Thor

silence, a heavy, expectant stillness that was somehow more terrifying than the relentless m

wind followed, carrying with it the scent of pine, damp stone, and som

arsh voice

y took in our surroundings. I followed them, my movements more measured, and when

he gates of

n mountain like a great, brooding predator. Jagged towers clawed at the bruised, overcast heavens, and a constant, swirling mist clung to its base, ob

, but I pushed it down. I would not let this pl

fortress, approached us. Their leader, a tall man with a grim, scarred f

st, and made a mark on his list. Then his eyes fell on me. He stopped. His g

isbelief in his voice. "Daughter of A

Alpha-born were precious. They were commanders, Lunas, the fu

red at me with newfound curiosity. My name, m

ut wavering. "My name is Elara," I answered, my

ain, travel-worn clothes, and the defiant set of my jaw. A flicker

ontemptuous huff. "A wolfless outcast, then. Figures."

liar, dismissive scorn. A wolfless Alpha-born wasn't a tragic mystery; she was a defective prod

. Their opinions

the image of a snarling, demonic wolf head. With a deafening shriek of protesting metal, the gate bega

onger this time. It was the smell of a slaughterhouse. The other two girls screamed

mpatiently. "Move it! The King d

the gray daylight into the flickering, orange gloom o

inal boom. The sound reverberated through my bones, seve

y move. I could feel the weight of their gazes-predatory, assessing, hungry. I kept my chin up and my eyes fixed forward. To show fear here

s waiting for us there. She was dressed in a severe, high-collared gown, and her face was a mask o

one respectful. "The new

d companions, dismissing them instantly. Then her gaze landed on me, and for the first time, her express

already trying to figure out w