Valeri

My inner wolf whimpered, a low, mournful sound of a creature yearning for a mate who despised her very existence. The b

d met Ryker's blazing golden eyes. The softness I had tried to show them was gone, burned awa

but carrying a strange new weight. "Because nothing

he room. "So I

r pack ceremonies. Tucked into the sash of my tunic was a small, ornate dagge

r hands flying to their own weapo

oss the palm of my left hand. The pain was sharp, immediate. Dark r

not taken lightly. It was the prelude to a blood oath,

ld, smooth surface of the ceremonial stone. I

th power I didn't know I possessed, "do swear by my

utterly silen

n the truth of what happened in the Bloodfang Ter

e swallowed. This was more tha

o be your Luna..." I paused, letting the weight of my next words settle. "Then one month from tonight, on the

severing of the mate bond. For a mate, especially a Luna, to initiate it willingly... it was unheard of. It was suicide of the soul.

plan was to kill me, to endure the backlash of a broken bond. I was offering them a

he blood loss and emotional strain took their toll. "One month

ed on my feet. I saw Zane take an instinctive step tow

of food and took the most prized offering: the heart of a wild boar.

leeding hand held away from the

my voice hoarse. "Until you make yo

he power, the authority, th

in his eyes was warring with a profound, earth-shattering confusion. A trap? A trick? What kin

came up and took

. Not of me, but of the te

The tension finally snapped. My strength gave out completel

was a flash of movement-several figures lunging t