tely withdrew. They all had their heads slightly bowed as if they couldn't risk look

shes of the whip every morning and hard jobs in the evenings for th

erious." "You're punis

"And if you challenge or disrespect me one more time, I w

as going to get me; I just knew it. I sighed, as if my life couldn't

death will be a piece of cake compar

lready feeling. My heart sank to my stomach. I gulped

her

impossible for anyone who tried to escape. It was a large cell with four old, flat beds. The other inmates were asleep, but I couldn't sleep; my eyes roamed the interior of the cell. The walls were old but still showed signs of holding up

cipher from what happened is that I seem to be the first human the Alpha was throwing in prison. Should I be hopeful, or was it a worse fate for me? Was it that he suspected I had lied and wanted to keep me alive to find out the real truth before he passed his death judgment on me? My sto

knowing why I was kept alive was killing me. The frigid ice look in his

is dark threat. Even his stoic face haunted my bleak dreams whenever I succeeded in forcing m

nd sleep; sometimes they made up games and played. They've been trying to be nice to me since I got here, but I kept to myself. I was too antsy and scared to trust an

directly. Okay, maybe indirectly because I came from my parents, who were the direct werewolf killers. But the werewolf prisoners wouldn't let me be. Always trying to get me to talk or engage

e can also go to any length, including offering hands of friendship, to see

bably knew she might not get to witness it. One of the women stirred, and I quickly laid down, shutting my eyes tight and pretending to be in deep sleep. I didn't want them to know I was awake; my conscience wouldn't allow me to

asleep,

ho stirred. But who was she talk

e couldn't be more than eighteen, and

ympathy in Al

kes bad decisions that they won't be around to suffer f

's guilty too. I wonder why she was thrown in prison; it's unheard of for the

d herself to me as Maeidan. Of the three, she'd been more kind and gentle

r mouth,

ed Ha

you love to be punished for a crime you never participated in bu

er voice tinged wi

a Lia's many teachings that said, "Until you understand the gray side of life, you'll never be able to distinguish betwe

age, which circles back to my point that blood is

crazy,

much

ny name you like; I do

opened and someone entered. My eyes were still closed, and I had to maintain my one-man drama of sleep-pre

you filth

ber up immediately, pretending to show concern like the others. I looked up at the guard. Great,

ve a vi

h me? Maybe he'd discovered my true identity and was here to make good on his threat. Dread sq