i

or me the n

ning. N

or outside and the clipped footsteps

ipped bowl when my stepmother

're h

was

goo

ood

'll mi

same tone she used when L

ching the box, milk halfway poured, my stomach

ions. What would h

a anymore; I was a transaction. A servic

d from school-and walked out the

t's what it

something an

anyone st

My father was in the garage, pretending t

ed from the kitchen window w

eyes hidden behind dark glasses, even though the sun hadn't

wor

imbe

nd me, and with it, the la

ride was

ne s

mus

gine and the occasional cr

e road twisted strangely, doubling back and narrowing

- or nightmare. I couldn't

The mark was quiet again, like i

I was

ow I

laced by a dirt path winding through a thick forest. Mist clung to the

n we st

gate with glowing silver runes carved into i

s flared

slowly, like they had

the Drame

changed

Sharper

against my skin - like th

istance, half-hidden by tal

structure that looked both ancient and too modern for the wor

ll just lo

e p

Two wolves stood guard. Not men. Wolves. Massive, g

or op

. Legs trembl

wearing a long charcoal coat. How eyes swep

"Until further notice, you are not to leave the property. If

odd

iting and walked thr

lowed

, long corridors lined with mirrors and moonstone sconces. Every step I took echoe

hallway and ope

was ...

y bed. A fireplace, unlit. Thic

have felt

elt like

orm," the man said. "The Alpha wi

locking the do

re of the room, uns

dn't

no one lef

the window and yan

ar in the distance I could make out the training ground. Wolve

d

Dra

shirtless, commanding a grou

he belonged t

shadow

dn't

I sa

ep and ancient, buried benea

g that w

t watching;