of the Silver Ridge Pack's courtyard, my fingers wrapped tightly around the handle of my dagger as the rogue stared at me like he had already decided what I was worth. A prize. A weakness. A w

rienced than me. Size didn't win fights. Control did. The rogue swung first. I dodged. His fist missed my face by inches. I used his movement against him, striking his side before stepping away. He recovered quickly. Too quickly. This wasn't an ordinary rogue. He was trained. The realization barely crossed my mind before he attacked again. This time, I wasn't fast enough. Pain shot through my shoulder as I hit the ground. Before he could move again, several Silver Ridge warriors surrounded him. The rogue looked annoyed, but he didn't fight. Instead, he looked at me. "You're looking for your father." It wasn't a question. My expression hardened. "How do you know that?" "Because everyone who carries the Thorn name eventually starts looking for answers." He stepped backward. "But be careful, Iris." The way he said my name made my stomach tighten. "Some truths are buried for a reason." Then he disappeared into the forest. Nobody spoke for several moments. I hated that. Silence always meant people were hiding something. Alpha Cedric looked at me. "You should leave." I frowned. "Excuse me?" "You heard me." "I came here for answers." "And you nearly got yourself killed." "I handled it." "Yeah .....Barely ." His words annoyed me because they were true. I looked away. He sighed.