Chasing Adrianna

er arms bound tightly with coarse rope that dug into her skin. Her captors, the rogue hunters, spoke little, their attention fixed on their crude, f

ad been futile. One of the hunters had struck her across the face with the hilt of his blade, and she had fallen to the ground, dazed

," the leader of the hunters had sna

l of the forests, the child who had once run with the wind beneath her feet and

e scent lingered in the air like a distant thunderstorm. Adrianna had heard of t

to expect from these wolves, but she knew they were no strangers to cruelty. She had seen the marks on the other slaves-the ones who

ad heard t

ence could silence a room. He ruled with an iron fist, his reputation built on ruthlessness, his disdain for rogues as sharp

he was in

e itself had absorbed the bitterness of its ruler. There were no welcoming scents here-no

marched her through the heart of the pack's territory, their movements tense, like nervous animals in the presence of a predator. The wolves who patrolled the com

ors-how Dominus had obliterated entire packs, how he didn't care for those who were weak, who didn't fit the rigid lines of his world. She was a rogue. She had been a rogue sinc

ing darker-an underlying malice that sent chills down her spine. She was nothing m

d by time or warmth. A place meant to impose, to command. Two guards stood at the door, their eyes flicking over Adrianna as

s. A long table stretched down the center of the room, filled with silent figures. They all had one thing in common:

fur of his wolf form, though his eyes were sharp and human, his sharp, angular features were as cold as the steel-gray

na as she was brought before him, a look of mild curiosity flickering in his dark eyes. It lasted only a moment be

the cold stone. She could feel the eyes of the pack upon her-gaze after gaze, sharp and predatory. So

ak her gaze, even though every inch

ack as the night, and they seemed to pierce right through her, stripping her bare, exposing her weaknesses before she even

voice finally commanded, one of the Enfo

's territory. The buildings ahead were crude but sturdy-nothing like the village she'd grown up in, nothing like the sa

. He clamped a heavy chain around her

long journey, but she stood tall, forcing hers

echoed in the silence, settling in the pit of her stomach

at

to. And yet, a single thought lingere

rvi

came, when she found her chance, she would escape. She would find

s around her ankle and the quiet hum o

-

She learned quickly that the pack kept their slaves under tight control-no one spoke unless spoken to, no one made noise unless it was ordered. Any sign of rebellion,

t, kept her distance, and studied her surroundings. Every inch of this place, every move

ll, imposing, with deep, almost black eyes that scanned her with a coldness that sent a chill down her sp

rowl, but there was something

plied, her voice h

ving her. "You will learn your place

" Adrianna retorted befor

ile. "Good," he said, and for the briefest of moments, she saw som

anna felt a surge of something-fear or hop

, she felt a flicker of def

them regret und