ak around her shoulders, Liana Elrend stared hard at the tattered note crumpled between her hands. Years of exile in the outside world, but the
neede
peaks of the Vale, the gates rose into view. From this distance, she could just hear the faint growls of wolves pacing the walls. She was
rend." Rough, the edge of his voice was
e forced the grin. She refused to show weak
nside. The courtyard was cold and unwelcoming, as she had remembered, and full of wolves (in human form). Their conve
s she
her fa
dn't let he
he satisfaction of seeing her falter. Her father's betrayal had poisoned her na
n the center of the hall, but none of them seemed happy to see her. Kael Drayve, the new alpha, sat at the head of the table.
tension. "Liana," he said. "I didn'
e and unyielding, drilled into her flesh, holding her there. The roo
nights ago, rogues attacked us." Fifteen dead. Six more are missing. 'You're t
itter, whether that was wh
the table. The pack needs you; that's wh
nt. Liana stared back at Elder Mora, who had pulled her graying hair
suppress the lump rising in her stomach. Do you think I came bac
"Careful." "We allowed
h to cut with a knife. Liana ground her fists at her sides and tried to suppress
ratched, slamming open a door behind him. He panted, "Alpha,
ly and rose to h
looking at Liana. Kael glanced past
," he said. Someone we've heard stori
ack for years of a rogue that survived death and destruction to become something even worse.
icker of something else-unease-i
w him with my own eyes. It's burned, twisted, his face. And
ashed, voices screamed like thunder ab
't figh
through t
at
el's roar. Looking at Liana, he tried t
e pushed down the memories she had buried, threaten
died her. Finally, he dismissed the council with a w
iana's direction. Soon, just Kael and I remained, envelope
tly, "Are you
ad, and quietly said, "No." "Yo
k, or a scowl, or something in b
nded, "Then why let me stay?" "
u can help us stop him
r throat. The Scarred One was too much of a danger to the pack; he was
ainst the table. "We'll start tomorrow.
amber. How had the Scarred One come to power? Why was he going after the
ightened. Ebonhowl Keep's shadows had never seemed
ing somewhere out there.