oking on ash
ke I'd run for miles. But I wasn't running. I was in a bed. Thin mattress. Threadbare blanket. Peeling paint overh
es. Same
e the ghosts clinging to me. But my h
her's pendant clenched in my fist. My father's last roar echoing in my ears. And then silence. Not th
les. My toes curled. For a second, I let myself stare out the busted
kfang Pack buried my parents in lies and whispered th
ce I became the
d. Like if they ignored me hard enough, I'd s
from training with wolves who thought throwing punches was a good bonding exercise. I di
et. Too quiet. That me
nd stuffed my feet into scuffed boots. The mirror
hat was
es that didn't meet anyone else's.
tention. Not the
all. A pair of betas lounging by the door fell silent as I passed. One snorted. The other muttered some
looked up, I'
meant break
an apple off the counter, ignoring the sharp gaze of Ma
ed prep,"
the apple. Swallowed
dy didn't obey alarms when the p
mph. I slipped out before s
squelched through wet dirt as I headed for the tree line. I needed air. Sp
o my left ca
i
, with a crooked grin and a perpetual bruise on his jaw from picking the
e hell," he s
ank
mare a
dded
I tolerated him. Milo had the g
est and stopped. Mist curled b
the Ceremony to
ople find their mates while I stand in the
never know. Maybe the Moon G
d. "You believe in that stuff
ve some of us get luc
ade my sto
led training like it was war prep, laughed when someone cried, and
also
gib
is name came up tonight. If fate was cruel enough to t
flicker cross my face.
e to go. Nobod
w, they'll say it's becau
y keep feeding you so you'll stay small.
n't a
the only thing that
ick squeeze before jogging off. I stood there for a seco
Dug out the one clean dress I owned. It clung too much. Sho
shadows. The pack gathered in a circle, eyes gleaming with that stran
e edge, arms c
s stepped forward, touching hands.
ey call
ia Th
hifted. A pull in my chest, sharp and sudden.
a
ing. Eyes on me like
dn't b
. Murmurs, gasps
owly. Deliberately. The
d me. Too
linding. Burning. A tether anc
eane
thank
d my ha
he Moon Goddess had this much of a sense
spread l
Alpha Kade of Blackfang,
buckle. My fac
ing inside
. The crowd followed, their gaz
ood
forgotten
ect
me. Somewhere in the w
lized I w
s an