the

pha Cassian, my

s were clipped, dismissive. "W

cuss

ted to

How I've shamed our family? How I'm n

rsing, their whispers follow

ragments as

new she wa

f good bl

ade the ri

ay before she embarr

t a word, her disappointment

enough to whisper: "Guess you're

the ceremonial gr

ad back disappearing into the man

cle of ancient stones, wearing a ceremonial

ight felt lik

w how long I

the cold to see

r the reality t

tive. Broken

uture in the pack that

moved, my legs

f the standing stones, its sur

ere the words that had been my

ugh Unity. Unit

etters with tre

d the

wolf, I had

h, I had no plac

my throat. half

broken, echoin

N

wouldn't give the

d steady, despite the way my whole body wanted to

trance where I migh

pping through the shadows like

east wing, far from

ace to study," t

ealized

emselves from me for years

g to cast

aned against it, finally

dress suddenly f

he expensive silk pool on

I looked at myse

d clear, not the golde

r that fell in w

ny sign of the beast tha

ive enough by

lves, I w

def

I could find. jeans, a swea

Just the e

much that was t

cting the few possessions I cared a

anted m

in

d l

n shame. I wouldn't let

would find out why m

at was wrong with me

he

gle person who laughed

should have f

Aurelia Veythorne

e last look at the room I'd grown up i

wolf. N

g darker.

, slinging my bag over my shoulder. I

e trellis like I'd done a hundred times as

I wasn't c

arted toward the tree line,

ng away

tur

adow of the manor, stil

nt, neither

u want?" I a

ortably. "I... I w

ous coward who'd rather break a promi

d and sharp. I barely r

urself very c

audacity to sound like he believed it. "You unde

not st

you. The whole

way. "Goodb

will y

y shoulder, meeting h

d see the conflict there,

of me, even if his co

hat you said I'd never be,

the Forbidden Woods, leaving be

zed with lights and laughter as the

ly already for

oo

urelia Veythorne,

when I

ld com

t recognize w

swallowed

fe, I felt something that wa

eed

eir branches forming a canopy that

trails by instinct, paths I'd

ery shadow f

sound s

e Alpha's daughter

as p

something mo

ith nothing

or's

lia's story ends

r hasn't even

rea