l's

cting increasingly strange over the past few days. Frowning

one side of her, and her father, Beta Edran, on the other. The room suddenly felt too cramped with all of us

brow at my parents, waiting for an explanat

asked. "Why did you w

faint smile, but my

your birthda

sigh, while Rowan stood

I asked

my mother explained. Elara kept her gaze lowered to the desk, her dark hair p

surging through me. After everything she'd put Vivienne through, there was no way I'd do her that f

mother a h

the answer is no," I said firmly. "I don't want her there, and nei

ook my head and pointed at Elara. She finally raised he

ening. I know everyone except the omegas is usually invited, b

lance at Elara, who merely pressed her lips together and said nothing. "H

I wondered what he could possibly ask that would upset her so much, t

no reason to feel sorry for her, especially after what she

but his gaze lingered on Elara a little too in

ack when she turns eighteen," Beta Edran finally

s to give her per

n't have thought him capable of such kindness. My mother coughed, and my fa

eds the Alpha's permission to leave the territory," I

nreadable expression. "I'm asking you never to grant her that

ncealed disapproval. Even I had to admit that trapping someone for life in a pack that hated them was cruel. I

e you take over the pack, you'll be able to reconsider that decision,"

ead across her lips. I nearly felt sorry for Elara. For a moment,

icial?" Rowan's question cu

sion. Beta Edran wants to be certain his daughter will remain in the pack, close to her

e else in the pack," Rowan coun

r mate, Elara will be part of our family too, in a way. That's another reason to keep her he

growl at the suggestion, but when I turned toward him, he was staring

wants?" I asked, my voice

is irrelevant. She's a minor, and we're her legal guardians. We also propose that s

han it already was. And my parents weren't objecting. I knew my mother had clung to her resentme

ack at the Beta, who was b

ipe it away. What was happening to me? Why did I suddenly feel sorry for a girl I'd always despised and

versation, desperate to get thi

smile widened, stirring a flicker of disgus

nd scrawled my signature. I watched Rowan hesitate before doing the

orrow," my mother told Marisol, rising to her feet.

bled slightly, her eyes downcast, while her stepmother held her firmly by the arm.

relief," Beta Edran said as he lef

father told us, bringing

ade a mistake by condemning Elara to spend her life as an omega in a pack that refused to accept he

ome to reg