ROS'
g to tear me apar
een snarling nonstop, pacing behind my ribs like a caged animal, cl
FIND
he moon through the tall window. It hung there lookin
led her a monster in front of the whole pack. Banished her. So why did
front of my face. Th
el wire around my soul and was yanking it tighter
into her palms and knees. Worst of all, that last look she gave me right before she disapp
the empty room. My voice sounded thin
words. My mother built her whole life around making sure they never came true. I'm the Alpha. I don't get to gambl
give a damn about
A
so hard I winced and pressed the
MATE. YOU AR
opened before I could s
She glanced around at the wreckage of my room, the chair I'd thrown against the wal
ed into that fa
ng to me when I was ten and had fallen off my horse. "You did the right
I felt it, Mother. The bond snapped into place the second our eyes met. Why didn'
y. The little clink of porcela
hadow Wolf is a parasite. It mimics the mate bond to worm its way
smell of cold herbs and something me
center of my chest where the bond kept throbbi
cup closer. "You haven't slept properly in days. You forgot
osed to keep an Alpha steady, keep the beast from taking the wheel. I wrapped my fingers
hts. The constant screaming in my skull dialed down. My wolf snarled o
lately?" I asked, fr
ith the stress. You know how wild and dangerous your wo
he back of my hand. Her skin
obably already dead out there in the rogu
the silence rushed back in
ally the tea turned everything gray and far away. Tonight the fog wouldn't stick. The
owhere, a spark li
sn't
e finally feels safe enough to let go. Warmth followed it,
happy. W
one drove a knife straight in
with s
raight past the tea's dulling effect. My wolf sur
HE IS NOT
arred male hand brushing hair off her shoulder. A feel
ble and shattered against the stone floor. Th
hecy or not, the bond was winning. I didn't care if she w
g a rogue threat but didn't say a word about my mate. The second I
ing the only thing
deeper into rogue territory. Air turned colder. Shadows
ne. And t
ozone after lightning, dark vanilla smoke. Sharp
g. I slowed, paws sile
ere sh
ows, black fur gleaming like poured ink
w who was sta
My b
was better off forgotten. He was touching her hair. Looking
e burned away the last dregs of
line. My guards fanned out behind me. I didn't feel
d him. Claws slid freom her, Kael
o vibrate under the
ed at
glowing with something dark and ancient. She didn't look at me with hurt, or love,
ropped low, thick with possession. "Eve
, silver flashed as they drew the heav
whole pack feared what I'd become. I just needed the burning
King. And my
soil, pulling the full power o
ed across the clearing like thunder. It wa
or her to collapse under the weight of my
ly. Even Kael buckled, his teeth grind
.She didn't
er fingers like pets. A small, mocking smile curved her li
n't just dro
ders from you an
and it froze the ve
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