tated, his voice akin to the clang of a cell do

chiseled in stone, but it was more like an abattoir. Elder Theon Vale sat on the middle throne, with Elder Garrick Stonehelm and Eld

called in to account for your part in the. disturbance. at the Omega P

o keep out Theon's smothering presence. I kept the Elder's cold stare at bay. "With all due

They sat in a row, each of them guarded, their faces furious and humiliated.

bond. was a misstep. An aberration. And as the Omega, it is your res

resent, cut in. "The bond is holy, The

ur pack. One Omega cannot be allowed to disrupt the natural order." His eyes turned to the Alphas. "A

uld rather die than be mated to a Mooncrest. She is not strong. My pack and my

was what I was anticipating, but to hear it, to feel it through the bond, was a shock. He

Zane?" The

. it's real," he confessed, his voice little more than a whisper. "But... I-I don't know. This isn't... this isn't what a

curity of the Silverfang Pack cannot be allowed. Elder, I concur with Blaze. This bond has to be severed. I will do what it takes to sev

entrated now on the mos

at made me tremble. "And it's strong. But." He paused, his eyes flashing with an inner struggle. I felt the disorienting mixture of possessiveness and anguish

y've had their turn. Now, you. We need only your public denial to make this Council decision fi

mother, Lira, and the revolution in her eyes in that portrait. I remembered Micah's promise to me. And I looked at the four Alphas. The boys who'd turned my life into a

y own voice fir

a peal of a new dawn. A gasp

say?" Theon's voice

Alphas, alighting briefly upon each of them. "I wil

Omega! It's all a joke to you, isn't it? To embarrass us? To

my heart, as Blaze's refusal echoed through the bon

yes blazing with anger. "But the bond requires a mutual rej

jection, but my resolve unshakeable. "And it is sacred. You cann

t is sickness. A curse. And we will find a way to cut it, with or without

ears finally breaking to the surface. "What of the pain you and your friends in

is. You have to understand. You're our brother's sister. And we... we were cruel. We were

e, Zane. This is a sad twist of fate. But I am not the one who

estroy you, but it will result in ruin for our pack. The packmates are already talking. They see this fo

iff. "Elder, you can't threaten her!

Estate until your first heat has passed and your standing in the pack has been re-evaluated.". If not, you shall be robbed of your family name, your guardians, and you'll be su

g his next move. Ash, his jealousy a burning, suffocating weight on my soul. They were my torturers

ot fair!" Marla F

d this Omega is threatening it," Theon a

e with every modicum of courage I could muster, the last dregs of my agony giving way to a fierce, searing fire. "Then I wi