ed, her une

pha

ea

mmand, leaving no

didn't

must be terrified..." Her voice cracked. "I'm not asking fo

... let me

s was the only person in t

silence, his eyes

otice, unaffected by the shift in

rade her comfort for a freezin

she murmured again. "Show

aded into t

ady suffere

orehead to the cold floor, begging to

fate, but at least the girl wouldn

s been terrifi

the door cut thro

said, his vo

s tears, her desperate account of Iris's

lp

king to Hanna, who was kneeli

it?" Ca

st consci

wn creased

she won't last the night," Jace

nce who he was

Alpha, I beg you... she's done nothing! She d

to strike her forehead again

her with a

e massacred infants? The women her father vio

h rage. "They had d

er body trembling, but she did

e?" Jace pressed on. "Lettin

them going was the hope Cane offered. Without him,

Not the children. Not

eon," Cane ordered sudde

t rigid.

him lower his voice, his ja

dded, his voice dangerously calm,

rms, his gaze lo

her throat. She didn't dare move, terrified that the sl

three days, I want her ready. I d

silenc

e sleeping

but he didn't protest further. As long as the

suffering. His death had been too swift to quench their resentment. Hi

urmured, her throat tight wit

not, Iris would be forc

e made bile rise

.

, sinking into darkness only t

the next, a bone-deep chill would seize her. Every

d Hanna's face, but it

ut on cold stone, swallowed by darkness. Not here.

me? I'm here... right bes

was spinning too fast to understand. Her eyelids fe

third day that she t

ntly wiping her fac

ght streamed through an open window, bathing the room in a gentle glow. T

see her awake. Her hands flew to her

. Han

hand, her fingers b

d, moving her lips slowly and cl

e touched Iris

ing? You're

hoarse, barely a

tly shook

awake. I'm

ow, deliberate move

want t

a faint nod.

t you so

her. Her friend was conscious. But the re

day she had to pre

kness would mean

omised, forcing a smile befo

found herself face-to-face with an e

is t

nd opening it. The contents mad

s," the woman said cooll

Hanna into the room, but

d, horrified. "She can't

woman gave

no longer an A

er voice dripping with ice, sh

he woman's face, but then recogni

ad once shared the

efore her now was a dif

grime, was now clean and luminous. Her black hair was swept into a caref

" Hanna repeated, her