the night m

ind me what happened to people who got comfortable. Who stopped watching

believ

p until

that wasn't mine staring back at me. It took three seconds to remember where I was. Those three seconds were the

at

ls of my hands

ath

ravon compound. Nobody is bre

until my hea

eam was pointless, and went looking for somethi

e library

tal map of the compound. It wasn't. It was floor to ceiling books, two worn chairs angled towar

d in the

from the book

d at eac

" I said. Not a

ed the book.

dre

ally - just recognition. The nod of someone who also knew what

om. At the other c

stinct I had said

in the ot

d shifted and filled the silence with something that wasn't quite sound. Outsid

ave been un

was

s the p

Quietly. Like he'd weighed wheth

t my voice flat. "

ld wer

xte

or a moment. "

ly. But he wanted my father's bloodline gone and my mother was the last thread connecting me to it." I l

le

as the plan apparently. She had it worked out." My

have run

ly on the thing I'd never l

" I

ew you," he

to look

ads and softened their eyes and said I'm so sorry in the voice that was really about their

in. "And she made the only

hing I didn't give

back at

cause redirecting was sur

. The way pack members spoke about the previou

ickness. Not a fight." A pause.

Alphas

aughed too much. Terrible at paperwork." The ghost of the almost-smile, different this time - the kind that came f

self almos

mo

othing like

s. "He wasn't. I was the serious one

our mo

was built over a long time. "She wasn't built for pack life. M

ou got

ntua

sed to have a father who laughed too much and found his serious son funny. Who taught himself not to blame the person who lef

ere lay

stop looking

many books?" I sai

ike he'd forgotten about the

ha

he said. Like he hadn't me

time it

hat much responsibility, every decision landing on wolves who depended on you to get

as the only ti

you read?

ide him and he

rward to se

et

ked a

k without apo

ed my lips togethe

y i

eads poetry at fo

t like it tasted stale. "I'

ne else

they built in their heads." He set the boo

ut genuine - no edge to it, no strategy. Just ho

at me for

guring that o

ressed against the walls. Somewhere dee

il the dark outside the w

us mentione

eath everything, that pull I refused to name, tha

stood to go he

ar

top

he said. "It doesn't go

new that. I didn't as

st n

d ups

into

I didn't d