ra

learning and power for the most gifted of our kind. It was an honor that should have cemented my place in the pack, but the false accusation had stolen it from me,

myself up, I limped to the grimy window and peered out. The entire pack was gathered. Banners of deep

For Seraphina. Today was her eighteenth bir

that I should stay hidden. But a stronger, colder part of me refused to cower. I had

nic they had given me. My limp was more pronounced today, the damp air seeping into my old

expressions shifting from joy to open hostility. I saw my parents standing near the center, their faces tight w

lack attire of the Alpha, making him look even more imposing. His eyes met mine for a fleeting second, a

er look like an innocent angel, broke the silence. She

ss. "I'm so glad you could be here. I was so worried about you."

en," she began, her voice gaining a theatrical tremor. "For my coming-of-age gift, I ask for

She was reminding everyone, especially Kaelen, of the lie that

. "I will not bear witness to this f

t language of our ancestors, reserved for sacred ceremonies and matters of high importance. "Ah, but

a comforting hand on her shoulder, speaking to her in the same ancient language

pproval, "She has forgotten her place. An

ts. 'You are cruel, Elara. Can't you see you're upsetting

ducation given to the higher ranks. They believed the Old Tongue was beyond my compre

f mind-links, but my mind absorbed knowledge like a dry sponge. I had taught myself the Old Tongue years ago, listening to the elders' lesson

oice carefully neutral in our common

elivered in the elegant, flowing script of the Old Tongue. "Let her g

hmic beat on the hard-packed earth. They had all forgotten s

ay of my freedom. And I ha