Betrayed by Blood and Bond

a's

gs at the worst

om doorway looking at the candles, the good dishes, the card at the centre of

er. The look he gets when the world surprises him g

l this?" Qu

rd my face hurts. "I have som

one step

doorbel

I tell mysel

n the

orstep, and my wolf goes still

ooms like she owns the air inside them...

at smile now. W

ls stealing fruit from our mother's kitchen

her perfume. Familiar in a way

ngerou

aced-

a thousand times and finding it so

against my ribs

wat

ay attenti

do

ow up. Can I come in?

y sister.

eling aside a

cour

what today was, be

r said four words and m

gnant. Cong

silence at

e tests like fragile things, saying noth

d hands... the Beta's mate is ba

at every

wed it e

e to swallow too... rumours, half-heard

breath as the Council. Words like pet

lk I told myse

out directly, because part of me alr

ere had been

mpossibl

he windows down eve

ct... his favourite meal, tall white candles

te card at the ce

a

was t

the d

my house, and my wo

amien acro

e... fast, controlled, gone be

my sister's face since b

w tha

gathering for six years... the sharp si

s at him, like a woman measuring som

myself I was

, Da

oice is easy.

jaw is

he kind only a m

ld turns ove

e sitting room an

middle of the floo

ised smil

ng behind her eyes for a long time

almost l

it, someth

ho has decided she ha

es out softer than I

ks at t

one

self to me

e can no longer hold alone... she raises her han

und. Unmi

orld

so fast I almo

loods

hot points of pain I welcome because they ar

at, the candle flames in the next room eatin

been swallowing since the doorstep... spl

a

y sister's skin. Insi

inside of my cheek

ack just far enough to k

ugh to keep

ho

. Almost

s eye

... the careful kind

second, her

who walked through my

ed into my bed dur

our grandmother's funeral an

once... and something in her e

e with what she's about to do, and she is not

he swa

lders pu

t is

her place is

der, finally remember

s to keep, Nova."

cruelty... the kin

. the bond was irregular. A Beta mated outside the bloodli

recise, like a blade fin

iage. I'm correcting a mistak

year

watching Damien hold negati

closes i

and ab

in a door that wil

ome,

e... just le

ho

go

and stand with my han

low br

are not

cted t

y d

ike candle wax and

own hands for a man who has been

t the card o

... that small, impossibly fast flutter... and how I s

t everything was

orehead agai

seco

yself ex

e candles still burning in the next room, the c

strai

rea

back down

n my own handwriting... and pl

s are stil

od sti

bothered by what just e

ears in th

hat did

ks at my face, a

ou been sleeping

is the longe

flames do

watching the ground open beneat

nto d

nto a

that looks almo

hing underwater for a very long time,

s me more than an

ong, D

e are things you don't know. Things I shou

sto

and over

s eyes are not the e

en outmaneuvered, backed into a corne

dings... they're trying to have the bond declared void.

on

he table and blo

l, delib

room

my name to

minu

ce sharpens... not

ation is about to collapse and

em, who she has been talking to, how long this has been planned. You don't ha

h my keys

t the voice of a m

a man who is afraid

r

rn s

n ta

ns his

buzzes on

otifi

it... but I can see the s

ess

m L

er yet. She'

ir ch

hing c

k at

oks a

t clearly... not a guilty man, not

errible choice to

that was never his, running out of time to fix

, lis

alk

arning things on oth

be told how much

my own pack to understand wh

to the co

is wid

p. R

hear his voice one last time... low, ur

ght into what they want. Nova... don't go to h

p wal

steps

t told Damien wh

t told

es he alr