ealize I'd reached the riverbend until the clearing opened before me.

wn by random pack house members. I couldn't afford

knew that because every year, Alpha Joe oversaw a cens

t one. The rest of the supernatural world existed in the background of my life, distant,

into the fabric until my arms trembled. As anger

lently and a sharp, splitting pain ignited across my forehead like a migraine.

to the house, the sun was r

of Alpha Joe. Confused, I pushed open the door.

," I m

for you all afterno

I was doing laundry

he echoed

uch a clean freak. She complains the washing

d in unde

It's custom for the Alpha to bless you and pray that Aeryna's

Alpha remembered my birt

, Alpha,"

must be starving

I dropped the bags by the door and took the empty seat besid

, pancakes, pasta, and fruits. I

ed in a cloying voice. "Don't be shy.

nly-veiled insult. Less than eight hours left, I reminded myself. I could endu

at mark on your forehea

my forehea

ark?" I

small red m

from when i bumped into

ed, acce

s. Levon played on his phone and Ama chirped in now and then.

sky was parting, revealing

ploded under my skin. I

egun," Jo

and detached like he was issuing orders to a stranger. "Tak

but he had also never stopped it. His

, I o

irst scream tore from my throat. The air howled with the rising wind. Storm clouds gathered,and lightnin

d angles. The pain was so agonizing all I could do was lay there as tears slipped from my eyes, powerless aga

ed under the rain, with champagne hues dancing across the sleek coat. The ti

I could smell, see, hear, an

ould see it all. I howled wildly to the red moon. Then

zen, staring at me lik

," Ama w

Vargos edged forward carefully,

forward, and the

ity is this?"

aken you, child,

as wrong? Why were they

ght sight of mys

od ran

what startled me. On my forehead, a third eye sat. Its socket was black

egister it before dark