r

l Dr

ing before me, unable to

ycan

kingdom. The man every Alpha fea

just called

de no

g my mate was still fresh, and now another man was stand

hands agai

s can't

s narrowed

an't be

ing me yo

, he studied my face, then looked dow

t those

he guards stan

ey

ove

e cuffs. The moment the silver fell away, I rubbed

not

try to tou

hurt?"

gh my ankle was throbbing

t to g

ression

is your

outh, but no

wn. Yet my father had abandoned me, my stepsister ha

where el

to understan

ent yo

allo

arius Bl

s behind him curse

calm, but something

hy

hed bi

u money, and he decided I

est fel

rriors stop

tared

you to sett

odd

o reason to keep me. I tried to escape, but hi

shook a

but I never agreed to any of this. I

jaw tig

ought he would bec

urned toward

his carriage. I want every s

Your M

essage to Bla

rrior

ld the mes

at me befo

led through the proper channels. He has no au

lin

ng to accept

but it disappeared when

oming to m

eart

hy

and I won't leave you in the middle of a

ke care o

ed to my ble

n see

se to m

elpless. I might not have a wolf, but that didn't

will you let me lea

went

as if no one had ever dared to

, he an

ne is holding you against

s face, looki

't fin

id. "But I am not agre

flickered

't ask

er surpr

certainly would have been. He had always e

aside, allowing me roo

you w

es

my injured foot touched the gro

tum

my arm bef

me, and a strange warmt

oment, the worl

gave a ha

froze

ghtly around my arm befor

l rose fro

red a

was

oked

thi

t sound lik

returne

carriage has room for both o

ned toward the royal carriag

to ignore the strange feelin

g was ha

idn't kn

-

the palace to

p. He hadn't spoken much since we left the forest, bu

me uncom

ouldn't take

u keep sta

es from the docu

m

es

he docum

rying to unders

ha

olf recog

eath

r wo

ed back i

ars. He has never reacted to a

down at

it's a

rha

so calm that I

g to insist that

N

lin

y n

not give me the right

e Darius rejected me, I

ed out th

me, we will discover the truth. Until

to beli

ius once too, and look

kept

nally stopped, I lea

th fel

alls, and silver banners hung from the balconies. Guards lined

n't just

nter of the e

and Kael stepped out fir

ed before

hed the ground, the gua

Maje

ve a sm

attention s

red at my face for so long

s it?"

y lowered

ng, my

the fear o

ew he wa

oticed

recogn

ard st

our Ma

are you

n bowe

polo

or another moment

stern guest chambers. Sen

row

need a p

le needs

n man

ave me

the physician afte

ost l

ike Darius, but there was

't threat

fusing to let me

ervant through t

nside, I felt dozens o

lowed us dow

is

king bring

. Is she from one of

up, pretending

m my own pack. A few wh

om with a bed, a fireplace, and ta

dy," she said. "The physi

ed tow

don't cal

oked c

ould I c

is f

d before

window and looked

standing somewhere no one knew me as

could st

ver who I was without Darius

terrupted

me

medical bag. His gray hair was neatly combe

bow

Doctor Edmund, th

the edge

e, jus

xamining my ankle and clea

asked me to remove my pendant so h

sita

my mot

only need to ex

ed the chain

left my skin, the phy

ace c

symbol, then at the faint

s it?"

dn't

r and examined the mark

le," he w

ach tig

s impos

as if he had j

you get thi

er gave

was he

ra V

ian stumbl

ipped from his han

ed to

wrong wi

rd the door, t

y he

op him, he rushed

re, staring

had h

mother's name

later, the doo

ith the physic

xpression wa

I need you to answ

ded m

my mo

es sha

id you

ically ran away when

a glance with

looked

isappeared twe

began t

you kn

appears in a roy

red a

nvestig

k a slow

struction of an ancie

emed to til

r the pendan

hat have to

answered i

spoke, his voice ba

ty, there i

rned to

y i

cian swal

ld have died tw

ghtened aroun

physician to Kae

you talk

loser, his eye

. Someone has spent twenty years beli

pau

ey know you