en's

e up

, maybe five years old, standing beside a woman with the same eyes and the same silver locket. And behi

a while before I left her hou

ather know E

ara have no id

he hallway was filling up around me, students laughing and talking like it wa

th Lila. Every word. Every sho

t I didn't want to ack

ouldn't. She was a human. An outsider. A probl

. The way Elara had flinched, just for a second, before something else fl

hy. I didn't wa

nothing. Instead, a piece of paper

olded neatly, crisp and white, nothing

ou die. Walk away w

od ran

paper in my fis

her, and

er had threatened me my whole life. Lila threatened me daily. The pack thre

ver stopped me from

rent. This wasn't about

happening to Elara Vance made my chest ache in a way I couldn't explain. I

human. She's a threat. She's the reaso

lass broke me ou

her face, blood streaming down her cheek. The fluorescent light above her had

of it all, her hand pressed against

ng accusations. Watched as Elara shook her head, her voice c

ce a mess of blood and tears,

at what that g

on Elara. On the way, she gathered her things and h

"She's dangerous! You saw what happened!

flatly, pulling my arm f

ut

aid

t care. I'd never cared. Lila was a contract, a promise made between our families to keep the pack strong. I'd

, I thought bitt

ing against the floor. I watched her go, then

t in my pocket an

the class. She was standing still, her back to me, h

y, my heart pounding in

en she

eyes

rld st

er brea

he doesn't remember last night. The

myself. You wanted her to

eel safer. It f

to the floor, her steps steady and measured. She pushed

moment, the crumpled no

he bel

sed, barely listening as Mrs. Hastings droned on about cell divisio

pping her hands together. "I'm assigning your

bother to join in. I didn't care who I was paired w

ontinued, consulting a clipboard. "When I call y

ned her out, staring at the window,

ckwood and

d snap

h

y from her had just been irrevocably swept aside