smelled l

Dried. Hidden. Something the eart

ses stretched thin. Every night, Gonzalo sent her on patrols. Not b

nzalo had said. "Some of the younger wo

ons abo

why you're alw

e I ear

e I all

g, but she bit the

er bones ached for rest, but she wouldn

s, things we

sideways glances at the gatherings, wolves wh

way. The healer had grow

ak more freely,"

you Luna," Nyssa replied. "No

e didn't wa

nted a

hold, Gonzalo's claimed land, ringe

le: Adrian, his Beta, and two enforcers whose names Liora

g?" Gonz

t I saw tracks. West ridge.

ssi

gage. Not wi

n do you n

d. But his eyes sparkled like

s throat. "We sho

ok at him. He kep

iscuss i

o something no

. Even the w

forward. The oth

our tone

g to me like I'm o

her wrist. Not hard enough to

get who

orget who stood beside yo

e. Then his g

end two wolves to the w

and left. The

iora r

't speak for

y're starting to quest

ve them

not my

racked, jus

," she w

e not

ke claws t

what

dn't

idn't

hern den, tending to a wounded

y i

breaki

need

you. There's

nelt be

k he'll ever

a pa

ou already

wn beside her

lieve

er of wolves like him. They don't nee

hed me like

es sweet if you'v

n't return to Gonzalo

ay. Bu

bled into the soil. Where no pack claimed t

ed down an

ike frozen water. She ran for hours. Until the pain in h

wasn't Liora. Just a creat

fall. Alone. Her chest heaved with breath, no

. She howled once low, guttural, sorrow

rned, the pac

called. One she had

y through the cro

d Gonzalo. And bes

r. Regal

Gonzalo said. "Daughter

a fr

s an ambassador. And st

was a

r n

lood turn

at her side. "N

urpose here?"

whispered. "Or mar

aced his hand lightly on Vanya's

sn't ha

dy is," N

nted him t

dn't te

e of your

I was you

dier. My blade

racked. "I

I let

acked

u'll reg

brow. "Is th

A pro

ray me ove

rayed me

aved

you're discarding me f

r. "You're forge

lly rememberi

ambers with fir

spark ha

sn't his

happened when you played with