IA

s threatened to gi

where the shears had torn through my hair. Branches slapped my face and arms as I forced my way deeper into the

She can't h

ine - the minister is

, your heads will

howl. They weren't searching for a missing daugh

ed pieces. The uneven ends of my hair brushed against my neck with every movement, a constant, humiliating reminder of what Seraphina and my parents had done. My b

nees, forehead pressed to the damp earth, gasping. The broken mate bond in my chest throbbed in time with my

t

to my feet and

passed so near that I had to drop flat behind a fallen log and hold my breath. His boots stopped less than ten feet away. I could smell t

a long moment. "Keep moving. She

again and continued in the opposite direction. Every step was pure agony now. My vision bl

e injury boy cau

rt. His breathing was shallow and too fast. An omega pup, no older than seven or eight. Probably caugh

have kept

creased the chance of capture. The minister's name flashed through my mind again, a

y knees beside

wrecked from crying and ex

ore blood welled under my fingers when I

iar warmth stirred under my skin - only this time it came faster, hotter, almost desperate. Soft white light spilled from m

flesh began to knit together under the light. His b

mbling and my entire body even weaker than before. The healing h

He stared up at me wi

time to f

earby - sharp

saw light

gh the trees. Multiple sets.

d tried to drag him with me into thicker cover. My ankle screamed. My vision swam.

followed by two more. Their faces lit with ug

"Send the signal - tell the Bet

re left to go. My arms shook too hard to hold me up. The broken bond in my

stepped forward,

saw th

icious whistle of somethi

k shaft of an arrow was buried in the flesh just below my ribs. Black liquid already

is

faltered for a second in surprise,

alled from the trees. "The minister won't mind a

ing. Fire raced through my veins. My limbs grew heavy. The faces of the gua

rabbled weakl

eper, and the distant, useless throb of the broken mate bond in my chest - as if even in th