r of u

back at me from a dozen stolen photographs, and the words do

oice had gone very quiet. Qu

t step back. "Why do you have pictures of m

low and warning.

kind of fear that comes from realizing you signed your name to something you don

Something closer to exhaustion, like a man who'd been ca

led shut behind that

he laptop himself, his hand flat against it lik

aid. "You wandering in her

not an

one you're ge

n't want to admit existed - painfully aware of how close he was standing. Close enough th

answer. Rules. If we're doing this - this fake marriage,

, at the change of subject. Or maybe he'd been w

said. "Th

up one

public, in front of the pack, is a performance

nd f

e. We are not friends. We are not confidan

voice dropped, qui

with any part of what you see here. This ends. W

in the air, like it meant mor

s curl into fi

et you're tr

snapped

t say yo

to hold his gaze. "You think I don't know what this is? A convenient nobody, easy to

you signed it because you had

stopp

e a

raw - tired, human, almost pleading - and I saw, just for a heartb

ace between us like he'd caught

he pack expects to meet their new Luna

ard," I said,

uite a smile, but close enough to make m

urmured. "Ha

study for a long moment, my pulse refusing to slow down, tha

t tel

me

member fall

membered

o present, silver light pouring through a window that did

. Not loud. Not human. S

ar

ke it had waited c

st Luna. You have signed the c

binding, what does that mean, but

impossible instant I felt something ancient recognize

older than

hispered, closer now, wrapping around my ribs lik

ed exactly like it had in the dream - and standing in my doorway,