hina'

iced when I opened my

or. The blanket beneath my fingers was cold, and the spa

ra

mot

at hurt. I had waited for her footsteps, listened for the familia

come, and she wa

ess. Its delicate chain had been my mother's most treasured possessio

ou, Mother?"

y ans

always told me that crying did not make me weak, but

at lesson when I was ten years

ightened my faded dres

f laundry while men hauled firewood toward the kitchen. Everyone c

d continue when my

elderly servan

ve you seen

briefly crossed her face befor

o your roo

now where

, I cannot

y n

d her lips

ave a daught

k what she meant,

everyone knew something, but

here Morgan Vex supervis

n. I need to s

rned s

lost you

sk him about

things to do than answer quest

haven't

pile of dirty dishes b

ant food,

y tears and b

s on the plates because every time I looked towa

ver ap

gan handed me a smal

ed when I whispered my grat

d outside and sat

oke it in half and plac

h. My mother

food, even when there was h

eat everything while she

wai

bread had become d

still hadn

-

aphi

essa, a young laundry

my mother?" I a

ression

e, haven

efore motioning for me to follow

ned to her?

ed her hand

t be tellin

only person who ha

filled wi

other i

me so quickly that my

e is

n the Alpha's pr

row

rki

made her

ssa, strugglin

. People had stood when she entered important gathering

the very man who had

t w

obody powerful eno

idn't do any

kno

on't anyone

looked

bed he

Alpha h

hesi

a, pl

woman be

er to the mansion, they kept her in a pri

art p

happ

your father had committed the crimes he

did

wered he

himself on

ds, I couldn't un

waiting for her t

N

rry, Se

ou're

d my ha

ocent. She had been taken from our home in the middle of the night, and now someone was

ok my

ldn't d

tears fe

di

d until my shoulde

hy

was barel

that to her? Sh

reach for me,

t tou

dn't bear anyone touching me when my mother

he wall and c

for my

for my

nderstand why being good had

use I was a child, and th

-

e now?" I fi

nts' quarters. The Alpha or

I see

before helping

repeat what I told you. If the Alpha di

l her she shoul

ng my mother away, and I understoo

romi

hind the kitchen and into a smaller buil

nen around a lo

eir faces unt

e far wall, holding a b

, I barely r

nd her clothes were plain and ill-fitting. She looked ex

t was

mot

the

slipped fro

ard me, and he

aphi

into h

held me tightly while I bur

r, I'm

k, confusion f

r what, s

didn't come with you.

ression

little

face betwe

wrong. Do you h

ut

supposed to protect me from the wo

, and she gathered m

the mansion, the servants, and the cru

mply her

was my

elt her

ted m

, are y

ent s

sweet

as a

avoided my eyes and in the u

hed he

hey hu

osed h

o terrible thi

ice tr

you have done anyth

t the

re body

the

a shaky

on't ask

in in her face frightened m

y arms arou

rig

sed my

ou, swee

or until Morgan's shar

going o

orway, staring at t

ou have w

slowly r

organ. Jus

e been sitting h

my da

laughed

are a s

struck me

o her like tha

filled t

urned to

did yo

in front o

my mo

some little girl who h

but my mother immediat

begged. "She's

her to behav

ed at the sc

And when you're finished, E

lowered

, ma

hurt more than M

e my name, comforted me during thunderstorms

ow to people who

gathered the s

r of u

ly left, I turned

n't we

ked at

't, swe

o somewhe

would

ed my

ng ca

ne. The people who had once called

to protect us had become a place

r cupped

ndure this

hough I had

sed my

get

-

a tiny room at the back

wooden stool, and a small win

mattress while I rest

s had eaten

us had mu

unds of the mansion and reme

mother had laughed more often, and our house had smelled

ant, and the man responsible for our sufferi

the

my hair away

sweeth

eally steal f

stopped

N

id everyone

ower can make others b

ht abou

ther a

at me, pain fi

hina. He made mistakes, as we all do, but

ed for

w he was go

n't k

he af

pped down

ink h

to cry

me, pressing her f

m so

kill him,"

sweet

make the A

N

is he hu

oment, she s

aced my hand ag

whatever they want. But it doesn't. No matter what they t

to beli

at truth mattered, and that one day someone wo

was

es I forgot he was dead until I remembe

de me and pulled t

with me tonight

ssed m

es

nig

t, my lit

er chest, listenin

guards had taken her away,

off, I heard her whi

sorry,

oice

otect her. I t

ll onto m

know how to save

her that she didn

er that being in h

already pull

was her hand moving

I heard was her

eraphina. More

wrapped around me, I fell asleep believing

ow cruel the wo

, my mother was suffering, and the

the Alpha's cruelty