na

on; it was a predator, tearing

hands shaking violently as he adjusted the screami

t, the salt of sweat and tears sti

athetic flicker of hope, thinking maybe

ked ill at ease, holding a clipboard lik

y avoiding my gaze. "It's a liability waiver for the m

hat scraped my throat. "Liability? I'm

rcus mumbled, his voice barely au

one?"

He just held out the c

in my grip. But I didn't sign the waiver. Instead, I reached into my

elope. The one I had

I gasped, shoving th

t is

d," I w

hrough the haze, I heard the commotion outside in th

e cheered. "Victoria

applause. Joy

oom, bleeding onto indu

nails digging into his skin hard enou

flict warring with pity in his eyes. Finally, his wolf

" I rasped, the ancient words tasting like ash in my mouth. "I

y. A physical pressure released from my c

Elena Sterling. Not L

cus said quietly, taking the paper wit

ere in seven

"BP is crashing! S

es. The sounds of the celebration down

t the man who once put a jacket over my shoulders by

ove me? I asked

kness swallo

room was silent. T

s al

t lighter

se. She was wiping

ked, my voice a

ping. She didn

ything," she said. Her voice w

sed m

n?" I

the new hei

against t

"Because he doesn't

ble. My fingers were numb, but I dialed t

when the lin

for a heartbeat

e ge