ene
ay from eighteen years of quiet desperation. For the first time, I felt the weight on my sh
. "The sanatorium is peaceful, Mother. You c
e and love washing over me. She was so strong. My strong, bril
dn't
y the roar of several more. Our car jolted to a halt. I
antly alert, h
by a handful of personal guards-not the full contingent that had been dispatched to the far edge of the territo
hunted
e didn't even seem to see Elois. "Get out,"
grained fear making me tremble. But Elois mov
y to you, Father," she said
e of his will. "Adriene Lara! I am your Alpha and your mate! I command you t
s were bound to obey. I felt the pull of it, a sickening tug on my very soul. But for the
th I never knew I possessed. "No, Craig," I whispered, the word
face inches from mine. His breath was hot and smelled of sour wine. "Do you think you ca
er your mate?" Elois's voic
evering the bond is so simple?" He laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. Then
ou want to sever the
the Pack. A new one. And you will provide an annual stipend for the rest of your life. If you refuse,
od ran
e woman cast out by her Alpha. And your children... your precious Elois and Columbus... their mot
gu
thing. Hunted, reviled, without protection or status. He w
, but the person behind it was a stranger, a monster. Every tender memory, every hopef
nd mistook it for surrender. A t
t. "Return with the money, or prepare t
k to his own vehicle. He and his men sped a
ent. I felt nothing. A vast, cold
body. "Don't be afraid, Mother," she murmured into
leaned against my daughter, my protector, my only hope. After a lo
aid, "I regr
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