Thorn

r of the Packhouse's great hall. A dull, aching pain throbbed in

a spectacle, a monster. I could feel their fear, their

is small face streaked with tears as he tried to fight his way to

judgment. When he spoke, his voice wasn't just heard; it was felt. The power of

Moon Goddess made

plummeted.

front of me, forcing me to crane my neck to look up at him. "Evelyn Thorne," he began, his voice laced with

illustration of how far I had fallen. He was making an example of me, reinforcing

ething* deep inside me, a coiled, dormant presence. But I ha

l. The word 'unlucky' and 'bad

r-bound book of pack law. His voice was devoid of emotion. "One who cannot shi

er friend, with the cold satisfaction of a predator. Beside the Alpha, Desmond stood rigid, his fac

ady fractured,

n at me, his eyes cold and hard as granite. His verdict, delivered

ood, declare Evelyn Tho

al weight, crushing t

is stripped of all honors and provisions due to a warrior's orphan. She is to be re-r

the low. A servant. A

wned out by murmurs of approval. It was a practical solution. Th

ha's. The tears I expected to fall never came.

t it cut through the silence. "Wha

nly thing th

ing at his feet. "He will remain in the care of the pack until his own shifting cerem

the air between us. Ren's fa

, a real chance to grow up safe, I had to swall

ission tearing at what was left of m

dded once, then turned his gaze toward the head of the ho

, lumbered forward. She grabbed my arm in a painfully tight gri

ly met my eyes. For a fraction of a second, I saw a flash of anguish, of regr

e sound echoing like the closing of a tomb. It locked me out of