IAN'

s before they finally left. The wea

Bitter herbs. Clean linen. Blood

my forearms on my knees and try to

ncil argued somewhere beyond the door.

to require emotional openness. Tha

ment before everything collapsed, she looked ho

failed

ation. But she did not. So why does it feel a

my face and breat

es no

leanly. Permanently. They cut both wol

one d

ll pain, but deep enough to feel wrong. It is the kind of ache t

rembling when I

me more than

nds at the

orvaelis st

ith concern he is t

ully, "the healers say yo

ost l

like my body is pretending to recover w

fine,"

elieve me, an

The room tilts for a second,

he record

together. "The

ed mate bonds. I wan

ates. "T

es

sounds harder

the situation is worse than anyone wants to say. Elders do

on doors carved with old pack marks. It smells like dust, stone, and p

eper sit around the central table as the remaining counci

aside,"

way from the table without a word. I take hi

rejected

uld have

es that ended in rejection and nothing more. A few mention sickness. A few

of them ends

ond s

te rec

ck mov

page until the w

y body still aches, and the bond still

bond remains intact after rejection

is obvious,

p rea

ugh beneath my fingers, its edges brittle with age, the ink faded

ected mate bond fr

same a

exac

h to make the r

ed unusual symptoms. Their scent changed. Their wolves grew unstable. Te

st

cks went to

draws in a slow bre

ook

were months of unrest first. The pair both suffered. Some

eturn to

away, as if someone wanted the rest gone for good. There is

r than the story itself. I read them agai

ase it?

nswers a

ence say

have seen too many times tonight. Not the concern given to a healthy Alp

lis says at last. "Because they did not want

explain the m

says. "It

ng more to see. Just fragments. A warning ab

began changing before the

els too dramatic until I notic

can ask the question alr

has discussed

not l

s not sur

d be removed from the pac

ts my a

ead slowly.

" Nykar

rd lan

nd the safety of

w tig

er sa

ready. Too much like mercy that

the entire pack," I say. "Yo

"We think her scent ma

s not a

nough fo

s hang b

they are r

Of me too. Of whatever is happening be

my chest gives a dull th

here before I th

bone, as though the rejection never finished settling. I can feel the ski

y hand in

recorded th

ughs softly. "No one

d someone

ne m

ot interested in the comforting version of even

varon lowers

y, "if the council acts, the

t stops. Even the torches

part no one wants

t me to

m doing it and take the blame wh

the same bi

cted bond. Bloodshed. Unstable scent. A story

e I feel something in me pull toward the

ri

its my chest like a

uneasily, but n

dragged her away. The way she kept staring at

m. Instead I stood there

and this time the num

y mouth and force

s on purpose. Not to preser

ot kno

one thing f

Saria tonight did not

is, it has only just