. He turned to look at me, and h

a," he said, his voice dropping to a chilling, abso

aration of his very nature. And in that moment, the last shred of hope that he was just a broken, possessiv

d girl trapped in a moving prison. And just behind my shoulde