andr

tal!" I shouted, turning slowly t

word raised, but the sheer volu

ding, ambush-blocking the path of his betrothed, a

from the elders gathered

man in broad daylight, violating every ancient law

her face burning with shame under the dis

the life of a dying veteran of the King's wars-my grandfather-to cover for

riors who fought the rogue incursions were sacred. Threatening an el

ice cutting through the noise like a bell. "You are no Alpha,

ch, his arrogance shattered beneath the weight of public cond

I said, my voice dropping

y shoulders, and met his w

tkins, accept y

s echoed against

snapped clean off. A sudden, violent backlash of rejected energy ripped through the air. Becaus

tched his chest. His knees buckled, blood dripping from his

ight of original Alexandra's grief vanished,

dirt. He looked up at me, his eyes bloodshot, his pri

id, closing the distance be

p, I swung my right palm acros

against bone echoe

d spraying from his split lip as he co

wolfless girl had just struck down a

rd, scrambling forward to claw at m

y hip with a clean judo toss. She crashed heavily onto the sto

king arms, his mouth full of bloo

eath our boots

gate. It wasn't the sound of market carts. It was the

rom the edge of the crowd. "Th

t just step aside; they threw themselves into

rider wore closed iron helms, black capes, and carried heavy broadswords. They r

rom dark ironwood and reinforced with polished steel plates. The crest carv

King. Eme

tried to scramble to his feet direct

he massive warhorse, easily twice the size of a common mount

feet through the air, crashing through a solid timber awning