ella

into the woods, I didn't turn back toward t

mance had to

I scooped up a handful of damp earth and smeared it across my ch

ess alibi. I was attacked by Rogues. I barely e

led to a waterfall at the edge of our territory. The sound of rushing w

cutting through the smel

oppery a

. An Alpha. But this was different, more potent than any I had eve

ainst my ribs. This

trunk of an ancient oak, pee

, dressed in black, his clothes soaked in blood. A gaping wound on hi

him was suffocating. He was a corn

caught in

n Mcco

k. A man who had carved a bloody path through his enemies and nearly seized the Alpha

il

t back into the shadows. My

n

e a thunderclap i

, locked onto mine. A jolt, sharp and electric, shot through me. My in

ree, the next he was on me. A hand like an iron vise closed around

in my vision. I was forced to meet his gaze, a

, intoxicating mix of pine, w

i

from my inner wolf. At the same time, I felt the echo o

s human side was lo

narled, his voice a

voice a strangled rasp.

pain. His grip loosened fractionally. A fli

speration giving me strength. "Rog

the genuine terror in my e

finally taking its toll. Hi

sucking in air. My throat was raw, and I

est heaving. But those piercing blue eyes never left me. He was

is man was a complica

to find myself at the edge of a steep, rocky cl

ator in front of me,

hink about it

assessing the new, terrifying landscape of my plan. This was a variable I h

nd on his chest. My training, the

I said, my voice surprisingly steady. "If you d