a's

through the dining ha

smooth stone floor, pooling at my feet. I stood there frozen, my eyes o

nough for the entire room to hear. He

ll expected me to. My fingers shook as I reached for the cloth, soaking

t me. He had all n

The broken girl everyone stepped around...

gainst the floor. She slammed her hand into the back of my h

e hall we

lifting her glass in a mock toas

my thoughts. My wolf stirred inside me... not fully awake, not yet... but

membering, a

udly against the f

asps rang through the hall like thunderclaps. Her head turned. For

, her smirk wea

was steel. "Y

d, her smile curling at the edges aga

burned straight through Celeste, and then... finally... shifted

caught. There was something i

Regret. Real. Raw. Reg

ak, as if the sound of his voice had cut her deeper than Celeste eve

pearance burned like poison. Alpha Marcus didn't speak, ei

was the reason. I didn't stay

the woods, where the moonlight streamed down th

e into my arms. Finally, I let the tears fal

veryt

w empty I felt. For the rejection that still thr

d. Not even a little. "Layla?

eyes quickl

rapped in brown cloth. Her face was serious. "You go

confused. "

ly. I caught it before the guards did. You nee

ed three times, sealed with black wax and stamped with a crooke

You don't belong there.

Thorn, B

ammed again

ries of their Alpha, a guy who ruled through blood and respect. An

e write to

a low voice. Ivy crouched beside

e finger. "Why would a Bloodfang heir send you a personal message? It must be tied

even know if I could trust them, but deep in my chest, my wol

ity. H

s changing." She nodded slowly. "It al

nds until my fingers were sore. My mind sp

e? And why did my wolf feel more

lipping into the woods without a sound. I didn't know whe

Sage first found me. Where the trees

id the letter out in the moonlig

ound, and yet... I felt

stance, a wolf howled. Not one

g... or maybe... a calling. I pressed m

earth, and suddenly, I knew: this

about pain or r

rest. In fact, everyone tried to bury

ver it was... it wasn't goi

word had spread. Celes

ipping through his fingers, and Kade... Kade looked

Not anymore. I woke up