IA'S

N

ves my mouth before

g inside me. Slow a

rops to

rt. One hand slams against the stone floor to keep him upright. His face ha

, I think he is abo

d like something inside

should

emptiness every

ver c

till pulls inside me

so thin it could snap

le too

s. They rush to Darian at once, as i

burns wh

it cr

cry out and grab for it.

oo

ves through

e whispers,

answers, "It s

ath ca

ha

es step fa

is hers st

n't k

dn't be p

ed mark. The silver crescent is

They are looking at me. And at the

from my skin in

behind them. Others cover their noses and stare at

his fingers. For one heartbeat, he looks furious. The next,

mpossible,

till reach

ged, like it cannot understand wha

the crowd again. This t

erous," some

ttle over th

ot one voice say

ho once laughed with my family. Wolves who ate in our home. Wolves who s

though standing besid

ses one hand to the altar to keep himself stan

im from behind bef

rowd

oks terrible,

" another voice says. "This bond is

at the face

ming me for somethin

les in my mind an

ep toward Dar

not lift

Nykaros looks unsettled now, hi

Beta, is the

from the alt

ross the courtyar

e carried me on his sh

ised my father he wou

n look me in

't fair,"

ent, I ca

rds are

One reeks of fear so strong it almost make

," he

im. "What is

s not

n. Stronger this time. I hear a wolf curse under his

the hall," my

land lik

nst the gua

e lis

ts his hea

ther across the noise, and what I

t the look in his eyes is

is

like he knows something is h

hest as the warmth between

till reach

toward somewhere

her

t reaches for me like a

ard it tear

catch me be

pounds in

emory

sked f

of

ks gleam in t

und acro

t place until it

cold from t

atters before

breath and n

am back in that night, with blood thick in the air and shou

flies to

ent there burns again, l

agment sla

wr

e s

escent catches

eath

w tha

't kn

ach the memory,

rips my

ar

s voice t

ntle at all

anymore. He sounds like an o

try to find something

o n

hen to the frightened wolves

er," he s

uards

rom the altar. My feet catch on

ches out t

es a sound

ore I can

s to speak, but his face twists instead, and I can

d jerks

cl

de

me looking and

word. I hate that some part of me st

bites deeper b

p wal

hes in m

y through my chest, tight

inst my ribs, wait

doe

t like th

me and d

s s

omething. It's trying

he courtyard, but I do not

tever it is,

he courtyard

ncil. The staring wolves

econd, something e

sh of

ith dark

it is

eath

what I just saw. Or if they d

know whic

the hall," my

tighten t

e, hard enough to blur

the pack walls, s

know wh

w it feels

orst part

s still there. Weak.

lls o

eyond Night Crow

them, and I do not know which

pushing me towa

et

use I ac

know what that w

been lying about the

beyond Night Cro

bond inside me