ABEL

ir like a whip. "Flog her until she understands the weight of her malice. The

pha's command forced their hands. They grabbed my arms, dragging me towa

o my knees. I kept my eyes locked on Greenwood, watching as

crack that tore through the fabric of my dress and bit into the skin of my back.

lt like a line of liquid fire had been drawn across my shoulders. I bi

hear the wet thud of the leather hitting raw flesh. I could feel the warmth of my o

tony expression, his hand resting on Monica's shoulder

thing was ragged, shallow bursts of air that barely filled my lungs. I wanted to collapse, to let the darkness take me, bu

d forward, my forehead resting against the cold

a great distance. "Dump her in the territory of our enemy Pac

ll home, my feet scraping against the floor. I didn't see the faces of the Pack members watching f

e. The guards didn't speak. They simply turned and walked b

. My body screamed, a symphony of physical and emotional agony. I had nothing. No shoe

ht. If I stay here, the

te-hot pain through my spine. I let out a low, broken moan, but I pushed throug

lt like a knife. My vision was fading, dark spots dancing at the edges of my sight. I clutched

idn't know where I was going; I only kne

p sounded thr

ed into the trunk of the tree inches from my head. The

h to run. I barely had the

ent oaks. He was massive, draped in dark furs and tactical leather, a recurve bow held

cold precision of a predator. He looked at my tattered

l that made the hair on my arms stand up. "Green

two words made me re

ood-Wing Pack. The man who hated Gre

ll at once; forest rain, dark cedar, and s

nish what Greenwood started. But as he reache

spa

to snap into place between us, vibrating with an intensity that made my s

s, normally a calculated grey, bled into a dark, predatory gold. He fe

oice trembling with a s

he world finally gave way to the darkness. As my knees buckled, I

the warmth of his skin ag