Vance'

e next morning. It wasn't happiness, not even close, but it was a sense of purpose. A

ll, where a regal, sharp-featured w

ou

er's mother, the pack's former Luna. She sat on a plush velvet sofa, sipping tea, a picture of

ead respectfully. "Goo

arp and critical. "Don't call me Luna. I wouldn't want to be associated

and shameful, but I kep

d me with a trembling hand, holding a

a smile playing on her lips that di

vigilant, snarled a warning in my mind. Wolfsbane. Not enough to kill, but

. "Thank you, but

steel. To defy her was to defy the A

elpless wave. Mira watched me, leaning back into the cushions, her expressio

ed down your throat?

ve of dizziness and weakness washed over me almost instantly. I fought back the urge to gag, placing the empty cup back on the tray with a steady hand. I wou

have the constitution of a sewer rat, I'll give you that," she said dismissively. "Remember your

with the effort o

out of m

a creeping vine, wrapping around my limbs, but I would not falter. Not here. I cou