Chapter 5

Dawn painted the sky in streaks of pink and gold as Alexander dragged me from my room. His fingers dug into my arm with bruising force, his face a mask of cold fury. I stumbled behind him, still weak from the wolfsbane poisoning, my legs threatening to give out with each step.

"Alexander, please," I gasped, my breath coming in painful bursts. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer. The pack house fell away behind us as he pulled me through the forest, branches whipping against my skin. Lyra whimpered inside me, her strength not yet fully recovered from the…