een like it owed me

r ID:

cou

p, her screech nearly

Do you think this is some kind o

sky. Still gray. Still miserable. I exhaled through my n

ered and hung up before she

ssed the phone

The stares I got? All pity. The same pity I hated when Dylan rejec

me had snapped clean, like the last chain unhooked fro

at the gate and stared up at it like it was a str

of the front door, and just be

be here shortly," my father's voice f

My stomac

. "After humiliating us, th

elf. "They're selling me o

dug into

I roared as I burst in, sl

ly blinking. "Watch

ll me what I just

uard will arrive shortly," he said li

st cav

ng? The murderer? The one with a trail of

an h

napped. "And you didn't even

ipped sideways as his palm s

d, tast

led. "You've embarrass

e half a second. Then I laughed. L

l with Dylan fell apart? That's

s spoken to," my m

you're throwing me

t failed at k

ne of the guards steppe

hallway-pack guards I hadn't seen in years.

" I breathed. "You're giving

d her eyes. "It's

and bolted

old fingers yanked my wris

not le

r off. But she pushed me toward the

uch me!"

room!" Father

hed nothing and shoved me up the stairs

l! I'm not a da

nd slammed the door shut behind

ap

alw

he wall. My hand ached. Didn't matter. I grabbed the dresse

e, wild. My wolf was clawing to

the cursed king like some gift-wrapped of

i

ave m

gh, cold and sharp. The branches of the tree beside my r

d nothin

window ledge, looke

I j

first branch, bounced, scraped my arm,

scrambled

eet pounding the dirt as I

t make

that led toward the old woods, a black

her stepped out. Lyca

d the picture in his hand a

on my hee

ocked both exits but I smirked c

pted, bones cracked, and a massive gr

My legs were on fire. M

snagged on a root. I tripped, fe

ing. One of them burst throu

me. His claws misse

creamed, "STAY

hurt you, but keep fighting

abbed me by the waist, but I elbowed him hard. He

oward the

d on the mossy rock, and kept

caught

ard, breath kn

e over and p

ne running

d. He growled, shifting mid‑hold

her voice cut t

her

man

uards who'd been quiet this whole time

t rough her up before she eve

ollowing

llow the

tated, then released me

lood on my lip, knees

w," the calm one sai

n't t

e to drag m

all smirk. "

pped f

was

I'd hidden there months ago for emerg

red in

ickest part of the woods, branches tea

g me again, but I didn't c

w. Not

now where

what I was

at was