lle'

did not stop

pine, three days of w

and roses. Even when they hated me, it

ckridge warrior-never spoke t

g my mother's herb book to my chest, watchi

dying Alpha would be kind. Maybe he was old and tire

ehind her hand, no Valeria smiling in triumph. Maybe

es grew taller and thicker, snow grew deeper, and th

a frozen river. The ice was b

s mist inside the carriage. My torn dress was to

my mother's book

ood is n

ere the only w

was my mother. "What do I do? What if he h

d its howling through the black p

pped. I thought we were resting, but the

n

oo

e had said to me in three

ow open, my fingers num

w-black stone a

ridge

Keep. It w

gged like teeth against the grey sky. No gold, n

nd, with crows circling

pen like a mouth

dropped t

rcrest. This was cold, so co

wn into the valley where the

r, howling so loudly I thought

ide was my mother's book and all I owned i

ived cold storage, you survived Elara's laugh, an

t bre

with a boom that shook snow off the pin

re in

s. Warriors in black leather stared at the carriage, but no

the

er opene

ut

ord a

to stand, my legs numb after three days of sitting. My dress wa

ain doors of t

topped for

ame

t of Bla

Black

poison rotted his veins, that he coughed blood at night, that he

true, and they

heavy black cloak, even though he looked too thin b

, loose and messy like he hadn't both

perfect skin, but pale like death, like s

. Black veins, like silver poison was crawling up hi

e he was blind, but because his left leg could barely hold him. I c

is ey

lackthorn blood. But colder, much, much colder, l

fused to

riage, at the snow, at the crows, like I

eads low when he appeared,

way Valeria taught Elara for Alphas. My frozen kn

the howling wind, so small. "I... I am Arie

le

now blew into my eyes. He didn't

xpected. I thought being ignored would be be

s wr

rse. Laughter at leas

y, he

ld, and tired, like each word hurt

the wolfless o

the snow bur

ears freezing before

es still fixed on the snow beyond me, not looking at

froze on

he black stone, he was already lea

fore I could stop mys

id not turn, his

No welcome, no surprise, no kindness. "Under t

d back into t

Tap

is left leg dragging just slightly,

rs clos

utching my mother's herb book, with snow f

would have to marry a dying Alp

ep in a Keep made of bla