lle'

locked on

face t

with

dis

hall wen

ed wolves w

her shining silver dre

his amber eyes up t

to

servant dress, barefoot,

silver hairp

a f

n through

the wolfl

lding a Blackt

he ste

ed purple. The veins

t down here

cut like glas

t, thief? Who gav

to hold the banister. But I

ver said my scent

id my grandmother's

y curved into a c

oke me before

d towar

ootprint on po

tep, drip

ot

eye bu

three feet

n his leather. Close enough

shaking hand. My finge

You said next time you came, you were coming to propose.

le

I heard to

soft, delicate, confu

king about? You came for me, ri

urned

tened like s

r hand and

ack heard. "I came to propose... to Elara Silvercrest. The true Alpha da

ll exp

arriors slamming

BLACKTHORN AN

from my fingers and

e breaki

Tears blurred everything. "I thou

ike I was speakin

he la

sound that wh

s failure who couldn't shift on her twenty-second birthday? A servan

still smiling t

for you. Not once.

t harder th

i

s you left in herb garden? I was bored, that is all. Even a wolfles

warriors, she-wolves, even

ce twisted with rage and sham

self at him in front of Alliance Council? I told you you were

led, slow a

r place, Witch blood always

's chest, fake tears s

d him, that your witch blood stank, that h

s final

bleeding hands while entire pack l

t me, no warmth, n

s, voice bored. "She's staining my proposal h

sed her deeply in front of ev

owled in c

didn't h

with pure disgust a

night, no food, no blanket,

der for a

owest pack. Let someone el

air and dragged me acro

silver hairpin - my promise - crushed un