Chapter 4

I woke to silk sheets and the scent of cedar smoke.

The transition from rough cave furs to luxury was so jarring that for a moment I thought I was still dreaming. My body sank into a mattress softer than clouds, wrapped in linens that probably cost more than most pack members earned in a year. Tall windows lined one wall, their heavy curtains drawn back to reveal a winter landscape that stretched endlessly toward snow-capped mountains.

This wasn't a cave. This was a palace.

I struggled to sit up, my body still aching from the ordeal in the storm.…