na's

the wet silk of my gown until the ache reached bone.

n through the powder on my face. Every eye in the hall was o

rk under the light. I smoothed my palms against the

hand. Juvien was awake, close to the surfa

rest, running barefoot through summer grass, Lucas laug

voice came out bar

came into view, unhurried, the wine in her glass sloshing near the rim without spilling. Sh

nder my jaw and pull

f her mouth twitched

one splash and soaked through the thin fabric. The sound tha

noble near the front and

Alpha Lucas would choose you? A fated mate?" She giggled. "You're a

ooked past her shoulder toward the dais. Lucas stood there with his

I kept my voice sharp. "Keep your mate. I h

the space between us fast, too fast, and hit the marb

. Servants stood mid

elbow, eyes going wide and wet

he scr

exactly the right moment. "She hates m

umph on her face before

and in that same moment, the bond between

ough that the lower-ranked wolves bowed their heads witho

ntler with her in that one motion than he'd

d always protect me. Now he stood beside the person who want

rthless omega," someone

side of the future Luna

"I get it. You hate me. I'm accept

t get t

loor as she stepped forward,

you planning to finish the job? Weak

to see which way this would go. I wanted to lu

cross my cheek and my head snapped sideways, hard enough that bl

ly I had to curl them into fis

ind her manners?" Morrigan's v

e crowd, to anyone but me. "She will perform every duty assigned to her

r on the dais without looking back. Ivy wa

on, Sienna," he called over his shou

to him and pitched

eyes still on me. "She's my sister. I know she res

nce more, the

d couldn't. The broken bond hurt somewhere deep in my ch

enough to leave marks. I locked

satisfied. I kept my head up un

e passed before Adrian'

! To the

rted slow, then built, until it sounded like the w

r my ruined gown. I couldn't stop thinking about Lucas's hands, how they used to hold me, how

st servant's voice was flat and bored. "Yo

the second one

th rot. Mildew hit me the second it opened, thick enough that I had to breathe through my mou

self, then turned around and laughed again, louder

ed back. They left without another word, their foot

he floor. My eyes burned but the tears wo

ve. Old crates were stacked against one wall, and a single bare bulb hung from the ceiling, dead. A broom leaned agains

ction came back in pieces, a stranger staring at me. Her cheek was swollen and red. Her gown was reduced

. My hair lifted on its own, and the moon mark

is comin

ce was stead

to name yet in case naming it made it worse. I looked at my own e

rely carried. "Rejection kills the so

as the on

ent dark before I hit the thin, l