rotector since I was a child, was holdin
at the pack house, she glided up the stai
celet, intricately wo
It burns our skin, seeps into ou
he bottom of the stairs, laced with the undeniabl
around my will, forc
ur future Luna," he
up my arm. I looked from the searing silver on my wrist to Alaric'stion for me; he had forgotten the
. The silver thorn on my wrist was a constant, a
pte
ra
decided to give up on my mat
lay in a heap on the cold tile floor. I stared at my reflection, at the girl with a s
the disposable phone. It was a number I had memorized but n
lm voice, laced with an authority that felt both
fragile whisper. "F
the other end. "Elara? My li
e me threatened to break. "I need to come ho
us. "You told me you wanted to stay," he said gently, but I could hear the con
he words out, each one a fresh tear in my soul.
oss the miles. "I see. He finally broke my little girl's heart. Don't you w
d, my voice thick
alked through the silent pack house, my footsteps echoing in
was a patrol optimization plan I'd spent weeks developing for the
the dark wood of the door
nt
that used to be my comfort, was now just
th the sheer force of his Alpha presence. He was power incarnate, h
small. "I finished the patr
-link. The mind-link was a sacred connection between pack members, a silent way to communicate thoughts and feelings. Alphas could
th that bled from his concentration. It wa
who he was
eant for me, but impossible to ignore. "The ceremony will ha
the air from my lungs. My chest tighten
er wolf pups who were taunting me for being a motherless Omega. Alaric, only a teenager himself, had thrown
carved from a moonstone that glowed in the dark. H
ness, that unique gentlene
e recognition was instantaneous and overwhelming. His scent-a heady mix of pine after a rainstorm and something wild, like oz
had confessed what I fe
terrifying power of an Alpha's Command. "You are an Omega," he'd roared, the force of his w
that had shattered my soul. The w
d, reject you, Elar
his study, watching him plan his life with another woman, I knew what I had to do. I had
aced the folder on the corner of his desk and backed out of the room, closin