ene

ay from eighteen years of quiet desperation. For the first time, I felt the weight on my sh

. "The sanatorium is peaceful, Mother. You c

e and love washing over me. She was so strong. My strong, bril

dn't

y the roar of several more. Our car jolted to a halt. I

antly alert, h

by a handful of personal guards-not the full contingent that had been dispatched to the far edge of the territo

hunted

e didn't even seem to see Elois. "Get out,"

grained fear making me tremble. But Elois mov

y to you, Father," she said

e of his will. "Adriene Lara! I am your Alpha and your mate! I command you t

s were bound to obey. I felt the pull of it, a sickening tug on my very soul. But for the

th I never knew I possessed. "No, Craig," I whispered, the word

face inches from mine. His breath was hot and smelled of sour wine. "Do you think you ca

er your mate?" Elois's voic

evering the bond is so simple?" He laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. Then

ou want to sever the

the Pack. A new one. And you will provide an annual stipend for the rest of your life. If you refuse,

od ran

e woman cast out by her Alpha. And your children... your precious Elois and Columbus... their mot

gu

thing. Hunted, reviled, without protection or status. He w

, but the person behind it was a stranger, a monster. Every tender memory, every hopef

nd mistook it for surrender. A t

t. "Return with the money, or prepare t

k to his own vehicle. He and his men sped a

ent. I felt nothing. A vast, cold

body. "Don't be afraid, Mother," she murmured into

leaned against my daughter, my protector, my only hope. After a lo

aid, "I regr