A primal snarl tears up my throat, but the silver burns hotter, punishing me for even thinking of shifting.
Thorne’s eyebrows rise. “So, it’s true. Our stray pup found himself a soft, blind little human to protect.”
My muscles lock. My heartbeat spikes. They know about Violet. Froggy told them. That betrayal stings worse than the chains. He was my brother.
Talon circles me like a shark tasting blood. “She smells… delicate.” He inhales theatrically. “Untouched by our world. A perfect lure.”
Something inside me fractures and ignites.
“You go near her,” I rasp, “and I will tear your fucking throats out with my teeth.”
The pack snarls back, a chorus of fury, but Talon only laughs. “So loyal. So foolish.”
Thorne grips my jaw, forcing me to meet his eyes. “We don’t need to touch her…yet. Not if you cooperate.
My chest twists painfully. “And then?” I grit out.
Thorne’s smile widens slowly. “Then,” he murmurs, “you’ll break yourself for us.”
The silver flares, hot enough to blister. And through the agony, one thought cuts through everything.
Violet.
I have to get to her. I have to warn her. I have to survive. Even if it kills me.
“Repeat the charges,” Thorne commands.
His beta steps forward, posture rigid, and he recites the charges like he’s reading off a grocery list instead of announcing someone’s execution.
“Destruction of property. Trespassing on Eustace land. Seduction of the alphas’ daughters. Attempted evasion. Disrespect of alpha command. Disruption of pack peace. Theft. Harboring of pack secrets.”
Snarls ripple through the circle at the charge ofseduction, because of course that’s the one they care about. Not the fights. Not the border raids. Not the running.
The daughters.
Talon leans forward, voice a pleasant, sickening growl.
“And turning yourself in,” he says, “does not erase what you’ve done.”
My throat is raw and dry. “I know.”
“And yet,” Thorne muses, rising slowly, like a judge preparing to deliver sentence, “because you surrendered instead of making us chase you again… we’re feeling generous.”
Talon smirks, teeth flashing, his voice almost cheerful when he says, “A quick death. Much quicker than you deserve.”
A murmur of approval rolls through the pack.
My breath gets stuck in my throat, but I keep my face neutral. I swallow hard. “I ask for one boon.”
The circle erupts in mocking laughter.
Talon barks a cruel chuckle. “A boon? From us?”
“That’s rich,” Thorne sneers.
But I lift my head, meet both their eyes and I pull. I pull hard. The chains rattle in a metallic scream. Silver burns my skin, my nerves, my bones, but I keep pulling.
The earth shifts beneath me as the anchor stakes bend.
