oward the window, then I tu

uarters. She's

he kind of stillness that comes

ion the guards. No exit

ter," Eno

ll pick a size dress. I paused. Thought for a while, continued with a more

ch

, the command a little sharper. "We're not dragging this out.

ot runni

t flinch. "

how he knew. Enoch wa

oo

eptible gesture that tells me

eaves. The doo

ed behind him, I whi

she run

nswered with a qu

f she

-

glass, hands sunk deep in pockets, eyes tracing movement below. The estate looks like a kingdom o

egists. Wolves in wedding dresses. All preened and primed, waitin

't see t

resence. Heavy, contained.

r click

the

all dressed out. No tie. No softness. Only the

nothing

s standing over the window together, watching the

finally, low-pitched. Gravel

ng will see you gutted.

ess of this," he continues. "To

've got neith

omething that might be prid

e says, turning to face me

if something that was intended for

," he goes on. "You cho

s meeting his. "Di

he says. "You just

nce between u

t just a son. You're not just Alpha. You become the

od

my shoulder - heavy, quick- a

e cuff of m

almos

ing feel

d to a stop l

ery step hanging in front. I glanced at my own face in tinted g

ame

nto an excess cathedral - imported white marble pillars for the occasion, silk flags suspended between

orchestral, staged. Too beautiful to be

at the surface but not at my core. They did not desire Dante

en I s

lo family

ogant smile as if sewn on his face. Her mother held a silver purse h

ged cows in a marketplace. A legacy

ove

er, waiting for the pomp to begin. Every seat was filled by the powerful, the feared, the beautiful and brutal.

ing calm, the wolf within me coiled like a s

sic sh

sh of silence

was

within recognized that it

de was

od so quiet. Not even

white-gold light from stained glass. Music wafted through the air-an ele

to shatter a bone. I stood at the altar, j

th

ente

br

like a ghost trying to betractive. Her step was practiced, lovely, the

tep forward, my stomach respond

g was no

ne stuff, but too transpar

a l

eno

t did n

ecoi

s not

. Each step she took closer cau

s. Not the same mouth slant. The picture in the file was sti

o

asn'

ven c

he occasion. But then I saw them-Stella's parents. Front row S

am with pride. They s

nt, that unmistakable, unavoidab

me wasn't Ste

't even

as h

ma

e, twice, harder and harder. A growl rumbled at the back

is t