mr

ith this skank?" he de

ion fierce. "The Alpha's orders," she snaps back. "He want

ares at him, her expression full of au

" she

g him a second glance. I can barely breathe, my heart hammering

e been chained in for so long. The darkness surrounds us, and for

om the chill. The Pack house is behind us now, but we're not safe yet. I can stil

is as far as I can take you," she whispers, glancing back toward

her, my only friend in this nightmare.

th unshed tears. "No need to thank me, K

of everything crashing down on m

. "Get out of here. Protect

eyes with the back o

last time before pulling

of the Pack house. I watch her go, my heart heavy with both gratitude and sadness. I

Every step is painful, my body screaming at me to stop, but I can't. I h

night provides enough cover for me to slip past them unnoticed. My heart pounds in my chest

ath coming in ragged gasps. I close my eyes, and with a deep, shaky

s with the Obsidian Pack. From this moment on,

ing like a taut string. I gasp, clutching at my heart, the pain so intense that I stumble fo

, and with every ounce of streng

alter. May your lands be barren, your children weak. I curse your Alpha, Calvin Kane, to know the pain of every life he's destroye

an feel it take root, spreading through the air, the forest, the very earth beneath my feet. It's more than ju

ut the adrenaline pushes me forward. I've done it. I've severed my ties

t my skin. My body feels heavy, every inch of me aching and raw. My chest still burns fro

gasps. My legs are barely holding me up, but I don't stop.

atches up to me. My body can't take anymore. I've pushed myself too far. The adrenaline

s buckling beneath me. I try to catch myself, but my arms don't respond. The ground rushes

can't

The last thing I feel before everything goes black is the cold wind brus

*

the world i

ng into my wrists and ankles. I blink, my vision hazy, and when I try to move, I realize I'm tied up. Bound.

s hap

me. My body aches in every possible way-my arms and legs stiff from the bindings, my stomach twist

d realize with horror th

the ropes biting into my skin as I pull against th

tied together at the ankles. My body feels weak, too weak to

ace, like a warehouse or an old barn. The floors are wooden, crea

he only o

Their eyes are wide with fear, their faces pale. Some are crying sof

at as I try to understand. Where am I? What's happening?

one. Pretty thing.

und and see him-a man with a grizzled face, standing on a makeshift platform at th

auc

the reality sinks in. I've b