a Thor

most gasped. My fingers locked on the strap o

ok was cold and steady. The force coming off him was so old and heavy that the foggy air was hard to breathe. Ever

heels into the wet stone and stared

the rich heirs around us made a sound. The air

away. He turned on his heel. His long coat snapped around his

breath of icy air into my lungs. My heart beat against my ribs like a

trash! Kee

obacco. He shoved my shoulder hard, and my bag jerked. "Inside the Gr

ets to hide the shaking. Then I stepped

e food chain. The ceiling rose dozens of feet over my head on thick arches of polished dark granite. Huge

d crimson thread with the crests of the oldest, richest Alpha lines in North America. Th

n there

a trail of dark, watery mud and melting slush. Every we

in neat circles by rank and territory. When I came t

ay. Dozens of aura s

d bloodline without throwing a punch. To an orphan raised in the dirt, it felt sickening. It felt like cold, ghostl

ound n

ses, I was empty. A name

aughter spread t

a front pillar. "Did the school hire a new mai

"It looks like they dug it out of a pack scr

el small. My eyes stung. The shame of a lifetime of being treated like dirt rose into my throat

had survived beatings from pack enforcers who thought orphans felt no pain

the way,

ut through the hall. It was

ped back fast, as if they had done it

as crisp and jet black, with real silver thread, and it fit her like a second skin. Her hair was pale pla

ir broad shoulders and thick necks showed they were high-

the back of the black SUV, the one who had let

r of High Council Elder

wet, worn out pant cuffs, my mud-caked boots, and the old

" Maeve said. Her voice was smooth and cruel. She did not lower it. She wanted the wh

Her sharp, expensive floral perf

rr. "Did you wash dishes or sell your body to buy th

ed and crossed their thick arms. They waited for me to drop my hea

he smirk off her pretty, pale face with my bare fists. But I knew the rules

id not

forward. I stopped

ed for a moment. I ha

did not bend. I did not lower my head. I did not flinch. I let her s

eady, and it carried through the silent hall. "If you ever splash mu

d gasped

atches, furious red. No low-born shifter, and certainl

ious growl. Her pupils widened and her wolf energy flared. A hard wave of

gh. My knees buckled a little under the weight of her noble blood. But I lock

avy metal thud rang out from the rai

s the broadsword iron cov

ain. My breath made a faint w

is e

But it carried such total authority

ut her mouth and stepped back with a stiff, angry curtsy. He

ad to the fron

tors beside him. His dark slate-brown hair was neat. His jaw was set

med off the granite walls like thunder. "You are here to be forged into weapons. Weakness will not be to

. They passed over the rich heirs and o

They did not blink. I could not read

y face, "the official evaluation begins. You will be tested in blood,

slowly down the center aisle toward me. The

he light from the silver chandelier and put me in his shadow. He smelled o

ly. His voice was low and gravelly,

aid. I kept my voice

eath brushed my cheek. His eyes dropped to my collarbone. He wa

rmured, so quietly that only I could hear. "As your Com

own at me with open hostilit

the whole room could hear. "Starting at 5:00 AM tomorrow, you w

eel-blue eyes burned with

t my ear. "Three days before I break you so completely tha