ra

wn from the walls, their painted eyes seeming to follow my every move. My father, his expression kind but firm. My mother, her smil

felt less like a statement and more like armor. Clara trailed a few pac

ing to the grand staircase,

mach c

And J

forward, her face a perfect mask of sisterly affection, and grabbed my arm. "I

soned wine into my hand flashed through my mind, so vivid I could almos

t lazy movement, I pulle

The brilliant smile on Karla's face faltered, a flic

ome, I had once thought, with his carefully styled blond hair and earnest blue eyes. Now, all I saw

d poison. "Congratulations on the auspicious arri

a physical blow. I remembered that same hand, that same ring, as he stood over me in the ashes of my home. He had

a wild beast clawing to be free. It took

ng over him as if he were a mild

d, my voice cool and distant.

. Her lower lip trembled. "Sister, what's wrong? Are you upset b

t carrying an undercurrent of pride. She was showing him off, show

e. Please, help me convince my sister. To be mated to A

my status to elevate Jarrod in the eyes of our p

Karla is only worried for you. The Stonefang Pack is the shield of the borderlands.

in my first life. The same noble sentiments, the same lies, while he s

plant the first

ll attention to my cousin. My voice was qu

o not require the cou

ng in the air bet

sk tightened. A musc

voice high and flustered. "Sister

accepted by our grandmother? Has he been formally welcomed into our pack?" I paused

et, a dalliance they thought no one knew about. It was not official, not sanctioned. In t

es of red and white. She opened

n my eyes. It was a look I had never given him before, a look that stri

ith your own affairs. And while you're at it... please see to my cousin's conduct. I

s a hysterical child in need of his management. I had subtly placed him in charge o

behind a strained smile. He was powerless. I was the former Alp

Amara," he mana

ce him with

waiting maid. "Let's not keep

ht. I didn't need to look back to feel t

ly bewildered by the sudden shift in the cousin wh

isjudged his prey. The coldness in my eyes, the authority in my voi

me not as a stepping s

. Le